Sunday, October 17, 2010

Blog Recommendations.

I'm in a writing kind of a mood tonight and in addition to working on my WIP, I decided some blog posts, other than reviews, might be in order.

I follow quite a few blogs and I am horrible about commenting. Sometimes I feel I don't have anything intelligent to say, so I just keep my mouth shut (or my fingers still). Commenting regularly is something I continue to work on, so forgive me if I randomly just stop commenting on your blog. I don't mean to.

But I do read a lot of blog entries. Generally speaking I am a very fast reader. While some classics challenge this skill, I can read at least 2-3 pages per minute, if not more.

In any case, there are a few blogs that I am loving, so I thought I would share some links and some info about the bloggers to steer you in the direction of some fabulous reviews (I tried to limit myself to only a handful, but I'll be sure to post more soon)!

  • Amanda at The Zen Leaf: This is one of those blogs I read every post because the books she chooses are just so interesting. Amanda is very intelligent and that shines through in the way she discusses literature. I also like that she is open, honest, and reads a variety of things. Her blog focuses a lot on the classics, which is great, as not that many seem to. She is also hosting that Bleak House read-a-long that I should be up to date with (but I'm not), is home to Classics Blogger Directory, and let's face it, is an all around all-star. If she's not on your feed, she should be. Trust me.
  • Jillian at A Room of One's Own: Jillian is a relatively new-to-me blogger who takes after my own challenge. She originally started with 100 books, and has progressed up to her own list of 250 books she wants to read. They are a combination of classics, children's literature, and contemporary fiction. Each of her posts is well-written and I feel a strong kinship to her. We both view our independent projects in the same light-the urge to read these important works as fast as we can. I admire her for her own project and wish her well.
  • Pam from 100 Books. 100 Journeys.: The focus of Pam's blog is to read the Modern Library's 100 best books from the last century. It includes similar titles to my own, but Pam is reading them down from #100! I know that I have to pick and choose my own novels at will, so I love that she boldly reads each novel in order! I love that her own project started around the same time as my own. I love reading her posts and seeing how her thoughts compare to mine. She is an excellent writer-you need to go visit her. :)
  • The Avid Reader's Musings: This is another favorite! She focuses on all kinds of literature: from contemporary to classics to young adult. You can count on her reviews being well-written and insightful. I read her reviews of YA books as a guilty pleasure, since I won't be reading the books any time soon. :) I also love that she has lists of the books she has read in past years (before blogging). It gives great insight into the kind of reader she is!
  • The Literate Man: It is safe to say that most of the book blogger world is dominated by females, so when you find a guy reviewing books, its glorious. The author of this blog also reads a diverse mix-including many classics! I love seeing his views on these great works, and how they differ from my own. His reviews are well-written and thoughtful, which is something I appreciate!
  • Kathy at The Literary Amnesiac: This is another blogger who likes her classics (are you sensing a theme yet?). Her posts are original and fun! My favorites include her "Words of the Day" which highlight those difficult words we all stumble over. She has a very effortless writing style and gives deeper insight rather than just another review.
  • Park Benches and Bookends: This is a blog written by a couple (Jessica and Chris) and that is one of the main reasons I love it. They both write posts and share their blog as a common place to talk about the books they read. Jessica participated in my Cranford read-a-long, which is how I discovered their wonderful blog. They are both excellent reviewers and I love seeing how their reading tastes differ.
  • Iris from Iris on Books: Iris is a blogger I discovered shortly after she started her blog. I have been reading for so long that Iris seems like a long-lost friend. :) Her posts are always beautifully written. She explores a lot of classic literature in addition to small-press novels. She's starting her own classics project in the new year, which will be really exciting to read about!

I hope that I have steered you towards some new blogs to read! Do you have any suggestions for me? I am always looking for new blogs!

14 comments:

  1. Awww, thanks for the link! *warm fuzzies* You have presented me with several new blogs to check out--they sound great!

    Here are a few I always enjoy, though I'm afraid they don't all concentrate on classics as much as you might like:

    Mrs. BG: a fun group of lighthearted ladies discussing books and various book-related topics.

    Bride of the Book God: This is The Bride's book blog, but she also has a movie blog that I enjoy.

    Natalie, the Book Chick: I first found her blog when she posted about her father competing in the Ernest Hemingway lookalike contest!

    Kate is re-reading the Harry Potter series right now.

    Kristi's blog is relatively new. She is an American living in Scotland with her young family.


    Finally, here areGreg,
    Ape, and
    Pete
    to satisfy your craving for male book bloggers ;)

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  2. First off, I want to thank you for your kind words, especially as I'm embarking right now on a break!!

    Second, I love nearly every blog you put up here. It's like you took my favorites and listed them. There are two I don't recognize (Literate Man and Literary Amnesiac) but I'm definitely going to check them out.

