Holy smokes, that's larger than I thought it would be! Oh well, gotta run with it when you get it.

I'm a little late (as per usual), but my good online friend Mark was recently tagged for his blog excellence, and he in turn tagged this humble blog -- among others I am proud to be listed alongside -- as one of his excellent reads.

I'm here to once again say cheers to Mr. Cardwell, but also pass along my top five** par excellence as well. I read a lot of blogs, lurking on most and commenting on a few, but there are some that really stand out for me as go-tos for content, freshness, and good old-fashioned entertainment.

(It may be cheating, but I do have to put in for Mark's Bad Librarianship. Comics, gee-tar love, librarianship, and pop culture ditties, all relayed from his fortress of black humor in Northern Ireland.)

Onward...

1) A fairly new one on my regular rounds, Nishikata Film Review is a lush and thoughtful catalog of Japanese film, including anime. Lovely lovely lovely.

2) Call me biased, but I love my honey's blog The Casual-T. Chock full of poetics, nerd musings, and ninja-ing in the night, my man also drops some serious library science on your ass. What else is there in life?

Oi, music baby.

3) Canada is saving the world from music mediocrity. How can I be so sure? B(oot)log. Only the finest in indie-rock boots, most with a Canadian flavor. I've added so many great bands to my collection from Rod's dedicated b(oot)logging. Awesome contests too, that people really do win (like me).

4) Bassist for New York outfit Funeral Crashers and all-around music aficionado Frankie Teardrop's blog Systems of Romance is a "dumping ground for all great things post-punk, coldwave, synthpunk, [and] minimal wave." The man's collection is vast, and he regularly uploads very obscure, out of print, or generally hard to find stuff. All this and he also takes requests. Go get some.

5) The Stresstaster, AKA Taste the Stress. Poetry and stream of consciousness that routinely blows my mind and/or makes me laugh out loud, written by a person who spends a lot of time with dead bodies. Sweet. Plus, moderate to severe bro-outs are de rigueur. Respect.

**I'm listing two more -- not in my top five because it's not like they need any more pimpage, but if I'm honest I look forward to them every day...

6) The Sartorialist. Street fashion snaps from New York, Milan, Paris, and everywhere in-between. The commentary makes this one, especially when there are snaps of smoking fashionistas. Brutal!

7) Neil Gaiman's blog. Peer into the mind and home of the creator of Vertigo's The Sandman, see his horrible injuries, get the lowdown on his beekeeping. Oh yeah, and read about his new projects. This is also where you go to get your burning questions answered and get the help you need when proposing to your girlfriend.