Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2010 is finally here! Today all participating bloggers are invited to share a great new book blog you’ve discovered since last BBAW or if you’re a new blogger like myself, the very first book blog you discovered. I couldn’t pick just one however so I’ll talk about the very first two book blogs I came across and why I love them.

The very first blog I remember discovering years ago, before I even knew that such a thing as a book blog existed, was Bookshelves of Doom. I can’t even remember which posts Google lead me to, but I’ll never forget reading Leila’s ‘About’ section. Her personality immediately shined through and I absolutely loved how she was a librarian yet responded to books personally, with her gut, guaranteeing her blog free of “highbrow intellectualism.” How cool is that? I found it incredibly endearing and knowing that alone made it hard for me not to want to read more. I continued to come across Bookshelves of Doom occasionally when looking for books and what to read next, but I didn’t start following any book blogs religiously, let alone participating in any social “book” community sites, until much later.

The second blog I discovered and the one that really made an impact on me and still does, is Angieville. I first met Angie through Goodreads when I noticed she was reading and reviewing a lot of the same books I had read or marked as to-read. I took a chance and hesitantly sent her a message before a friend request. Little did I know I had nothing to fear. Angie is more than happy as many of you know to talk books with anyone, and is quick to befriend strangers, regardless of their reading taste. Best of all we realized that we live in the same city and share mutual “real life” friends. This led us to eventually meeting and becoming real life friends ourselves. I count myself incredibly lucky to associate with her on a regular basis not to mention borrow books from her extensive library! I will forever be in her book debt, both for the physical books themselves and the many, many recommendations – books that I almost always enjoy and several that have become all-time favorites.

But getting back to her wonderful blog, what initially drew me in without knowing anything about Angie was her instantly personable voice. She responds to all her blog comments and writes all her posts as if she’s speaking directly to you. She feels like your best friend, and with a blog like that, how could you stay away? If that wasn’t enough, I consider Angieville to be one of the best written blogs out there, nailing my exact same reaction to a book in words with much more clarity and succinctness than I ever could. Angie’s also always coming up with fun, original, and thought-provoking posts on topics such as her favorite characters, reading habits, and upcoming books to mention just a few. Angieville knocks my socks off daily and I would encourage anyone who hasn’t been over there before to stop by and say ‘hello’. Just beware, you may get hooked.