BBAW: All My Appreciation!

I'll be participating in Book Blogger Appreciation Week this week. I'm kind of excited because in the past I've been so frazzled by the organization side that my posts are never very good and I can only get around to a handful of blogs. But this year it's so incredibly low key that I'm going to get to actually participate! So yay for that.

Today's topic is a traditional topic for BBAW...talking about the blogs you read regularly and love. I read a lot of blogs. And as always, there's no way to talk about everyone, but I do want to highlight a few because this is my chance to tell you about how great they are! I just want to note I got in a Twitter conversation about how difficult this prompt is and why. I'm not going to lie...these ARE some of my favorite blogs. I love having an excuse to gush over them because I am naturally a very gushy person but I find that freaks people out. At the same time, this list is in NO WAY exhaustive. I read a lot of other blogs and the ones I'm drawn to....fluctuate and change.

Angieville--Angie writes the kind of blog that just makes me happy to be a reader. Again, we don't always end up liking the same things...she was Team Gale and all (something I'll never forget) but her love for books is refreshing in a very unique way. I always enjoy reading her reviews because they are so heartfelt. I'm pretty sure I've bought books I would never have thought of twice before reading her reviews, she's just that persuasive. Her review of I'll Be There is one that made me buy the book.

Rhapsody In Books--Jill's blog is like a breath of fresh air. She's completely honest in her reviews and also very intelligent. She knows a lot of stuff. But she enthusiastically loves big heavy history books right alongside awesome YA. And she makes me laugh a lot, she's so funny. And thoughtful! Plus she sent me this awesome purple present during the Secret Santa swap last year. And she always sends me blog posts that she thinks I'll be interested in. I love her! Her review of Crescendo is one of the funniest ever and her review of Jellicoe Road is beautiful and perceptive.

Things Mean a Lot--I'd be surprised if Ana's blog isn't on a lot of lists today. She's just that great. I honestly don't know a single other person that manages to be so incredibly diplomatic and forceful, kind and unwavering, thoughtful and intelligent. We don't even share a lot of the same tastes in books but it doesn't really matter because I learn so much from reading her reviews anyway. She really puts herself into her reviews and it shows. And she's nice! And articulate! And gracious! I'm just such a huge fan. She's also given a lot to the book blogging community--she used to help organize the readathon and the Secret Santa Swap along with countless interesting challenges. She reviews a wide variety of things...she loves science, fantasy, the classics, anything feminist or subversive. So if by some freak chance you don't know who Ana is, I highly suggest you fix that! Her recent post on the Edinburgh International Book Festival is a great example of how she writes about books and life and living in the tension and it's just so Ana!

Booklust--To give you an idea of the kind of reader Aarti is, she read both Middlemarch and A Suitable Boy this year. In the same year. And a lot of other stuff, too! A long time ago, we organized a small press blog tour together, and it's her heart for things like that...elevating and giving prominence and a voice to the quality fiction in our world that goes overlooked for various reasons, that makes her feel like a kindred spirit. And like all my favorite bloggers, she's not afraid of being introspective and personal in her posts, I'll never forget this post she wrote about racism in fantasy or the post she wrote after the shooting at the Sikh temple. I feel like I'm a smarter person for reading her blog.

Book Addiction--Heather is a voracious reader, I'm so impressed with how many books she manages to read! Heather and I have had a lot of different issues we've been able to connect over and she's also just a great writer! I always love reading her posts.

Lady Business--This is Renay, Jodie, and Ana's joint blog about media through a feminist perspective. And I love them all and love this project of theirs, but I feel like there's not nearly enough conversation going on over there. So please check it out! I know it's on dreamwidth which is a less familiar platform for traditional blogging, but they have openID and anonymous comments enabled so it's great!

Ottawa Lit Snob--This is my friend Shu's newish book blog. I actually met Shu via a television show that-must-not-be-named that we both watched, but she loves books too! She's currently reading Harry Potter (for the first time!!) and she likes classics and popular fiction. She's funny, a writer herself, and a smartie. Please check out her blog!

There are so many other blogs I read daily and love, it's hard to narrow it down. But I know you'll want to read everyone else's posts as well so I won't keep going. Happy BBAW everyone!