I read a lot of blogs, because I am interested in how other people think and live. I also just like to read good writers. Here are some of my favorites:
This blog was the first one I started following—my friend Ann turned me on to it because we both liked writing and good food and recipes. My very first blog, www.wheresthebeefbaby.blogspot.com was very much a copy cat attempt at food writing. I realized early on, however, that I like writing about lots of other stuff besides food, and enjoyed reading Mel’s food and recipe blog more than I liked writing my own.
I stumbled onto Kristen Howerton’s blog when I was looking into adoption. Knowing that if we adopted, we would likely adopt transracially, I wanted to gain some insight into that possibility. Kristen adopted across racial and national lines and also had biological children. What I love about Kristen’s writing is that she doesn’t JUST write about her family and kids, but she keeps it pretty real, talking about frustrations and cringe-worthy experiences as much as the high points. She uses self-deprecation and sarcasm to poke fun at herself, while remaining pretty upbeat and earnest about her goals to raise good, socially conscious kids. Kristen is a Christian and pretty liberal in her political views, which I find refreshing and relatable.
I found Jen Hatmaker through Kristen Howerton and I cannot get enough of her writing. Jen is a Christian writer, but unlike other Christian writers—she is so very real about her life and her foibles, while loving Jesus at the same time. She is also very social-justice minded, and she is just hilariously relatable.
Livesay Haiti by Tara Livesay
Another blogger I found through Kristen Howerton. Tara is a midwife at a maternity center in Port Au Prince, Haiti, and I love her writing for her candid observations about life in a materially poor country, doing work that is so necessary and sacred, but so very, very difficult. She wears her heart on her sleeve, but if she were calloused and clinical, she couldn’t reflect the beauty and mess that is specific to life in Haiti and universal in being a wife, mother, and woman.
Written by a woman who overcame alcohol addiction and bulimia (along with a few other things) this a blog I didn’t think I would get into, but find myself turning to again and again. Glennon Doyle Melton writes candidly about her own struggles in life—which makes her so incredibly relatable. In being so open about her addictions, anxieties, trials, and triumphs, she has opened the door wide for everyone with insecurities and addictions to overcome them, or at the very least, manage them. She has built quite a tribe, and through her writing and online activism, I have met and made friends with people (via Facebook) that have enriched my life—that I never would have encountered otherwise.
Another blogger I found through Kristen Howerton! Luvvie Ajayi is awesome. Born in Nigeria and raised there and in Chicago, Luvvie’s life is completely different than my own. She is absolutely unafraid to say what’s on her mind and call people out for their stupid behavior. She is a Black woman who is intent on building up other Black women, commenting on pop culture, and making fun of all that is ridiculous in the world. She is hilarious and spot on in her observations. I don’t quite get some of her cultural references (pop, Nigerian, business, etc.) because those have not been my experience, but I’m learning!
Talk Quirky to Me 