Spreading Some Mid-Winter Book Blogger Love

As you're reading this, I'm chillin' in beautiful Waikiki, either sunning myself on the beach or enjoying a fruity cocktail with an umbrella in it (which is okay for dudes, as long as there's a beach involved, right?), or maybe both. Take that, Chicago winter!

But, to attempt to preempt your jealous rage, here's a gift: A list of some of my favorite literary book bloggers I've discovered recently. Much like the bloggers in the list here from last summer, these bloggers all have three things in common: They mostly discuss contemporary literary fiction; they're smart and funny; and their engaging reviews move beyond the standard "I liked it" or "It sucked" to offer well-reasoned defenses of their opinions. So, here you go:

1. Bob Einstein's Literary Equations — Matt Rowan writes one of the best, most intellectually intense amateur book blogs out there. Matt discusses both classic and contemporary literature, from The Instructions (it was on Matt's blog that I first read and began to get excited about that fantastic novel) to Vladimir Nabokov and William Gaddis, Matt covers a wide swath of "serious" fiction. Definitely a blog to check out if you miss your college literature survey courses.

2. What Red Read — Alley's fun, enthusiastic blog focuses mostly on contemporary lit, with hints of other stuff, like Calvin and Hobbes and Chelsea Handler, tossed in for flavor. I love her conversational style and her ability to weave pop culture into her book discussions — from The Simpsons to rock band Jimmy Eat World. In fact, her post about songs inspired by novels is probably the one book blog post from the last year I've spent the most time thinking about — trying to figure out other book-inspired songs.

3. The Book Catapult — I started following Seth's blog soon after he began leaving wildly intelligent comments on mine. Seth works in a bookstore in San Diego, so his book knowledge is beyond reproach. But Seth also reviews contemporary fiction in an eloquent, smooth style, and provides plenty of new-release news. His recent "2010 Notable List" series has been fascinating.

4. Learning To Read —  Of any amateur book blog out there, Ben's blog is the one that most resembles the tone and content of my own — which means it's one of my favorites. Though, frequently, I am jealous of Ben — I read his posts and think "man, I wish I would've written/thought/joked about that." Ben's strength, though, is that he's a lot less verbose than I often am. His posts are to-the-point and a pleasure to read.

5. Dead End Follies — Another Ben blogger — and this fella's quite prolific! He usually publishes two or three times a day, tossing in book reviews, movie reviews, quotes, and general posts about whatever else might be eatin' him at the moment. Ben's also a virtuosic tweeter, never at a loss for words and fun to follow — which you can do here: @BenoitLelievre

There you have it. Enjoy! Which amateur book blogs out there have caught your eye lately?

Aloha! ;)