The Thinking Blog

My blog is a blog that makes people think? From time to time I’m sure people have thought a few things:

That chick’s wacked.
Canadians are weird.
Wonder what meds she’s on.

But no, alas, apparently I have a blog that inspires higher brain fuction. So says Susan Flemming, in the ultimate proof I haven’t been on the blogs much lately – I was tagged Wednesday and I’m just responding now.

I actually consider this a compliment. I have always clearly maintained that I would not just blog about my book, or about writing, or about the day to day details of my life because that’s boring. I’d much rather discuss an issue or a topic or rant at someone who’s pissed me off. And that’s cheaper than therapy.

Now, I am faced with the daunting task of picking five blogs that make me think. Just five?

Well, here are a few of my favourites:

Anne Frasier: Static. I’d like to think of Anne as my soul sister. We both have this incredible knack for putting our foot in our mouths, shooting straight from the hip, maybe saying more than we should sometimes, but always meaning well. Posts like Psych 101 demonstrate what it is about Anne that is so appealing – she’s refreshingly honest and open, and I have learned so much from her. Her blog is a mix of personal stuff, writing stuff, news and rants… If Anne stopped blogging I’d miss her terribly.

Contemporary Nomad. The gentlemen at Contemporary Nomad (Olen Steinhauer, Kevin Wignall, John Nadler, Robin Hunt) are amongst the most interesting bloggers out there. Kevin has contributed some of the more interesting and candid posts on publishing discussions that I’ve read anywhere, as well as blogging on political topics. Olen’s recent post on the Edgars was a treat. With so many blogs I feel as though it’s a foreign world, it’s been built up with such hype and I feel like I would never fit it at the Edgars. Olen conveyed a version of the Edgars that was more than nonsense about what people were wearing and showed that real people actually attend the event. Not only do they make me think, they make me feel like I belong.

Eileen Cook: Just My Type. I adore Eileen, so much so I asked her to chip in on a little writing project I’m working on. Eileen’s blog is one of the ‘non crime fic’ blogs that I read. Sometimes she blogs about her forthcoming book, but usually she poses wild questions that really get the juices flowing. And anyone who blogs about toilet seat recalls is performing a public service.

The Trenchcoat Chronicles. For those who’ve been around this blog for about a year, you may remember I interviewed Trench several months ago. Trench brings awareness to the serious subject of school shootings and is a wealth of knowledge. Not a blog that will have you laughing, but definitely one that makes you think.

And finally, the final thinking blog I’ll name:

Barry Eisler: The Heart of the Matter. Barry blogs on politics, and that can sometimes get heated, but he is knowledgeable and insightful and he respects people. He works hard to keep the discussion to politics instead of personal insults, and though that can be hard to do when you’re touching on such heavy stuff I always feel I’ve been challenged to think when I read Barry’s blog.

At this stage of the game I wasn’t sure who’d been tagged and who hadn’t. But**

Updated to add: ** very weird that the balance was cut off. Well, I'm sure it at least had you wondering what I was going to say next. It wasn't anything profound - just 'But these are five blogs that definitely qualify as thinking blogs, and from the bits of the meme I've seen they haven't already been tagged.'