Tagged: book blog recommendations

Happy Halloween! + Blog Recommendations

That is, if you’re into the whole Halloween thing.  I happen to be so I’ll be off working and scaring children today rather than posting here on the blog.  So basically, happy Halloween!  I’ll be back on my regular posting schedule tomorrow, but I figured I might as well take today off from reviewing.

(Also I’ll be replying to discussion comments today finally.  Sorry for the wait!)

And since I’m gone here are some awesome blogs you can check out in the meantime:

1.  The Masquerade Crew

Yes, TMC does do book promotions but these are clearly marked and their book reviews are always honest.  You’re guaranteed to find and awesome new indie novel through this site and even if you don’t, they host some pretty awesome giveaways on a regular basis.  (Also I’ve recommended them in a previous post and the recommendation is certainly worth repeating because of their new genre-themed months.)

2.  Jack Flacco

Jack Flacco is one of my regular readers here on The Mad Reviewer, but he has a pretty cool site of his own.  He’s just released his first book and he does do posts about that, but if you’re in the mood for awesome memes like Women Who Wow Wednesdays or posts about pop culture (particularly zombies in pop culture) you’ll love this site.

3.  Creative Writing with the Crimson League

If you’re an author, this site is a must-read.  It has so much useful advice about pacing, plotting, creating believable backstories, etc. that you can’t afford to pass it up.  Even for book reviewers like me it holds value because it has helped me deconstruct the elements within novels on a much deeper level.

4.  Lipsyy Lost & Found

Lipsyy is another regular reader and commenter here on The Mad Reviewer so when I finally checked her site I fell in love.  She reads and reviews YA novels like I do, but they’re such a different type of YA that you’ll rarely see us review the same book.  She also has nostalgia for one of my favourite horror writers as a kid: R. L. Stine.  Really, who grew up in the 90s and didn’t like R. L. Stine?

5.  A Bookish Heart

Things have been pretty busy for Asti lately and I admire that she’s kept her posting on a semi-regular schedule.  A Bookish Heart has everything from book-related post recommendation to book reviews to Asti’s awesome book art finds.  There’s something for everyone on A Bookish Heart and I’d highly recommend checking it out.

Some Other Great Book Blogs (2)

Yes, for the second Saturday in a row I’m doing one of these.  Why?  Because I had to stay up very late (or very early in the morning) last night, completely not by choice.  It’s a long story, so let’s just get into the article, shall we?  Here are some other great book blogs you can read in the meantime, in no particular order:

1.  The Masquerade Crew

Yes, they do promotions for authors, but they are clearly marked so and you’re under no obligation to read them.  But Mark Lee has an awesome project going on here for indie and self-published authors and everyone will be able to find at least one book they’re interested in on the site.  In addition to that, he hosts blog tours for authors and book bloggers can participate in his book club to earn points towards gift cards and other awesome prizes.

2.  Scott Whitmore, writer

Not only is Scott a writer in his own right, but he also does book reviews for other writers.  They’re always honest reviews and I’ve really found some gems there on his blog from the indie and self-published crowd.  He reads a lot more mystery, crime and action/thriller books than I do, so go on and check his blog out!

3.  Author Unpublished

Here is yet another person who reads and reviews far more romance than I would care to.  Cary is also starting to do Free Book Fridays, in which she highlights some interesting books that you can download for free on Amazon, all with 4+ star ratings there.

4.  Midnight Coffee Monster

Raya reviews not only a bit of YA, but adult fiction and classics as well.  She has an overall great site and her reviews are very long and in-depth.  Trust me, you’ll know all of her feelings about a book from her reviews!  It makes me rather jealous that my feelings about a book can be summed up in (generally) 3-4 paragraphs.

5.  James’ Reading List

James’ Reading List just happens to be one of the latest incarnations of James’ blog, which in the time I’ve been following him has changed from jameskennedybeijing to jameskennedymonash (his current domain) and now to james’ reading list with the second domain listed here.  James reads a wide variety of fiction, mainly a lot of literary fiction and the occasional popular nonfiction book.  His archives are huge, so if you’re looking to get lost in cyberspace for a day, this would be the place to add to your reading list!

Some Other Great Book Blogs

Yesterday was pretty hectic for me and today will be even worse, so instead of you guys flipping through my blog I’d like to recommend some other book blogs you might like.  Some of them have different focuses than I do if you’re looking for something other than YA.  Here are five book blog recommendations, in no particular order.

1.  The Streetlight Reader

You may recognize the link from some of my guest posts and you’d be absolutely correct.  Savindi has an amazing book blog of her own and occasionally blogs about her cooking attempts and general life observations.  She reviews a lot heavier books than I do, so if you’re looking for something to stimulate your brain I’d recommend looking for books over there.

2.  Another Novel Read

After a record-breaking month Kelley moved over to her own domain and I just couldn’t let her go so I bookmarked it.  Another Novel Read is great if you’re looking for some reviews on mainstream YA right after release because I’m a cheapskate and usually refuse to buy hardcover books unless they’re used.

3.  20four12

Caleb’s been having a couple rough months so he hasn’t been blogging much, but he’s got huge archives where you can find reviews of everything sci-fi or fantasy related.  If you love sci-fi 20four12 is a great blog for you because Caleb is into the hard science fiction I avoid (mainly because science never was my strong point).

4.  the quiet voice

Thomas is yet another fellow book blogger who reads way more literary fiction and nonfiction in a year than I will in a lifetime.  He’s not afraid to tackle both classics and new favourites in the genre, but at the same time he reviews a huge amount of YA.  the quiet voice is a great place for those of you who want to read both popular books and some books that are a little less mainstream, especially YA.

5.  DJ’s Book Corner

If you haven’t already checked it out, you need to read the crazy blog of that crazy author Diantha Jones.  Not only is she one of my favourite authors, she writes very amusing book reviews on pretty much anything she wants.  If you’re sort of a romantic, DJ’s Book Corner is perfect because Diantha reviews way more romance than I’d care to read in a lifetime.

There are so many great book blogs out there, but unfortunately due to time constraints I can only mention five of them.  If you like what you see, please check it out.  And if you weren’t mentioned this time, don’t fret: I’ll definitely be doing a post like this in the future.

Happy reading!