There are hundreds of literary blogs out there and I subscribe to several dozen of them, but recently I’ve pared down my RSS subscriptions again, and thought I’d share five of my favourites.
So I present to you, in no particular order:
1. Bookninja
George Murray posts several times a day, commenting on the latest in book news, reviews and miscellanea with snappy asides and acidic author bias. It’s lovely.
A few recent posts: “The literary Devil don’t want Toronto’s soul”, “Amazon and Apple bringing ebooks bar fight to Canada?”, “Sargent rallies the troops”.
Bonus: Free snark!
2. The Guardian Book Blog
From the UK, this is one of the best mainstream literary blogs out there, with regular columns by several contributors who come from a variety of backgrounds. The posts are often longer and more in-depth than what you find on most other blogs.
A small sample: “World exclusive! Finnegans Wake nonsense!“, “Shakespeare and Company, a creative sanctuary“, “Publishing will always need its gatekeepers“.
Bonus: “Poem of the Week”!
3. Quillblog
The blog of the indispensable Quill & Quire magazine posts industry news, shortlists and prize announcements, job postings and just about anything and everything to do with the book trade.
Quick strokes: “Anna Ford calls on Martin Amis to stop “whingeing””, “The benefits of browsing”, “Faber & Faber to open Toronto writing school this fall”.
Bonus: Getting Q&Q 10 ishs a year is fab in and of itself: the blog is the bonus.
4. Rocket Bomber
The blog of Matt Blind, who works for an American big box store, discusses the trials and tribulations as experienced by book sellers. He also posts excellent in-depth essays about book store modelling, and about the graphic novel store he hopes to open one day. A great read.
A few faves: “Rethinking the Box: Good Problems to Have” and all posts in that series, especially “The Seven Types of Customer”, “Form, Content, Copies, Rights, and Plato”.
Bonus: Comics and manga!
5. Neil Gaiman’s Journal
Is it possible to write about books and blogging without mentioning literary rockstar Neil Gaiman? Probably not. I won’t even try.
Neil Gaiman’s Journal has been running for just over nine years, and while there are often posts about his work, it’s largely a glimpse into the life of a (very) successful author and what that entails.
Uncanny finds: “Of course, in Alabama the Tuscaloosa, but that is entirely irrelephant…“, “With Great Power comes, well, something…“, “Who Bells Bees? With photos…“. Apparently he’s very fond of ellipses.
Bonus: He occasionally posts photos of his house. He has an awesome house. I want it. (The library comes with, right?)
Have I missed your favourite blog? Let me know!
