Top 3 blogs about Book Reviews

Hello all. This posting is all about an analyses of the top 3 blogs, according to www.blogshares.com, in the sub-industry of Book Reviews.

1. The Elegant Variation http://marksarvas.blogs.com/elegvar/
According to blogshares, The Elegant Variation is the number one blog on book reviews. The blog appears to appeal to an audience that centers around contemporary American and British literature. There is only one main page which is broken off into three vertical sections. The first centers on the blogger's novel, highly recommended novels, links to publishing companies, other blog sites, and a brief summary on the meaning behind the name of the site.
The second and largest section is focused on prizes,news, and updates. For example, if you wanted to know what award an American or British debut novel has won or if you were interested in possibly winning a copy of that novel, this blog is the site to visit.
The third section is what will most likely catch the eye of a passerby such myself. It consists of a series of book recommendations along with an image of the novel and a brief summary of its contents.
The tone of The Elegant Variation appears to be very fast-paced and straghtforward. There is no dumbing down or explaining here. The blogger's wit is sharp and he does not hold back on emphasizing his views about works of literature, other blogs, or authors. The only images on the blog are book covers and some photos the blogger has taken while on his travels. A stray youtube.com video can also be found here and there. The text is very clean cut, easy to read and in no way removes any importance from the blog. It makes it appear quite legitimate.
This blog is a very unique format in which to present book reviews and announcements. Besides the book reviews, anything else would appear more relevant to authors and writers rather than readers.

2. Bookdwarf http://www.bookdwarf.com/
Bookdwarf appears to be more like a real blog than an informative website. It is very simplistic in its format, yet difficult to maneuver around. In a similar fashion to The Elegant Variation, Bookdwarf is also broken off into three vertical sections. The firsts ection provides links to past years' reviewed novels, literary blogs, and literary journals. The second section provides the meat of the blog by providing news and announcements about the goings on in the literatry world. Most importantly, at the moment, the Pulitzer Prize awards. Bookdwarf also goes a bit off tange by delving into a bit of politics, book store sales, and links to literary contests. The third section provides a rundown summary on the novels the blogger has most recently reviewed.
The images on the site are of book covers and a few random ones used to explain who someone may be from a recent post. The text is in blue print because of the whitewash background. This does not provide a sense of legitimacy even though it appears that this is what the blogger is going for.
There appears to be no set audience to this blog other than fans of science fiction literature. It appears to be quite helpful in book recommendations as there are bountiful links to them. However, if one were searching for up to the minute news on other forms of literature, his or her best bet would be to look somewhere else.

3. Letters From A Hill http://lettersfromahillfarm.blogspot.com/
Are you serious? A bread baking recipe? That is exactly what I found as the most recent post on Letters From A Hill. There are also posts about the blogger's home, what appliances she has updated, and some music recommendations. Uh, truth be told, I could care less about any of these things. Just show me the books!
Besides the dough references, the blogger provides some background knowledge on a few "antique" British children's literature written by such authors as Beatrix Potter and Dorothy Wordsworth.
The blog is split into two sections. The first section is all about the posts. The second is a listing of recipes, book reports, journals, and comments.
After seeing the opening posting on baking bread, I cannot help but to see the blog as a cooking site. The background is in different shaeds of blue, the text is in a lighter shade and appears to be the font type used to printing recipes on the back of chocolate chip bags. There are random images of nature, books, the authors home, and food.
The blogger's appears to be looking for an audience of housewives and grandmothers. As for myself, I see no real meaning or purpose behind this site other than being a provider on killing time with new hobbies.

Out of all three blogs, I would have to agree with the rest of the world that The Elegant Variation is by far the most relevant blog in accordance to book reviews and literary announcements. Bookdawrf is always work a glance and as far as Letters From A Hill is concerned, don't bother.