    Third, I have a couple classics-related blogs to suggest if you're open to suggestions.

    My friend Karen writes about classics at Books and Chocolate (http://karensbooksandchocolate.blogspot.com/). She's an awesome person in real life as well as on the blogs!

    Then there's Trisha from Eclectic/Eccentric (http://www.eclectic-eccentric.com/) who reviews a great mix of classics - both ancient and newer - and fantasy.

    Rebecca Reads is the very first book blog I ever found and she always talks about classics: http://reviews.rebeccareid.com/

    Helen from She Reads Novels (http://shereadsnovels.wordpress.com/) is another classics blog I discovered right around the same time as Jess & Chris's blog. It's lovely.

    Last, another couple who reviews a mix of classics and modern lit, as well as mixing in recipes and travel-related posts: Steph and Tony Investigate at http://www.stephandtonyinvestigate.com/

    Enjoy! :)

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  3. I follow about half of those already but I'll make sure to check out the others :)

    I'd definitely be flattered if you checked out my blog though!

    inthenextroom.blogspot.com

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  4. Aw, thank you, Allie! I feel a strong kinship with you, too. Your blog is just my style; I love reading it and don't always comment, either, but I never miss it. No worries at all on that from me. Blogging, to me, feels like sitting in a room with fellow book lovers, chatting now and then on our progress. Sometimes we feel like contributing; sometimes we feel like just sitting quietly and listening. I value the company in either format and feel very good knowing you're in the room. :-)

    I'm going to check out the blogs you and others recommended! I'm afraid I don't know many lit blogs at this point. I've been blogging for about a year, but I originally hosted a writing blog and only tossed up a review now and then. I quickly realized I loved the literature posts most, and writing the 'writer' posts felt too much like marketing. (I'm fairly shy and private, so marketing doesn't sit well with me.)

    I ended up shutting down the other blog and opening my new one only a few weeks ago, where I focus on literature and write only for myself. I've been much happier since then. :-)

    Anyway, most of the blogs I followed up to that point were writing blogs.

    I have found a few lit blogs so far:

    http://deadwhiteguyslit.blogspot.com (snarky! makes me laugh!)

    http://eclectic-indulgence.blogspot.com (a male blogger reads the classics; leaves very insightful comments when he visits)

    http://www.englishmajorjunkfood.com (a fellow college student reviews the books she WANTS to read outside her English major)

    http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com (reads lots of classics; very warm personality)

    http://lifetimereadingplan.blogspot.com (this blog will begin in january and cover LOTS of oldies)

    http://thefriande.wordpress.com (a skeptic blogs the classics with ATTITUDE) :-)

    http://vsudia.wordpress.com (blogs a classic a week)

    Hope that gives you something new. :-)

    - Jill

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  5. Soooo glad to have found your blog! New blogs to check - big fun!

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  6. Amanda *is* great! I've been following her for about a year now and love her dearly. I'm checking out a few of the blogs that I haven't seen before. Who cares that, if I go away for a weekend, I have over 700 posts to catch up on. I need more! Hahahahaha.

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  7. You just made my day. Thanks for everything you said and for your list of recommended bloggers. You've listed some of my absolute favorites, but I'll have to check out Jillian, Pam and The Literate Man.

    Just so you know, you were one of the first book blogs I discovered and loved when I started blogging. I've always been addicted to reading classics, but some of them can be daunting. Your journey through 250 of them inspires me and I always can't wait to see what you'll read next!

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  8. Thanks for the suggestions. I have been following all but 2 of those blogs and they are all fabulous. Now I am off to check to the two new ones out

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  9. I'm always glad to find new blogs! I've been out of the blog reading loop lately because of work, but I'm hoping I can get back in it soon.

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  10. yeay for lists of more classics bloggers! I am excited to check out those I haven't been reading.

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  12. Thanks for providing us with all these great blog suggestions. I have been following your blog for awhile and have finally launched my own...thanks to your inspiration! Check it out at: http:\\careysbookproject.blogspot.com

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  13. Here are a couple which I really like -
    Laura’s Reviews
    http://lauragerold.blogspot.com/
    The Reading Life
    http://rereadinglives.blogspot.com/
    A Bookshelf Monstrosity
    http://bookshelfmonstrosity.blogspot.com/

    I have some more in my list and will be back by to give them to you...:) Since I am working on an updated blog roll.

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  14. I disappear offline for a few days and look what I miss! I blushed so badly when I read your kind words. A long-lost friend, wow! Sorry if I'm being a bit incoherent right now.

    I love most of those bloggers you mentioned as well, although there are a few new ones which I'm definitely going to check out. I recently discovered Jill's blog and it is wonderful, I love it so much., as I do your blog of course :). I love both of your projects and I am seriously considering making my own reading list and following the example of both of you. But I might not be able to stick to it as you both seem to do.

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