Jenny Lawson, The Bloggess
She’s been called dark, disturbing and laugh-out-loud funny — all of which is true. But beyond that, The Bloggess is a just a really talented writer. Think David Sedaris in hot rollers or Neil Gaiman if he liked to swear and had grown up in Texas with a father who was a professional taxidermist. What Jenny Lawson is not, is a typical mommy blogger. There are no humblebrag confessions about “that one time I let my kid have three Cheetos.” Her blog is about trying to stay sane when you’re generally prone not to, and about making a long-running marriage work. When she published her memoir in 2012, it debuted at number one on the New York Times best seller list.
LINK: The Bloggess
Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
Part economists, part bloggers, Tyler Cowen and blogging partner Alex Tabarrok cover stories that range from the wonky — “What is the implied model to assortative mating?” – to the irresistibly clickable –- “The etiquette of escalator travel, where inefficiency and barbarism reign.” Whatever the subject may be, Marginal Revolution has a knack for pulling out the kernel of a story, adding a brief, edifying comment, and posting it to a blog that is always veering through obscure back-alleys of the web. The site recently parlayed their strange brew of skills into a new venture, Marginal Revolution University, a series of free online courses (i.e. YouTube videos) on the principles of economics. Ambitious students can take exams and even receive a sort of e-diploma.
LINK: Marginal Revolution
Martin Cherrett, World War II Today
The news at Martin Cherrett’s blog is precisely seventy years out of date — because he’s covering World War II one day at a time, with posts rich in photos, documents and eyewitness accounts. It’s an addictive daily read, and a reminder that even most of us who know how the war turned out are sketchy on many of its details. Cherrett has been doing this since 2008 and should be able to go for another couple of years before he runs out of material; when he does, here’s hoping he picks another epic conflict to chronicle.
LINK: World War II Today
Tynan
Tynan — that’s his first name, and he likes to go by just it — has written books about world travel, living in an RV and picking up girls. But the overarching theme of his blog is the good habits he tries to follow, and hopes other people will follow, too. He thinks we should have more friends and fewer acquaintances, for instance, and should worry more about being on time. That may sound boring and/or annoying, but it’s not: He gives his advice in a colorful, engaging manner. And if you fail to live your life like Tynan, it’s O.K. — he’ll never know.
LINK: Tynan
Erik Wemple, The Erik Wemple Blog
The tagline at the Washington Post‘s Erik Wemple Blog is “a reported opinion blog on news media.” Wemple excels at both reporting and opinion, and it’s always clear which is which. Like just about everyone else who writes about the media, he finds Fox News to be a rich vein of material. But if you reflexively assume he’s a Fox-basher, you haven’t been following his work: As with other topics he tackles, he comes to blunt, crisply-expressed conclusions, but there’s no predicting what they’ll be.
LINK: The Erik Wemple Blog
Jenny Williams, What My Daughter Wore
“What My Daughter Wore” turns the traditional fashion blog on its head. Instead of carefully posed shots of people dressed in luxe brands, Jenny Williams’ playful sketches capture the sartorial choices of her daughter and her friends. The self-described “Brooklyn mom” illustrates her subjects in a way that shows off trends: big glasses, creative headwear and graphic t-shirts are often highlighted. But the colorful drawings also tap into the depth of feelings — whether they are mischievous, charmed or tortured — that come with the onset of teenage years.
LINK: What My Daughter Wore
James Bridle, Dronestagram
You might be able to guess what Dronestagram is from the name: It’s a series of Tumblr posts, based on an Instragram feed that depicts aerial photography of drone strikes in places such as Yemen and Pakistan, with brief details on deaths caused and damage done. The site might or might not impact your take on the U.S.’s use of drones to attack suspected terrorist sites, but it makes the activity feel real in a way that even lengthy reported articles on the topic do not.
LINK: Dronestagram
Jessie Rosen, 20-Nothings
Jessie Rosen has been writing about 20-something life with disarming candor, humility and wonder since long before Lena Dunham’s Girls debuted. On her 20-Nothings blog, Rosen covers everything from falling in love and body image to moving across the country to start a new life. And even if readers haven’t gone through the same experiences, they can relate to the universal feelings of doubt, self-discovery and hope. As Rosen writes, “The goal has been and will always be to remind you that you’re not alone, you’re (probably) not crazy, and (chances are) you’re going to make it out of this alive.” She succeeds — and it’s a joy to read her snark-free take on life.
LINK: 20-Nothings
Sophie Sarin, Djenne Djenno
In July 2006, Swedish-born Sophie Sarin started writing about her efforts to build a hotel in the ancient trading town of Djenne in Mali. She had no experience as a hotelier and little of Djenne. There were rich human stories, wonderful photos, dramas, even romance as Sarin became involved with a local man whom she married in 2009. After a coup last year plunged Mali into conflict, her postings became must-reads for anyone trying to understand the region. “One of the loveliest things about life is that it starts again every morning,” she muses in a recent entry, adding: “The best thing about the night/day arrangement is that it gives one the opportunity to reinvent oneself every day.”
LINK: Djenne Djenno
Source : techland.time.com
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