so many wonderful blogs

Yes, it's finally here! Book Blogger Appreciation Week. And today, we've been asked to highlight some of our favorite blogs that didn't make the shortlists for the awards. This is a good time to make a confession. I don't feel like a book blogger myself. Yes, I love, love, love books...reading them, talking about them, reading what other people have to say about them. But a.) I don't write wonderful, intelligent book reviews...I babble, and b.) I don't even limit my babbling to books, as anyone who reads my blog can attest. I'm just one of those little bloggers who blogs for purely personal reasons...to have fun, to "hang out" with friends, to create a little record of my time on earth. In other words, I am not one of those awesome book bloggers whose blog is filled with beautifully-written, insightful reviews and author interviews and book news, etc. I do admire those bloggers...I can't even imagine the time and dedication involved...but it's not who I am.

But why do I mention any of this at all? Well, because part of being this little blogger that I am, also involves the fact that I just don't read that many blogs. A fact that kills me. Honest. I know that there are probably hundreds of blogs that I could easily get addicted to if I let myself. There are just so many freakin' cool people in this book blogging world!!! But I've had to be tough on myself...I've had to make myself keep my blogging world on the small side. Simply because I'm in the midst of one of those tremendously busy periods of my life. We all go through them, so I'm sure you understand. And I can honestly say that I feel truckloads of guilt for not reading more of the wonderful blogs out there and for not commenting on every single post of the blogs I do read. But every time I try to expand my world too much, I find myself stressed, and fighting to hold onto my sanity, and starting to lose the joy that blogging gives me.

Sheesh...see, this is what I mean about babbling!!! Could I not simply have said, "There's too many freakin' awesome book blogs out there for me to keep up with, but here's a few that didn't make the shortlists that I positively adore." ?!! Yeah, I think that would have worked. And you know what, even with the small number of blogs I read, I can't possibly mention all the ones I adore. So I'm just going to choose 9 (because 4 and 9 are my favorite numbers, but 4 isn't enough) totally randomly from my google reader. And it truly makes me sad to leave anyone out, because honest and true, if I read your blog it means I love it.

DesLily of Here, There, and Everywhere...Wow, what an interesting life she's lived! She tells the greatest stories, writes fun book reviews that leave me immediately with a feel of whether it's a book I'd enjoy or not, and takes wonderful photos that always make me smile. Did I mention that she's just a sweetheart of a person to boot?!!

 Melody of Mel's Reading Corner...Oh my goodness, I wish I could put into words the kind of person she is. The best I can do is to say that she's a ray of sunshine. There is something about Melody that just exudes warmth and happiness. Yeah, even in her book review posts!

Vivienne of Serendipity...Another sweetheart. Hey, I think we've got a theme going here! :D  So much I love about Vivienne...her sense of humor, her lovely local expressions, her personal way of writing that just makes you feel like you're sitting down with her chatting. And I love reading her reviews, and hearing about her family, and drooling over her scrapbook pages, and...

Stephanie of Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic...Oh what can I say...Stephanie is just so mega-cool. I adore her! We love the same kind of books, but even more importantly, we feel the same way about the world. She's so crazy busy living life and doesn't generally get to post every day, but every time she does post, it's just a pure treat!

Susan of You Can Never Have Too Many Books...Susan is so down-to-earth and friendly, and her blog is so homey and welcoming! We, too, have much the same taste in books, so I always look forward to what she has to say about her latest reads.

Care of Care's Online Book Club...Oh my, Care is such a doll! Seriously. She's adorable and funny and reads such a cool variety of books. And while math may not really be my thing, I so love her math geekiness! Adorable, I tell you. Adorable!

Megan of Leafing Through Life...No one makes me laugh like Megan does!!! I kid you not. And she's just as sweet and friendly and approachable as a person can be. And she reads these books that I always think initially are "too sophisticated" for me, but her reviews are so awesome that she ends up making me want to read them after all!

Staci at Life in the Thumb...Is it really dorky of me to say that I want to grow up and be just like her? (I'm ignoring that fact that I'm older than she is, of course.) Okay, I'm not sure how to put into words why I love her so much. Yes, she's incredibly sweet. Yes, she's obviously very smart. Yes, she's down-to-earth. Yes, she reads an incredible amount of books (and she scrapbooks!) But there's something else...some intangible that I can't explain. Maybe it's self-confidence or poise. I don't know, but I find her utterly charming!

Kailana of My Written World...Well, there is the fact that she is definitely one of my reading idols...seriously, the amount of books she reads is astonishing! But it's way more than that. I love the way Kelly talks about books...she's got a real personal style that really appeals to me. And it's not just when she talks about books either. She's just such an open, friendly person, and I love her to pieces.

Lots more bloggy love to be found here.