Summer Reading

When you get a new computer one of the things you are required to do is update your Internet bookmarks. This is when you find how many are outdated and no longer exist. My biggest bookmark folder, by far, consists of blogs / online journals that I read either regularly, semi-regularly, or once-in-a-blue-moon. I only list a couple of blogs that I have loved for a long, long time on this site -- but I have recently updated my favorite blog folder to include these:

Ampersand: a New Zealander with good, clear writing

Bayou Renaissance: a retired military man with an interesting political slant

BERNTHIS.COM: spicy opinions from a very witty woman

Cliff Morrow's Blog: a farmer and grandfather with a delightful mid-western slant on life

Big Fat Deal: I've read this blogger in other incarnations and she has always been a good writer, but in this blog she discusses the perception of the media about fat people -- and being a fat person, myself, I found her opinions both freeing and insightful

Dooce: honestly, if you don't like Dooce you just don't get good writing or like wonderful photographs; both she and her husband create blogs that are the basic primers for the rest of us

Everyday Stranger: a very good slice-of-life woman writer who leads a much more exciting life than I do, obviously

finslippy: like Dooce, another Internet staple blogger because she's a really good story-teller

Funny the World: the only blogger I read every single day; I know this woman on levels she will never realize; she's just back from a trip to Russia and her pictures are wonderful

Hyperblogal: a local photographer who takes wonderful photos of my city

Just Me: another local woman, around my age, who writes about her life on her farm with her husband, their animals, their gardens, and their motorcycles; right now she's cruising through Arkansas

mimi smartypants: another excellent, witty writer who makes motherhood seem like it might be possible AND productive

MoxieMama: a woman in my hometown who writes about as often as I do, but she always tells a good story

My Beloved Monster: a dad whose writing I have followed through a number of different writing venues, even bought his book from Amazon; his tales of life with his daughter are touching and wonderful

pamie: her tales of the life of a writer in Hollywood are like reading articles in People; you must read about her experience at the Korean spa!

Plain-Jane: another hometown writer but one who is snarky and sarcastic most of the time though she's real, too; she just needs to get over her dislike of other more popular bloggers

Ride Cactus: a dad telling about his adventures at work and at home

Snugpug: a friend in Singapore who writes about her precious dogs, her husband, and her life; she has a real talent with words

Stargazer: we have a mutual admiration society; she's a great teacher with a fantastic family out on the west coast; she's another journalist I read weekly, if not daily

waiterrant.net: another blogger who turned his writings into a book that was most readable; no longer a waiter, he still makes wonderful stories out of everyday events

I don't communicate with these bloggers (except for Snugpug, Stargazer, Just Me and once in while MoxieMama). I'm the silent reader, the lurker. But I am a fan of their writing and if you're looking for a good relaxing summer read, you might want to check them out.