Sunday, April 29, 2007

Sunday Surfer: An Afternoon With Some Of My Favorite Family, Faith and Book Blogs

In a leisurely tour today of some of my favorite book-oriented blogs, I came across this nifty observation from Buried Treasure Books (who had passed it along from Reformation 21):

Few things are more out of fashion among contemporary readers (a declining breed as it is) than poetry. At a Bible study workshop last Saturday I asked a group of PCA women to finish the following sentence: "The problem with poetry is . . . ."

My favorite answer went like this: ". . . it's not prose."

The posts at Buried Treasure, by the way, are always warm, homey and engaging. And, quite admirably, they like used books, poetry, and a rigorous, joyful application of the Christian faith over there. Be sure to check it out... especially this post with the challenging poem by Claire McClure and this one with some choices verses about Jane Austen.

Likewise, I think you'll find a great deal of charm and useful information at Nancy Brown's family-friendly site, Flying Stars, as well as another she contributes to that is absolutely indispensable to the Chestertonian, the official Blog of the American Chesterton Society.

The Common Room, like several in this survey, is hosted by a home-school mom with literature posts mixed in with others dealing with the kids, the kitchen and other very worthwhile things. It's a nice place to visit, almost like you've been asked in for a chat over a cup of coffee. And that conversation you'll find of stimulating quality as exemplified by this post about the jewels of general knowledge.

Another excellent spot run by a home-school mom is the considerably more bookish, Semicolon. There Sherry fills you in on book reviews, fascinating bio material on authors, and a really nice reading tip service she calls the Saturday Review of Books. I've frequently found my opinions about authors jive with hers and so that too makes it a pleasant site to visit.

Kathryn runs two blogs that are on my bookmark list and which I visit often -- always with profitable results. One is Suitable for Mixed Company, an eclectic site that covers politics, culture, history, religion and, yes, literature...all from a distinctly Christian perspective. Her second blog deals with the same stuff really but is a bit faster-paced. It is called the Suitable for Mixed Company Annex. They are both most worthwhile and I have no doubt that you'll find them chock full of relevant information and helpful hints of where to go for more.

Finally, let me close this little survey with a few more sites of "similar soul" to those already mentioned. At each of these I've enjoyed many refreshing, uplifting visits. They are Studeo, Chesterton and Friends, and Love2Learn.

Any and all would be very pleased for you to stop by.