5 Blogs I Just Can’t Not Read

blog board I’m sure you have them, too.  You know, those few sites that no matter what the topic is you always  make time to see their latest entry and try to leave a comment?

For me, blogging is a community based around dialogue.  The blogger says this, the readers say that, and the whole thing ends up being a conversation instead of one person shouting into the ether.

The readers are just as, if not more, important as the blogger who writes the posts.  So as a part of the 2010 WordCount Blogathon, I hope being able to share those blogs that I just can’t make myself not read promotes the community that I find inherent to what making the blogosphere great.

In No Particular Order:

  1. We Fly Spitfires – Gordon (like a couple of the other bloggers on this list) was one of my inspirations for starting a blog.  His brief yet interesting blog posts always make readers feel at home commenting, and he’s just a swell guy himself.  If you consider yourself an MMORPG fan, why are you not already reading his blog?  And if you are, leave a comment and boost his self esteem a little.
  2. Bio Break –  I found Syp’s blog when I was trying to find out just what blogging was.  His daily ramblings always make me smile, and he even got a job recently working as a columnist for Massively. If that doesn’t speak to the quality of his writing, I don’t know what does.  While I might not always play the games Syp talks about, I can appreciate his style.  And if you haven’t already, check out his NaNoWriMo Novels he’s posting serially on his blog.
  3. Nik at Nite – Are you a LOST fan?  A Whedonite of any flavor? Do you just love intelligent discourse about TV from someone who is ridiculously passionate about it?  Then give Nikki Stafford’s blog a shot.  Continually updated and always interesting, Nikki finds things in TV and pop culture most of us only wish we could.  She is also presenting a keynote speech at Slayage this year; I look forward to meeting her in June.
  4. Whatever – John Scalzi is probably my favorite new author.  I discovered his blog by accident, but since then, I have found myself eagerly awaiting the updates it provides in my RSS inbox.  An author who actually interacts with and cares about his fans gets a lot of respect in my book, and his The Big Idea segments have introduced me to multiple books I might not have found otherwise.  He supports newbie writers like few I’ve ever seen.  And since I want to one day make a living writing in his genre, his newbie tips and pokes and prods are good for me.
  5. Guide to Literary Agents – Chuck Sambuchino offers a great deal of insight into the world of publishing with his blog.  My personal favorite section of his blog is called Successful Queries, where—you guessed it—he goes over actual writer queries that have succeeded and pokes and prods them until we can all see why they were successful.  On top of this, he provides what I see as the most comprehensive agenting blog around.

The Runners-Up:

My RSS reader is simply not limited to 5 blogs.  Here are 5 more blogs (again, in no particular order) from my feeds that should keep you entertained after you’ve picked the above ones dry.

  • Bleh With Barry – A colleague of mine this past year and new to the blogging scene. Art, comics, pop culture, literature, and theater? Check it out.
  • World of Matticus – The WoW healer blog.  Do you keep people alive when playing WoW?  Do you get kept alive by people in WoW?  Then read Matt and his cronies.  (Note: WoM will always have a special place in my heart for allowing me my first series of guest posts after I started blogging.)
  • Nathan Bransford, Literary Agent – Much like Chuck Sambuchino, Nathan keeps me apprised of what’s going on in the publishing industry so I can not be totally over my head once I finish this novel and get it out there.
  • Tobias Buckell – Have you ever read any of his fiction?  If not, do it.  Also, check out his series called Just a Draft which is his look at the inside workings of actually being a working author; the essays are neat.
  • World’s Strongest Librarian – Friendly blogger-in-residence Josh Hanagarne just makes life a little nicer with his blog.  Living with Tourette Syndrome, working as a librarian, and moonlighting as a kettle ball weightlifter, Josh’s blog may be one of the most uplifting and positive blogs out there.

What blogs can you just not avoid reading when a new update comes across your desk?  Sound off in the comments!

