Philobiblon

Ten new (to me) female bloggers, ten top posts, on my way to 400. It answers the question: where are all the female bloggers?

To start on an inspirational note for the new year, Kirsten on InHer City provides an account of a Young Women Drumming Empowerment Project. Come to think of it, why is it that drummers in commercial music always seem to be male? (Answering my own question, because, it seems, women are usually only allowed to be singers and dancers.)

Then, turning to another form of invisibility, Green Whale on I Am My Own Country reflects on the obliteration of women that is full purdah.

Being explicitly political, Wendy’s Thoughts turns towards the upcoming Canadian election. Get out and vote is her message, since “just like with pennies, if everyone drops one into a bucket eventually a dollar will be made”.

Rabfish on Brown Rab Girl Fish enjoys cross-cultural discussions with taxi drivers.

Laura on Derivative Work reports on some
surprising figures for the British Medical Journal. Most of its referrals are coming from Google and Google Scholar, rather than medical sites. (There’s also an interesting case of “diagnosis by Google Scholar”.)

Also on the practical side, Melly on All Kinds of Writing offers advice on keeping track of your writing submissions.

Then turning creative, an all-haiku blog, appropriately called The Little Things. Here Kimberly is reflecting on winter, and summer. Very effective – even if poetry isn’t usually your thing.

On Tuckergurl, a rave recommendation for an independent film, Down to the Bone. “What a real, complicated, compelling protagonist. Finally a great woman’s role!”

I was almost going to ban the C word this week on the ground of humanity’s general exhaustion with the whole concept, but I couldn’t resist Divinebee’s account on Accidental Mother. Those in northern climes might be surprised to know that Christmas on the beach is no picnic.

And finally, anyone thinking of having a child might want to read post by Crazy Rockin’ Foxy Mama on ChunkyRhino, about a day of shit – literally. Those who already recognise the experience might want to go over and commiserate.

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You can find the last edition of Femmes Fatales here.

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Nominations (including self-nominations) for Femmes Fatales are also hugely welcome – I’ll probably get to you eventually anyway, but why not hurry along the process?

Ten new (to me) female bloggers, ten top posts, on my way to 400. It answers the question: where are all the female bloggers?

To begin with the seasonal, a Christmas story from Tayari Jones and L on Random_Thoughts says angrily the war on Christmas must end. Remember: Jesus will hate you if you take your lights down, ever.

Then Becca on Not Quite Sure offers advice for parents on surviving the Christmas concert.

In India, the Blank Noise Project is collecting information on “Eve-teasing” – harassment of women in public – and campaigning against those who would blame the victims. Jasmeen reports on a university’s skewed view. And the blogosphere is far from free of such behaviour.
The Fat Lady Sings finds misogyny at its finest in comments on posts about violence against women.

SexPosFemme is angered by an article about black women’s sexuality.

Maryscott on My Left Wing solidarity with striking transit workers.

Girlbomb – whose book is out in the new year – check out the link on the left of her blog – has a brief foretaste of fame. If you’d like to range further afield for reading material, the Accidental Blogger offers a South Asian reading list.

Femme Feral (love the name) on Fluffy Dollars finds a good skirt is hard to find. Capitalist fashion strikes again.

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You can find the last edition of Femmes Fatales here.

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Nominations (including self-nominations) for Femmes Fatales are also hugely welcome – I’ll probably get to you eventually anyway, but why not hurry along the process?

Ten new (to me) female bloggers, ten top posts, on my way to 400. It answers the question: where are all the female bloggers?

First the stunning Within/Without, on which Neha posts about working with street girls in Bombay. Also check out the post below about a child welfare official who employed am 11-year-old maid!

On Conversations with Dina, a report from the Global Voices Summit and Rebecca posts her impressions of the Les Blogs conference.

Tokyo Girl provides a deadpan but highly illuminating account of gender/national differences revealed at a Swedish housewarming party. Staying on the national customs side, on Frizzy Logic an explanation of a German Christmas tradition.

Then, on the British media, Sashinka reports back from a taping of Have I Got News for You.

Turning personal, on This, That and the Mother Thing, Anita is blogging day by day about dealing with a miscarriage.

Less seriously, Masked Mom suggests taking those dog days of February and adding them to December, while on Little Red Boat, Christmas looms as a menacing wave.

On This Too, Jean meditates on order and disorder, while (at the top as I write), Natalie on Augustine’s Blog wonders if God would have chosen to be self-published.

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You can find the last edition of Femmes Fatales here.

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Nominations (including self-nominations) for Femmes Fatales are also hugely welcome – I’ll probably get to you eventually anyway, but why not hurry along the process?

Ten new (to me) female bloggers, ten top posts, on my way to 400. It answers the question: where are all the female bloggers?

I’m starting with a hugely powerful post from Andrea on Officials Shrub.com about how popular culture, and general culture supports and accepts domestic abuse. She asks: “If we continue to defend injustice because “that’s how life is”, does that not give a green light for the injustice to continue to perpetuate itself?”

Sugared Harpy supports the campaign to ensure the right to emergency contraception in Missouri and on Half Changed World, a post on why excessive standards of cleanliness are a feminist issue.

