I can’t believe we’ve already been together a month. It seems like just a few days ago I was telling you how I hated Charles Dickens and you were asking me if I even read books.

Usually, I celebrate my month-aversaries by forgetting the date, but let’s try something different.

Today I’ll tell you about some of the blogs I frequent while I should be working. (Don’t judge. You do it too. You’re probably doing it right now.)

1. Joshreads.com
The self-proclaimed comics curmudgeon breaks down the daily funnies and explains to you why they are not funny at all. I’m impressed with how much satire he can ring from three panels of exposition. (Or only one panel when he’s critiquing Marmaduke.)

I appreciate any blog that takes a serious look at the inane or an inane look at the serious, and this site is certainly the former. If you’re still on the fence about adding the comics curmudgeon to your rotation, consider this. Joshreads got me to care about Mark Trail. Yeah, he’s that good.

2. Freedarko.blogspot.com
All due praises to my friend who turned me onto Free Darko (providing the best in Slovenian farm league analysis and reporting since 1968.)

I can’t tell you with any certainty what Free Darko is about. There’s a lot of good, in-depth basketball analysis; but saying FD is about basketball is as limiting as saying “Citizen Kane” is about a sled.

(Hyperbole is when anybody compares anything to “Citizen Kane.”)

To hint at FD’s contents, I offer this. A recent post asks if the current NBA atmosphere has morphed from a three-headed dialectic of world, self and pastime into a Platonic ideal where the rhythms of craft tamp down man and his problems. (Their words, not mine.) If that’s the kind of discussion you want to be part of, FD is for you.

3. MPLReader.blogspot.com
You thought I was going to ignore Mentor’s Reader? Really?

I’m not just throwing Amanda D., the author, a bone because she reads (and occasionally comments) on this blog. In fact, I’d be more likely to tease her for linking to something called the Totally Tween blog. In her defense, I’m pretty sure the tween thing is work related.

As a rule, I avoid literary blogs. They tend to be self-indulgent. (Example: My hip-hopper/author analogue post.) But Amanda has a simple mission. She wants to recommend a book you’ll like.

Sure, it’s fun to use Jane Austen quotes to blow off your spouse or argue with your boss about Junot Diaz; but sometimes all you want from a book blog is something new to read. Amanda’s good for that. (So is my co-blogger, Tricia.)

Amanda’s concise, funny and not too proud to admit that she never read “To Kill a Mockingbird.” (Though she should be penalized for beginning one post with “Oh my gosh, you guys.”)

As a matter of tact, I should remind you of the other News-Herald blogs. (My personal favorite is the entertainment blog. I approve of anything that compares Jerry of Tom & Jerry fame to A-Rod. I avoid the pet blog because I cannot stand cute animals. Seriously, I cannot. It must stem from a childhood trauma involving a fluffy rabbit.)

- Jason Lea