Other Web Logs

The origin of the whole book log thing, for me, anyway, was a conversation with Teresa Nielsen Hayden over the summer, when she asked Kate Nepveu and I what we'd read recently that was good. Not only did we both blank on what we'd read that was good, we generally blanked on what we'd read recently. As a remedy to that, Kate hit on the idea of a book log, recording each book she read with a few comments about the book. I soon followed suit, leading to the pages you're now reading.

Since that time (early August 2001), we've discovered that a number of other people have been doing the same thing; indeed, many of them beat us to the book log idea. Such is life on the Web. This page is intended to provide a rough index to a few of the other book logs out there, with particular emphasis on logs that I read with moderate regularity. As is usually the case on the Web (and really, in some sense, it's the glory of the Web), the quality of the writing and Web design vary wildly. In other words, I won't be held responsible if one of the links here leads you to a page where the text is in 2-point purple type on a mauve background, and you go blind trying to read it (and what is it about weblogging that leads so many otherwise intelligent people to use neon paisley backgrounds for their writing? What's wrong with black text on a white screen, damn it?). I'll try not to link to any of those pages, but caveat emptor all the same.

Blogs which are specifically book logs:

• Outside of a Dog, of course.
• Pam Korda. We'll list Pam second, as she's one of a very few book-loggers I've met in person, and the first who started book-logging because Kate and I were doing it. Welcome to the Dark Side, Pam. We'll get you next, Kozlowski.
• Nathan Lundblad. OK, we didn't get Kozlowski next. This is sort of half booklog and half regular weblog, but since he cites our bleeding-edge hipsterism as inspiration, he goes on the booklog list.
• Weasel Words. Mike Kozlowski, falling to the Dark Side.
• The Tufted Shoot. Trent Goulding, probably the only person I know who could choose a name based on the Dao De Jing (your Romanization may vary) and not have it seem a pompous affectation. Once Kate and I figure out a way to parlay this book log fad into global domination, just look out...
• David Dyer-Bennet's booknotes. I know David vaguely through rec.arts.sf.written, his log is mostly older science fiction. There's nearly zero overlap between his tastes and mine, so between the two of us, you ought to find something you'll like.
• Martin Wisse. Another r.a.s.w acquaintance, who decided to log all his books for a year. He enjoyed it enough to carry on beyond the origianlly appointed span.
• Virtual Marginalia. Run by Kristie Taylor, who isn't anyone I know, but who was kind enough to link to my booklog. She's got a good list of other booklogs on her page, as well.
• Literary Year. By Steve Cook, who had the good taste (and timing) to choose a Pinkwater allusion for a domain name. Good but sparse comments on books read.
• Art Garfunkel. Yes, that Art Garfunkel. Who knew? Actually, this is just a gigantic list of books with no commentary, but I find it weirdly amusing to think that Art Garfunkel has catalogued every single book he's read since whenever. Then again, I'm doing that, and nobody will pay me to sing "Bridge Over Troubled Water"...

As long as I'm doing this (I'm tempted to try to figure out how to put all these links in a nice useful menu-type bar on the side of my main booklog page, but that would cut out the chance for my witty commentary), I may as well throw in some links to the non-book-related weblogs that I read. Booklogging is really a subset of weblogging, which is an evil and addictive phenomenon-- I kill even more time reading people's blogs than I used to on Usenet.

Non-book-related blogs:

• Making Light. We'll give pride of place to Teresa Nielsen Hayden, who started the whole thing for me. Sporadically updated, as Patrick and Teresa are busy people.
• Electrolite. Patrick Nielsen Hayden's weblog, which is pretty much exactly what I want in a weblog-- more "Look at this nifty thing I found on the web," less "Let me tell you what I think..."
• Talking Points Memo. Joshua Micah Marshall's politically-oriented weblog. I like this one a lot, as Marshall's politics line up fairly well with mine, and he writes well (he ought to, he does this for a living...).
• Through the Looking Glass. I'm going to stop adding political blogs to this page, really I am. This one moved into the regular rotation thanks to one of the best responses I've seen to the Neverending Gun Control Flamewars. He's not linked to nearly often enough, probably because none of the Libertoonian bloggers can counter his arguments.
• What She Really Thinks. Ginger Stampley's weblog. Generally sensible commentary, and particularly well-informed on immigration matters.
• Unqualified Offerings Jim Henley, everybody's favorite libertarian isolationist.
• Grim Amusements. Iain Jackson, providing commentary on the more absurd aspects of politics. This weblog is especially good for highlighting bizarre court decisions.
• Lagniappe. Derek Lowe, who isn't a pitcher for the Red Sox, but rather a medical chemist. Some fascinating (to me, at least) stuff about the way the drug development business works, and how science is conducted in a field other than my own.
• Diary de la Vex. There's something weirdly compelling about reading other people's web journals. Fortunately, most of them are so badly written, they're easy to escape from. Not this one. Some great writing in this sporadically updated web diary.
• James Lileks. Somewhat rambling daily journal about politics, parenthood, and pop culture. Among other things. There's some brilliant stuff elsewhere on the site, too, though the pages about atrocious interior design in the 70's seem to have been taken down, more's the pity.

I've done a little re-arranging, as my list of regularly read weblogs has changed. Since the Nielsen Hayden's recently changed URL's, and I had to update anyway, I though I would change things around to reflect the new reality. Weblogs which have dropped down the to-read list include:

• Andrew Sullivan. I used to read this log precisely because he's a right-wing pinhead, and it supplied me with the mild dose of righteous indignation I need to get through my day. Unfortunately, the more popular and notorious his weblog got, the more shrill and annoying he got. Eventually, it crossed over into being more annoying than stimulating. Two months later, I swore off Sullivan.
• Mind Over What Matters. Jay Zilber's weblog. Political blog with a rightward tilt, though not as annoying as Sullivan's, and not as well-written as Marshall's. He no longer updates with any regularity, so I've stopped looking with any regularity.
• InstaPundit by Glenn Reynolds. Probably the most self-aggrandizing of any of the weblogs I read, trumpeting the superiority of weblogs to "Old Media" sources. Followed pretty much the same trajectory as Sullivan-- the more Old Media press notices he got, the more annoying he got, though he was and is more smug than shrill.

As usual, because I link to something doesn't mean I agree with it (Marshall and Sullivan link to each other all the time, and they rarely agree). And while the blogs above span enough of a range that my employer must agree with one of them, don't blame them for any of the stuff you find there, either.

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