2008 Top 5 6: Blog Discoveries

Why 6? Because it's one more than 5. (In no particular order.)

1. Dr. Boli's Celebrated Magazine: a celebration of the absurd, showcasing intelligent humor a la Victorian sensibilities. Yes, it's difficult to describe. Just go read it.
   
   
2. The Silver Key: Self-described as The Silver Key is a place to discuss all things fun and fantastic; mundane existence is hereby banished from these pages. Books, music, movies, role-playing games, and more are all fair game. Indeed. Interesting and intelligently written, I always read Brian Murphy's posts as soon as they are up. His series of thoughts on rereading The Lord of the Rings was especially good.
   
   
3. smitten kitchen: Deb almost always seems interested in recipes that interest me also. I probably have tried more of her recipes than from any other cooking blog except Homesick Texan. Her commentary is that of a cooking pal and her adjustments to recipes are intelligent. For those who enjoy cooking photography, her visuals do as much as the written word to draw one into the recipes. Recent samplings include: pizza with broccoli rabe and roasted onions, gramercy tavern’s gingerbread, braised beef short ribs, potato pancakes and even better grasshopper brownies.
   
   
4. Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering: I didn't actually "discover" this blog in 2008 (to the best of my spotty recollection) but either I have just begun appreciating Sarah's style or she has blossomed into a new blogging style ... or both! Sarah embodies the best of "mom blogging" by combining just enough of her family life with thoughtful reflections and action plans for living better or deepening her spiritual life. It might help that she and I seem to be on the same thinking plane quite often, as witness this recent post about 2009 resolutions. Yeah, me too.
   
   
5. lines and colors: a blog about drawing, sketching, painting, comics, cartoons, webcomics, illustration, digital art, concept art, gallery art, artist tools and techniques, motion graphics, animation, sci-fi and fantasy illustration, paleo art, storyboards, matte painting, 3d graphics and anything else I find visually interesting. If it has lines and/or colors, it's fair game. What he does not say is that you will find some of the best thoughtful writing about art to accompany all the above, as well as copious links and references to take any interests further. I don't know much about art, but I'm learning more, thanks to lines and colors.
   
   
6. Roger Ebert's Journal: I enjoy reading his movie reviews but his journal shows us more of Ebert's broad interests. As he himself pointed out earlier this year, his throat cancer has made him a much better writer simply through sheer necessity. In essence, he has taken up that plaguey habit that many bloggers know well ... of forming his thoughts into articles. It leads to fascinating reading, whether about his love of rice cookers, why Bette Davis's stamp portrait should have included her cigarette, or this piece on a subject close to my heart about why the newspaper industry is failing.