Goodness gracious, great blogs afire!

It's been exactly six months since I last updated my book blog. I started writing with great intentions and aspirations. And then the Barnes & Noble up the street from my indie bookstore closed & our sales took off. It's been six months of heaven - we're smashing year-over-year sales, and exceeding this year's goals. We've made dozens of new community connections, opened a textbook store, and have landed big name author events. Unfortunately, it means I'm working way more often than I thought I would, reading more than I have in years, and taking work home every night. But when I look at our nightly sales, it makes it worth it knowing we'll keep our doors open for another day.

When Book Blogger Appreciation Week rolled around, I knew I had to get back on the wagon. I've missed writing about books & reading the other blogs around the web that blow mine out of the water. Day One of BBAW asked us to write about a great new blog we've discovered in the last year. Day Two (today) asks us to interview a fellow blogger. I didn't sign up for Day Two but I've been reading a few of the interviews & my Google Reader is slowly expanding. I decided to combine both days & show my appreciation for the bloggers who keep my nightstand full of books & my bookseller brain turned on at my store. I'm hoping this week expands our network & helps rejuvenate those of us who need a reminder of why we started reading & blogging in the first place.

The Book Buff - Book Reviews for Regular People

Honest reviews written for everyone. Easy to search by genre, keyword, and rating (my favorite part is how the reviews are rated by whether or not to buy, borrow, or ignore). The "you might also like" section is great for readers who are looking for a new title in their preferred genre. Writing is conversational, making it light, engaging reading.

Presenting Lenore

Lenore is one of my favorite bloggers & not only because she also posts adorable kitteh pictures alongside her reviews. Well-written, thorough and honest reviews with excellent resources for book bloggers in the sidebar. I also follow Lenore on Twitter - be sure to check this one out.

Brews & Books - Read Great Books, Drink Great Beer

Josh Christie combines books & brews in a humorous way. The Bookrageous podcast, his Twitter presence, and great taste in beer & literature make him one of the freshest voices in the blogging world. Josh also archives his posts according to subject so Josh has something to offer even the soberest of readers. He's also a fellow bookseller :)

NYT Book Review

The master of professional book reviews. I can't count the number of times a customer comes to me saying, "I read a review in the New York Times about this book" or how many times I surf the site trying to find a specific title. While the writers lean towards the contemporary, literary works, they are a great resource for booksellers who want to make sure they have the titles getting the most attention during a given week. This site helps us keep our front tables fresh.