Blogging for Blogs
When I find a new favorite blog, I suddenly see that person popping up everywhere! I first noticed this when I started reading Janet’s Love is Blonde and then, magically, I saw comments from her on practically every other blog I read and links to her all over the place. I’m sure they didn’t just coincidentally appear the week I saw her blog, I just now was tuned in to it and therefore noticed it.
Now I’ve watched that same thing happen again and again, last summer with She Likes Purple (by Jennie) and most recently with Jess’ blog. One day of reading and I’m wondering how I was so clueless as to not know about them until now. (And isn’t it coincidental that all of their names start with J? Do I gravitate toward other people with “J” names? Does your name start with J?)
Ahem. Anyway. Which blogs am I totally missing the boat on? Which ones can you not imagine life without (I’m assuming, of course, that you need blogs to live)? I don’t care if it’s a total stranger to you or your best friend for the last fifty years. All I care about is that it’s a good blog. After all, I only have three and a half more weeks of school and then I will have one glorious month off in which I think could be well spent reading new blogs. Right?
And, because I’m a giver, let me tell you about one that you maybe are already reading, but maybe you aren’t and even if only one of you isn’t, it’ll be worth it to share.
Nothing But Bonfires by Holly Burns is just so awesome. She’s British, living in San Francisco (in the world’s most gorgeous apartment) working as a writer and making all of life seem so lovely and cheery. She’s a really amazing writer and takes gorgeous pictures. About two years ago, she and her boyfriend quit their jobs in Charleston, SC and took a six month trip around Asia. You should definitely check those archives out.
My mom says she tries not to read it because any time she goes to it, she ends up reading post after post, browsing the archives for hours. If that’s not a testimonial worth listening to, well, I don’t know what more I could say to convince you.
The only thing is, um, about two weeks ago, she turned her feed to a partial one (argggh! Much gnashing of teeth!), so there’s that big old downer if you use a reader. I almost picked a different blog just because that partial feed bugs me that. much.
But really, it should tell you a lot if, even with a partial feed, I still recommend her blog.
So turnabout is fair play and all that jazz – tell me what you’re reading online.
I always recommend 6yearmed.blogspot.com. Its a friend of mine from high school who gives an amazingly entertaining and often poignant view of her experience going through a 6 year undergrad/med program. She’s graduating this spring, but make sure to check out the archives.
This is a Canadian potter that I know. He is working on a MFA in Ceramics at Utah State and recently spent a semester in mainland China. The China part of his blog is terrific.
http://smokieclennell.blogspot.com/
Erm, I think our links lists are almost identical. 🙂
But I don’t see Orangette on there, and she is just lovely. Plus, full feed!
This is a funny post because recently my friend Diana told me how she LOVES reading your blog. When she told me this she was so embarrassed that she randomly goes to your blog and reads even though she doesn’t know you. I assured her this conscienceness (not a word but you know) was because she is relatively new at blogging that in the blogging world it is perfectly normal. And that you would not find it weird at only, only a great complimant, b/c you yourself subscribe to many unknown bloggers:)
One blog Will and I find particularly funny is:
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com
click on the “full list of stuff white people like”
Some of our favorite posts are:
Not owning a TV
Marathons
Having black friends
Gifted children
The idea of soccer
bottled water
And so much more! I love this site! We crack up laughing reading it together!
funny you posted this — I feel the same way about your blog. I had never heard of it and then boom! everywhere 🙂 the internet is a funny place.
Here is my undiscovered blog for you: http://alifeinthepresent.wordpress.com/
It’s written by an old friend who is living abroad in Prague right now and traveling all over. Just a great read!
I love Jamie at fullyoperationalbattlestation.com and Lara at redredwhine.com.
Also, the same thing totally happened to me with you! And your name starts with J too!
Oh and by the way, apparently the arm bump thing does happen to men, but it’s more common in women.
I can’t tell you how excited I am for this post! I’m adding links to my “check out when you can browse” list like crazy and hoping to find some new friends to read. (Because, I consider anyone whose life I check up on daily a friend).
One of my favorites is Megan from Chicago who spent over a year traveling the world, and then did it again. Her archives are AMAZING! http://www.me-go.net/rtw/blog/
Great post! Am checking back for more suggestions throughout the day!
xox
Since you are my blog tutor (just started even reading blogs a few months ago and I don’t know whether to bless you or curse you since I find myself reading blogs and commenting more than I probably have time to do), I have found most of my new favorite blogs from you. (My new favorite is thepioneerwoman.com). However, to go with the China theme that seems to be going on in these comments, another one that I enjoy reading is heidiswapp.typepad.com who is a mom from Arizona living in China with her husband and five kids.
I would recommend Nothing But Bonfires any day of the week. She’s fantastic.
Also:
Moose in the Kitchen
Jonniker
A Girl And A Boy
Princess Nebraska
No Pasa Nada
maybe you’ve already found her, but I’m pretty much addicted to this lady’s blog.
http://www.sheyerosemeyer.blogspot.com/
Long story short – she’s Australian, and lost her little girl last year in an accident where she got left in the car and it got too hot. SO sad. But she’s a child photographer, has three other kids, and basically has the neatest/most loving story. There is a link on her blog to her little girl’s story. Her name is Ava. I have read her ENTIRE blog (shameful).
let me know what you think if you haven’t already found her.
I tend to lurk around librarians. Miss Nemesis you know about (I have seen you comment) but I also find these two bloggers to be vastly entertaining:
http://librarianpants.blogspot.com/
http://librarianwonder.blogspot.com/
I also stalk foodies:
http://smittenkitchen.com/
http://www.amateurgourmet.com/
plus Orangette but someone mentioned her already.
I don’t see two of my favorites on your link list.
http://jordanferney.blogspot.com
http://emilystyle.blogspot.com
Love em both.
http://granolasdodallas.blogspot.com
yes it’s true you’ll want to go read all of her archives. She was in my ward but sadly moved away. She is pure comedy.
Well, there’s this one girl named Janssen… but I think you know about that one.
Seriously our lists are nearly identical.
I suppose it’s POSSIBLE you haven’t seen a couple of these, but probably not:
Normal Mormon Husbands has a few real gems now and then
http://mormonhusbands.blogspot.com/
The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks is like popcorn for me
http://quotation-marks.blogspot.com/
Aw, thanks for the lovely words — from you AND your mom! I’m terribly flattered.
Regarding the partial feed: call me old-fashioned, but I kind of just think blog posts should be read ON the blog itself, rather than in a depersonalized format like a feed. I must be honest in admitting that I really don’t care much for RSS feeds — they’re fine for just telling you that the person has updated, but I always think it’s nice to read the post on the website itself. It’s not a HUGE pain to click over, is it? I hope not!
Thanks again for the shout-out and the compliments! Please stick around, even with the partial feed thing!
I love she likes purple.
Another favorite is-
http://denyingsoccermom.blogspot.com/
http://weekinanutshell.blogspot.com
This is a friend of mine – and I enjoy his writing style 😀
So I’m not going to lie — I love browseing people I know – and then finding people on their blogs – and so forth! 🙂