A short, short list of the people I love to read

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Alternate Title: No really, I love YOU TOO.

Initially, when I was given the opportunity to write about five bloggers I love, I thought this would be a no-brainer. Then, as I scanned through my Reader for the eleventh time, my palms began to sweat with this Sophie's Choice level decision. The list you see below represents people I love to read, but by no means all of the people I love to read.

And in no particular order...

Let's start with Swistle. Swistle was one of the first blogs that I read a few years ago. In fact, she was one of only two blogs that I read before it occurred to me that there was a whole world of good reading just by clicking through to her commenters alone. I almost feel silly talking about her, because surely you know who she is? Of course you're familiar with her incredible way of talking about her Target clearance purchases and See's candy favorites in a way that makes you feel like you could read that sort of thing all day, right?

A friend of mine put it best when she said that she could read Emily from Not That You Asked talk about anything for thousands of words. Road trip vomit? Potty training? She makes it funny. And not even funny in an OMG, I'm so glad that wasn't me sort of way. (Although, I was really glad it wasn't me with the car barfing.)

Du Wax Loolu is just perfect for detail-y people like me who like to know the what and the how of things. She's smart and thinks about things and talks about her thought process and gives me the kind of fly-on-the-wall experience I like. At one point she was a daily poster, but she has since had a ridiculously cute baby and, well, apparently her life isn't all about me and my reading needs. Oh, and don't tell her, but I plan to drive straight to her home for her lemon meringue pie.

I'm tempted to refer to Elefantitas Alegres, as eye candy, because of her tendency to post the pretty, but it's a lot more than that. I mean, sure there are frequent posts that have me bookmarking, and wishing, and checking my bank account. That's not what keeps me coming back. There were also a slew of funny unemployment posts and sweet posts about her family and, recently, her desire to have a baby and how this can be so much harder than we are sometimes led to believe.

Jonniker. I feel like I see (read) the real her when she writes. Her love for her kid, the awfulness of colic, and the idea that pregnancy isn't all glowing all come through in a real, well written, honest way. I feel like I'm getting the whole picture, or as much of the whole picture as any of us are willing to share with, potentially, anyone. That matters a lot, because as much as I enjoy a game of "her life is so much more perfect" than mine, I like real more than anything.

Your turn. Who do you love to read? Whose posts do you click on first when they appear in your reader or Twitter feed?

Don't forget to enter the 50 Fabulous Wishes contest for a chance to win $1,000 to celebrate a friend with a refreshing attitude about looking and feeling fabulous. I was selected for this Tropicana Trop50 sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do. I received compensation to use and facilitate my post.