Type “books” into Google’s search engine, and the result is millions of hits. Where do you start? It depends what you are specifically looking for, of course, but even with a relatively narrow focus the selection is apt to be (too) large. Here are a few worthy sites that have come to our attention.
50 Books
A Good Blog is Hard To Find
This wonderful blog is run by a group of Southern authors who share their thoughts on books and writing of all kinds. It’s also a lively one since every weekday brings something new from author interviews to essays to reviews. In addition, a number of visiting authors stop by to share their news and views. Austin Public Library Blog This Texas library started its own blog to talk about books, reading, news, events, tips, and curiosities and controversies. Even for non-Texas readers, there is some great information here from those who really know their books—librarians. A fount of information presented in a wonderful way. BibliOdyssey Eclectic book art and illustrations are the focus of this fascinating blog, which showcases obscure imagery found in old books ranging from eighteenth-century anatomical and architectural drawing to occult and alchemical engravings and proto-Surrealist depictions of the horrors of industrialization. PK, author and owner of the blog, also provides details for each of the images.
Bluestalking Reader
Lisa Guidarini, columnist at BiblioBuffet, also runs her own blog where she allows her snarkiness and sweetness to run wild. It offers a charming, appealing look at a columnist from her own side of the pen.
Book Design Review
Its subtitle is “The best—and sometimes the worse—of book cover design,” and it does what it says it will do very well. Joseph, who terms himself an information architect, loves book design. As will you if you read this even if you don’t now. Because you are interested in cover design. It’s what makes you pick up a book if you are browsing (what’s the first thing you see?) and what gives your subconscious its first thoughts on any book. The fact that he is a wonderful writer makes this entertaining as well as enlightening. Bookride This blog is “a guide to wanted and collected books. Included in the wonderfully written posts are explanations of why the book is wanted and what it is worth (within a range of selling prices) as well as “some trivia, apercus and bon mots, a few anecdotes, so called jokes and occasional rants.” Bookstack Becca is not only a ravenous reader, but a wonderful writer about all things bookish. Her 47 years of reading have given her a lot to write about, and that is a fortunate thing for us. Classical Bookworm A fantastic and beautifully designed blog devoted to—what else?—great books. Confessions of a Bookplate Junkie Lewis Jaffe writes a delightful blog on bookplates. He is passionate about his hobby as he is knowledgeable, and he has a sense of humor which can be seen in posts such as this: I suspect I am addicted to dust. My favorite method of bookplate hunting is to sit in an old bookshop blowing dust off covers, peeking inside, in anticipation of finding a bookplate treasure. The excitement of discovery that accompanies the search can never be replicated by eBay. Covers If you appreciate the art of book covers, you’ll enjoy this visual blog, which limits itself to posting intriguing cover designs. It welcomes comments too. Critical Mass This is the blog of the National Book Critics Circle board of directors. The NBCC is the non-profit organization of book critics responsible for the annual National Book Critics Circle Awards. If you enjoy book criticism, this blog with its contributions from members, is fascinating and sometimes controversial. But, then, good book criticism is. A Different Stripe If you love the classics (as I do) or just want to explore new literary fields, this NYRB Classics blog from the New York Review of Books is perfect. It has several contributors and a simply beautiful appearance. And the writing and topics are enthralling. Elegant Variation Mark Sarvas’ often irreverent, occasionally controversial and interesting blog has won some important media attention. “I’ve learned,” he says, “that one mustn’t think too much about what others think or say about you, and that one needs to be true to one’s creative impulses and critical radar . . . “ He is, and his take on books and reading is delightful. Illiterate Businesses For those who are driven crazy by “business signs that contain grammatical, spelling, and/or punctuation errors.,” this is the perfect place to come and share your frustrations. It’s hilarious, wonderful and perfectly snarky. Its only flaw is that the blogger posts relatively infrequently. (Come on, there can’t be that much perfection out there, can there?) Judge a Book by its Cover Book covers of the truly hideous kind by a public librarian who has seen them all. Definitely snarky and very funny. The Millions A blog with multiple contributors, The Millions is fun, opinionated and humorous. C. Max Magee, upon starting it, wrote: “The blog world is crowded . . . So many of the things that I have a casual interest in are covered so obsessively in the blog world that it is hard to find something to write about in any sort of compelling way. I recently realized, though, that I am singularly qualified to write a blog about books. I work in a great little book store and therefore, in pursuit of my paycheck, I see with my own eyes the hundreds of books that come out weekly and I read reviews in dozens of newspapers and magazines. Finally, I have always loved books and I have always loved telling people about books.” Notebookism “We all share a pleasant affliction - the urge to create on paper,” begins the description of this enticing blog. “The smell of smooth creamy paper sends our hearts aflutter. The delicate tinkling of nib against inkwell accelerates our pulse rate.” If that statement fills your heart with passion, you are going to love this blog dedicated to all things with the soul of a notebook. pages turned A wonderful blog owned by a nameless woman who uses a quote from Joyce Carol Oates—Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another's skin, another's voice, another's soul—as her motto. It sums up the blog’s offerings very nicely. Well written, satisfying, amusing—and especially recommended for readers who are cat lovers. People Reading Sonia, who lives in San Francisco, likes taking pictures of people reading books in public. She says she began the blog because she was interested in what makes a good book and why people read what they do. It’s an unusual perspective for a book blog. Seven Roads: Gallery of Book Trade Labels Seven Roads is a blog devoted to the small labels that publishers, printers, binders, importers, distributors and booksellers used to paste into the endpapers of books as a way to advertise their contribution in bringing the book to market. New finds are added around the first of each month. Things Found in Old Books A new blog that doesn’t have much in the way of text, but is full of images of ephemera discovered among the pages of old books. What people use and forgot tells a lot about them even if we don’t know what books or people. Very Short Novels An unusual and unusually fascinating blog in that each post is a “novel” of 299 words. For years, David has written them, sent them off to literary magazines and occasionally read them in public. He would explain them as very short fictions of 300 words each. During one of those readings, someone asked if he meant precisely 300 words and he flippantly replied, “No, they are 299 words.” Which they have been ever since that night. The Written Nerd A delightful and witty blog by a bookseller in New York City’s SoHo district who loves her day job but admits it cuts into her blogging time because she has to be available to customers every minute of the day. “Even if I do have a long-term computer project going,” she wrote in her first post, “I will drop it at a moment's notice to help someone find the book they're looking for. If there's not a customer at that moment, there's receiving, shelving, sorting, display work, and in my case, keeping an eye on the other sales floor folk to make sure they're being attentive to the customers as well . . . I think this is why there are so few bookseller blogs.” |