By B.J. Keeton

B.J. KEETON is a writer, teacher, and runner. When he isn't trying to think of a way to trick Fox into putting Firefly back on the air, he is either writing science fiction, watching an obscene amount of genre television, or looking for new ways to integrate fitness into his geektastic lifestyle. He is also the author of BIRTHRIGHT and co-author of NIMBUS. Both books are available for Amazon Kindle.

20 comments

  3. Well, I always read yours (unless it’s a WoW post), and I love Roger Ebert’s blog. I don’t read every single post of his, but if the topic even remotely interests me, I’m there.

    1. My WoW posts are awesome! 😉 And I agree about Ebert. Some of his topics are too esoteric for even me, but when he gets onto something I care about, he hits the bullseye.

    1. I think you’ll like his blog. I find a lot of interesting stuff there. Like most blogs, I don’t read every word, but he is prolific enough that I can very much find something in my RSS reader every day.

  5. There was a time when, after seeing a film for the first time, I’d go home and immediately check out Ebert’s take on it, but now I’ve come to think of him as something of a relic.

    His post on why video-games can *never* be art was ran so contra to my own opinions that I’m still pretty wound up about it. The thing that really annoys me is the fact that he doesn’t seem to have any knowledge of video games, as evidenced by the line ” “Waco Resurrection” may indeed be a great game”. I’ve never even heard of it, and I’m almost a little worried that my attempts to find a review of it could put me on some sort of suspected-terrorist list. I better not get into his Kick-Ass review…

    God, it felt good to go on a mini anti-Ebert rant, it’s been a long time coming! Not sure if it’s at all helpful but I thought I’d mention that I found your blog courtesy of your WoM guest posts.

    1. This was supposed to be a reply, but Chrome reared its (occasionally) troublesome head. Sorry!

    2. I mostly agree with his Kick-Ass review, though. I did think that Hit Girl was irresponsible, even if the rest of the movie handled the topic pretty well. It was hyperviolent just to be hyperviolent, and that bothered me a little. It was fun, but Hit Girl and Big Daddy really, //really// bothered me.

      As for Ebert on video games, I overlook that. He made some logical points that, while I don’t agree with him, he is entitled to have. I think he is completely wrong, but we also have to consider that video games are a 30 year old field. They are still gaining a foothold in mainstream media, and while they typically focus on narrative these days and provide wonderfully emotionally resonant characters and situations, there is still a long way to go before I would recommend someone to play Bioshock or WoW over reading Old Man’s War or even The Dark Tower.

      And as for the Chrome thing: grrr. I thought when I switched themes that problem got fixed.

      And I’m glad that you found it via WoM posts. I wasn’t sure if anyone actually liked them or clicked through, but I’m glad to see that they did. 🙂

      1. Yup, I tried again. Twice. *shrug*

        Above 49, Psychochild, Mike Darga and… two others that I can’t remember now.

  7. Mine is … Ok, can I truly find the courage to confess this here? Cake Wrecks. It should be predictable but I find deep belly laughs every time I read the owner’s description of cake decorating gone wrong. I’m on a mission to find that awful example to submit to her just to see how she makes fun of it. And, because smart alecs love a good challenge, I can’t resist trying to be still funnier in the comment section.

    1. One of my wife’s dirty pleasures is Awful Plastic Surgery, so I know how that can be. Her adulation of the site’s rubbed off a bit on me, I’m afraid to say. 😛

  8. Good picks. Bio Break is one of my favorite blogs out there. Syp is a big inspiration for me starting my blog. Tobold is another one.

    I started reading Whatever after reading Old Man’s War by Jon Scalzi thanks to your recommendation. Great author, great blog.

    I really like it when you recommend new authors and blogs. You always have good taste in writers.
    .-= Void´s last blog ..Air Traffic is Fun With Flight Control =-.

    1. I don’t know about “always.” Back in high school, reading Richard A. Knaak’s Dragonlance books got me started down the path to reading those, and now I can’t stand the way the man strings words together.

  9. Feeling discouraged as I read this. How will I ever get GOOD at blogging?

    As I read your post, I realize that I’ll never be as good at blogging as I want to be. Doesn’t help that Blogger has been down for so long now.

    Trying…refuse to give up. I plug away a little at a time.

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