A bloggy resolution

Lately there has been some talk around the blogosphere about blog reviews being worse than paper reviews (will that controversy ever die?), especially those of the blogspot variety. In another paper review, women's writing, and by association women readers, are brushed off as pretty insignificant- eaters of tea and cucumber sandwiches. I'll save you the discussion on this, you can find them all over the web, but it does make me think about my own reading and blogging. (Not that the discussions are bad, just that I don't have anything new to add. Here's a nice one from Caribousmom, and one at another at minds alive on the shelves, and chris at book-a-rama talks a bit about it.)

I've become a bit unenthused at my own reviews. If I were reading myself on a Reader I'd never click through (for the reviews, for the stunningly cute boys, yes, yes I would!) I've been reading a lot of easy books lately, Evanovich, and Jim Butcher and the like. I've got a good excuse, I think, with two small children and a full time job it's hard to focus. But I'm not so happy about it. I've decided to step it up a little and stop skipping the hard stuff. I'm not swearing off on the easy stuff by any means, but the occasional non-fiction or literary fiction or classic wouldn't kill me. I'm also on the lookout for a nice set of guidelines for questions. Something generic to every book- I know there is a blogger who I read all the time, one who reads tons of books, who uses such a thing, but do you think I can remember who it is? Help me out here, someone who can remember needs to give me a link. And if it's you, I'm sorry, I think you're great. I just can't remember who you are!

However, this doesn't mean that I agree with the columnist. I think bloggers do a much better job of spreading a love of books than an paper review ever did. I think there is a niche for every type of book blogger, whereas you never see romances (for example) reviewed in mainstream print. I think that women's fiction is some of the best writing out there. Anyone can do war, I'd like a little emotion with my books, please. (Wait, was that a stereotype? Should I take it out?)

Anyway, my point, as I struggle to make it, is that on MY blog, the standards have slipped and I'm gonna fix it. EVERYONE ELSE'S bog though, still great. I'd rather read a hundred of them than a handful of print. I'd rather be friends with the writer, and I feel like I'm friends with many of you. I'd rather be able to respond, and get a response. I love being able to compile notes on the same book. I've added way more books to my TBR from the blogging world than I ever did from my NY Times book review subscription.

Oh, and today for lunch I had cucumber sandwiches. Cream cheese, cucumbers, and ham. It didn't seem to affect my intelligence AT ALL.

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