There are some book bloggers whose posts I read regularly to get ideas for books to read. Sometimes they review books I’ve read and it’s interesting to see if I agree with their reviews or what they picked up on that I missed. Usually, they review books I haven’t read, for many professional book reviewers receive advance copies before a book is released to the public. This isn’t the case for all book bloggers.

Today I’m writing about five of the book bloggers I follow. Perhaps some of them will be new to you. In the coming weeks, I’ll blog about other book bloggers I follow. I’ve chosen these in random order.

---

Jennifer Tar Heel Reader

Going to Jennifer’s website, you can peruse her blog topics and get a feel for the type books she reviews. Although I haven’t heard her say, she is obviously a creative and talented person in her own right. The photographs she includes with her book reviews are always elegant and inviting. Take a look for yourself on her website where you can read any of her past blog posts/reviews simply with a click. She’s been blogging book reviews since May 4, 2018. From the title of her blog, I believe she lives in the same state where I’ve lived my entire life – North Carolina.

Here’s a link to one of her recent book reviews: https://jennifertarheelreader.com/2022/06/30/dragonfly-escaping-by-raya-khedker-bookreview-tarheelreader-thrdragonflyescaping-rayakhedker-suzyapbooktours-dragonflyescaping-blogtour/. After reading Jennifer’s review, I added Dragon Fly Escaping to my TBR (To Be Read) list.

Jennifer’s website is https://jennifertarheelreader.com/.

---

Sandy’s Book a Day Blog

Sandy is a top reviewer on Goodreads and reviews as Sandyj21 on Amazon. As you can tell from the title of her blog, she’s a voracious reader. To give you an example, she read or listened to 22 books in July! (I do well to read that many books in six months!) Here’s a link to one of her recent blog posts: The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman – Sandy’s Book a Day Blog (wordpress.com).

Sandy, like the other book bloggers I follow, offers honest assessments of the books she reviews. In this particular one, she explains why she had trouble getting her head around the abuse at Willowbrook because, thankfully, her own experience working in such a facility was nothing like that portrayed in the book. The Lost Girls of Willowbrook is also on my TBR.

---

What Cathy Read Next

Cathy amazes me with the number of books she reads and reviews. Last time I looked, she’d read 122 books so far in 2022.  She has a great website and book review blog. You can go to her website, What Cathy Read 2022 – What Cathy Read Next… (wordpress.com) and click on a number of choices, such as “What Cathy Read in 2022” or “What Cathy read in 2016” and every year in between.  Then, each book title is clickable and you can read her review of it.

Occasionally, Cathy attacks her TBR (To Be Read List) and blogs about a few books on her list. She goes through a process to decide which ones to leave on her TBR and which ones to delete. I need to do that myself! Here’s an example of one of her “Down the TBR Hole” blog posts: Down the TBR Hole #25 – What Cathy Read Next… (wordpress.com).

Cathy has an MA in English and appreciates good fiction, especially historical fiction and literary fiction.

---

Emma B Books

Emma reviews lots of thrillers and mysteries, but she also is known to have reviewed memoirs and other genres. By going to her home page, EmmabBooks.com – Book Reviews by Emma b Books, you can click on the image of any one of 18 books she’s recently reviewed.

Emma’s website is well-organized. You can click on “Home,” “Nonfiction,” “Fiction,” “Audiobooks,” “5*Related Books,” “Blog,” “About,” and “Contact.”

Each of those buttons has a drop-down menu to make any search easy. If you’d like to receive email notices when Emma posts a new review on her blog, there’s a fill-in format form on her website. If you’re a WordPress blogger, you can opt to receive her posts on your feed.

Emma is British by birth and now lives in the beautiful Austrian Alps.

---

FictionFan’s Book Reviews

This reviewer reads a wide range of genres and blogs about books she likes and books she didn’t like so much. Her interests run the gamut from politics and history to vintage horror. (Come to think of it, maybe those aren’t actually on two ends of the spectrum!) Here’s the link: http://FictionFan’s Book Reviews – Reviews of books…and occasional other stuff. (wordpress.com).

The website is well-organized, with 15 categories at the top for you to choose from. Each one has a drop-down menu to assist you in your search. There’s even a “Movie of the Book” button. Other buttons have drop-down menus in which you can search by book title or author.

This reviewer is from Scotland and is one of Amazon UK’s Top 500 Reviewers.

---

Since my last blog post

I’ve been working on genealogy and reading books. I listen to books on CD and read print books as well as e-books.

Speaking of e-books… I’m formatting the local history columns I wrote for Harrisburg Horizons newspaper from 2006 through 2012 in preparation for putting them into two e-books. I’ve run into a bit of a roadblock on the cover I wanted, so it’s time to figure out Plan B.

---

Until my next blog post

I hope you have a good book to read. I hope you’ll check out the book bloggers I blogged about today.

Don’t work all the time. Take time out for family and friends.

Remember the people of Ukraine and Uvalde, and count your blessings.

Janet