To be appreciated

I am so negligent a book blogger that I hadn't even realized it was Book Blogger Appreciation Week -- but it is! At least for another day. The website has links to lots of interesting blogs, almost all of which are new to me. But I thought I'd use the occasion to point out some links to some blogs that I particularly appreciate. They're all in my blogroll on the right, but these few are the ones I find myself turning to most often. In no particular order, they are: Citizen Reader -- Written by a librarian and avid reader of (mostly) nonfiction, I appreciate how it is always smart and both sincere and snarky, when appropriate.

Philobiblos -- Written by a librarian with a historical bent; I particularly appreciate the reviews and the links to stories about manuscript and rare book shenanigans.

Smart Bitches Trashy Books -- I appreciate Sarah Wendell bringing romance out of the closet and celebrating (or ridiculing) its many and varied forms. I particularly enjoy the HaBO (for Help A Bitch Out) feature, in which readers describe in hilarious terms some romance they read long ago and the commenters invariably figure out which book it is.

Between the Covers -- Written by Miami Herald Books Editor Connie Ogle, I appreciate the reviews, the South Florida literary news and, most of all, Connie's and the Herald's perseverance in providing book coverage in a time when newspaper journalism is in dire straits indeed.

Book Slut Blog -- I appreciate its relentless literariness and its links to interesting literary journalism, especially when I don't have keep up with Arts & Letters Daily -- which I don't know if that qualifies as a book blog but it's definitely worth checking when you have time.

And all of these, along with the nominees and winners from Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I appreciate for supporting my belief that the Internet is not, in fact, the Grim Reaper of Reading and in many ways serves to connect, facilitate and otherwise celebrate people who live for the written word.