Reading... book blogs

The last book I finished was Vertigo 42, by Martha Grimes. Since I recently talked about why I love Martha Grimes and her Richard Jury series, I won't say much except that it was another great Jury mystery. Instead, I'm taking a look at my feed reader to share a handful of my favorite book-related blogs (excluding author blogs...because there are a lot of those!):

Book Riot is great because there is something for everyone. There's a whole staff of contributors that write for this site, so you get a lot of points of view. There are people who like to read big classics, non-fiction, genre fiction of all kinds, and everything in between. And rather than just review lots of books, they mostly have features -- articles about books and reading and the reading life. It's fun, funny, and often thought-provoking. Also, a time-suck, but in the best way possible.

RA for All was one of my go-to readers' advisory sites when I worked as a full-time librarian. Not only does Becky write great reviews and themed book posts -- so it's a great resource for anyone looking for a good book to read -- but she also teaches you how to be a better readers' advisor.

Blogging for a Good Book is the blog of the Williamsburg Public Library, and it's all reviews, all the time. What's great about this blog, is that you get so many different types of reviews since it's the whole library staff that contributes. Plus, it's not all reviews of bestsellers or new books. There's plenty of older, backlist titles featured.

Clear Eyes, Full Shelves and Books I Done Read are two favorites mostly because of their voice. The authors have such a unique (and in Books I Done Read's case -- stinking hilarious) way of sharing their thoughts on books, and I enjoy reading them even if I don't think I'll go pick up the book they're talking about. Plus, Sarah, Laura, and Sandra over at Clear Eyes are big Friday Night Lights fans so...kindred spirits, basically.

A Work in Progress and Shelf Love are also two favorites because of their voice, but these are the blogs I go to when I want to read about authors I've probably not heard of, literary fiction, historical fiction, and interesting non-fiction. These blogs are thoughtful and somewhat quiet, but I sometimes find a recommendation that I'd never have found somewhere else.