Then to other politics: Lis Riba sets out more causes for concern about Samuel Alito and on Boudicca’s Voice a strong view about the acceptance of torture.

On the cultural side, MJ Rose suggests the New York Times is losing the plot in covering books.

For something different, EAMS are the initials, I gather, of the diary of a now elderly lady being published by her son(?). Here, she’s recalling childhood visits to Dorchester, and some of its characters, including Miss O’Rourke, who was Thomas Hardy’s secretary. Lovely stuff – there should be more like it.

On the personal side, Casey on Girlspoke imagines the perfect gentleman caller for when she’s ill. Definitely the fantasy category. (Warning, some aspects of the main blog may not be work-safe, at least for conservative workplaces.)

Meanwhile, On Self-Portrait As has an explanation of why people who can’t say ‘no’ are so irritating. I can only sympathise; it reminds me of those horrible social occasions when a group is trying to decide where to eat or drink. “I don’t mind; well I don’t mind; well….” That’s usually the point I go home in disgust, or else I decide for the group, which will then complain about the decision.

Then Jenny Smash writes about the sad side of being attached to cats.

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You can find the last edition of Femmes Fatales here.

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Nominations (including self-nominations) for Femmes Fatales are also hugely welcome – I’ll probably get to you eventually anyway, but why not hurry along the process?

Ten new (to me) female bloggers, ten top posts, on my way to 400. It answers the question: where are all the female bloggers?

For all of us northern hemisphere bloggers, winter is definitely here, but few can have captured it as beautifully as Meanwhile Here in France. (Likely to be slow-loading on dial-up.) “An Aussie lass” in Paris is meanwhile contemplating her first European winter and hoping for snow. (Know the feeling; I still get a thrill.)

Helen, a harpist, is meanwhile entrenched in deepest North Norfolk, but has found some some historic reading material. Not sure about a half bottle of champagne being enough for a romantic evening …

The on the wonderfully named Boob Pencil: Random Wibble from a Textually Loquacious Word Freak, Clare has formula for overcoming writer’s block. Might come in handy some time.

I can’t imagine how I’ve missed this blog for so long, but (Another) 52 Books started out posting one review a week for a year, and is now continuing. This week she has a book about a naked elf – and it’s apparently not bad. (Going to have to read it just for novelty value!)

For more traditional reading, The Daily Blog with Kelley Bell is finding feminist messages in fairy tales.

Sundries: a Sweatshop of Moxie is musing on the different traditions of laundry, and serving your family.

Then serving up some not-so-humble pie, Christine C on PopPolitics is reporting on how it offers an insight into character. (Go up this blog a little and you’ll also find her outline of next year’s Women, Action and Media Conference (in the US).

On the harsher realities of life, Kriti, a widow living in Crete, writes about painting her husband’s tomb. Secret Agent Josephine is enduring jury duty, while eight months’ pregnant – and posting some lovely pics.

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You can find the last edition of Femmes Fatales here.

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Nominations (including self-nominations) for Femmes Fatales are also hugely welcome – I’ll probably get to you eventually anyway, but why not hurry along the process?

You know the score – ten new female bloggers, ten top posts, on my way to 400. It answers the question: where are all the female bloggers?

Patricia Lay-Dorsey is an American who has been delivering an anti-war message in Beiruit. What really grabbed me on her blog Windchime Walker, however, are her accounts of her travels. You’ll have to read a few to realise that she has a serious disability.

Staying international, On A Whole Year: What I Wish I’d Known About Being the Parent of an Exchange Student, a mother talks about some of the memories her daughter has been left with – and why there’s a touch of sadness in a smoking ban.

Turning scientific, Tara C. Smith on Aetiology reports how a myth about Komodo Dragons has finally been dispelled. (She’s a great source for subtle science that won’t make the headlines because it is, well, too subtle and nuanced.)

Now all of the humanities PhD students who read this blog, be warned: if you were doing the same thing in science, you’d also have to wrestle an array of dangerous instruments That report’s from Disgruntled Julie: A PhD in Progress.

But just don’t mention the maths, at least not around Laura, author of After the Ratrace, subtitled “Life After Marketing”. She’s training to be a counsellor, but having a statistical nightmare.

Turning literary, The Written Nerd is an “independent bookseller” (nice to know there are a few left). So you might want to check out her recommendations for plane reading. They’re suitably eclectic.

Then on the personal front, Dry Bones Dance reflects on things to be thankful for at Thanksgiving.

There’s a political take on holiday from Marisa Treviño on Latina Lista. I know what the Macy’s parade is because it is one of those pictures that “foreign” newspapers run without fail every year, but this year there’ll be a Latina character for the first time.

Then read an explanation from Minta’s Midnight Musings on why there’s really no reason to celebrate.

Finally, don’t miss this post, a cautionary tale with an astonishingly good ending. Lucky White Girl kept her laptop in the oven for safekeeping, but …

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You can find the last edition of Femmes Fatales here.

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Nominations (including self-nominations) for Femmes Fatales are also hugely welcome – I’ll probably get to you eventually anyway, but why not hurry along the process?