Voting is now open at the Book Blogger Appreciation Week Awards.

This Blogging Thing Reminds Me of High School (Hey Lady, Whatcha’ Readin’?) : “I can only compare myself to me. Is my writing getting better? Are my insights into books getting more thoughtful? Is the traffic to my blog, which is tangible, growing each month?”

On Fantasy and Why I Read It (Things Mean a Lot): “I’ve been told that fantasy is meaningless because it’s not about real people or real situations. And I ask, what else could it possibly be about? No, Middle-Earth, Narnia, Prydain, Earthsea and Discworld do not exist, but is anything that happens there really unheard of? What are their inhabitants doing, if not dealing with very human situations and dilemmas? “

Write the Words of My Heart (My Friend Amy): “. . . the words, the metaphors, the symbols, and the examples that resonated with me…like someone had come along and plucked the words out of my heart that I couldn’t put together myself and wrote a book that reflected my thoughts right back at me.”

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker (Maw Books Blog): “It’s very rare for my husband and I to read the same book but he finished reading The Little Giant of Aberdeen County before I even started. He was thoroughly engrossed with this book and quickly finished it.” Then, Natasha proceeds to transcribe a hilariously typical husband/wife exchange about the book.

I really liked Natasha’s review best. The the book discussion she and her husband have is so perfect. They really do have some insight into the book, but the conversation is punctuated with “we’re not getting very deep” and “this is boring” and “Wait! Don’t put that in there!” Husbands and wives should read together more often; the marriage that reads together . . . doesn’t get boring?