Culinary critic www.londonreviewofbreakfasts.blogspot.com
The best British bloggers know how to make waves in an ocean of blogging dross. Some weblogs are dedicated to a single subject, be it football or coloured-pencil collections, others try to bring down governments, while some of the best perform an indispensable public service. The London Review of Breakfasts is one such. Armed only with rigour and a good, strong mug of tea, the LRB’s dedicated critics, led by Malcolm Eggs, review the most full-on English fry-ups in the capital, writing with humour and literary elan. They stalk the greasy spoons of Hackney as often as the modern eateries of Fitzrovia, such as Carluccio’s — “so spanking was the refection, the previous night’s trifles simply receded into the early-morning light”. You browse for eateries by area or name on the snazzy site. Whether you seek bacon and eggs in Balham or succulent sausages in Shoreditch, the LRB ensures never again having to suffer the indignities of soggy bubble and squeak.
Fantastic fiction
www.acerbia.com
If you live in a world where double hand transplants turn people into world under-18 origami champions, chickens run protection rackets and cat-lovers investigate which way up buttered toast lands, then you probably already know Acerbia. This growing collection of surreal short fiction is perfectly tailored to the medium, boasting well-written, skilfully constructed stories that offer three delightful minutes of absurdist heaven, often with a twist in the tail. One such example is the gentle coming-of-age tale of a meek and mild-mannered school kid called Donald, which dramatically ends with his transformation into an evil comic-book mastermind. However, it is when the real authorial voice is allowed to shine through the text that the words really glow, and the occasional heartfelt story nestling amid the comical tales is especially luminous amid the consistently outstanding writing.
Multimedia dreamer
www.abeautifulrevolution.com
Where you or I see an iron sitting by a window, cooling down, the writer of this blog sees a suicidal appliance ready to jump. This stylish journal from a prolific writer, doodler and photographer called Andre illuminates a mind recovering from depression, and brims with honesty, dry wit and a refreshing lack of schmaltz. He embraces a variety of media to turn encounters with aloof therapists, former girlfriends and fundamentalists on the street into droll and touching drawings, imaginary postcards and haunting video clips set to music. One, featuring a man dressed in a spacesuit standing on a busy street and looking up at the stars, invokes isolation and dislocation better than a thousand words. If there is a touch of self-indulgence here, it is instantly forgiven the moment you stumble on the next beautifully crafted turn of phrase.
Political symposium
www.samizdata.net/blog
One of the oldest and most respected of the British political blogs, Samizdata offers a decidedly libertarian perspective. Alongside handy features such as a blogging glossary, 20 or so informed regular contributors write on philosophical, legal and contemporary issues in worldwide politics today, from discussions about economic policy and the limitations of “multiculturalism” in inner-city Birmingham to reviews of classical history books. Good political blogs rely on diversity of opinion and breadth of topics, and Samizdata has these in spades. Despite its claim to embrace the frivolous as well as the serious, posts tend to be earnest, and the discussions provoked often become bogged down with the contributors’ self-importance. Nonetheless, the debate is lively and intelligent, and it’s easy to lose an hour here being enlightened, enraged and entertained.
Paramedic’s life
randomreality.blogware.com
Random Reality is an exemplar of a job blog: consistently engaging observations from an emergency medical technician who writes daily about his life and work with the London Ambulance Service. It spans reactions to a recent report that condemned his trade and observations on east London: “With the mix of cultures and languages, it’s like living in the ‘cantina’ scene out of Star Wars.” Most posts come with links to further reading and related news stories, and you can listen to them as audio files. Random Reality is strongest when describing events and people encountered on the job — little old ladies who have had too much sherry, wranglings with psychiatric services, the trauma of being called to a cot death. The stories are retold with sensitivity, lightness of touch and telling insight. A vocal readership responds to this voice from the other side of the flashing blue lights.
Video diary
29fragiledays.blogspot.com
Unashamedly ex-perimental and sometimes pretentious, this is one of a new breed of blogs embracing digital media to its fullest, expressing friendship and passion through video. Highlights include “Reduction”, a hectic time-lapsed sprint from dawn to dusk, punctuated by moments of calm as a commuter pauses for breath. A more disturbing video, shot at Berlin’s Holocaust memorial and set to haunting violin music, travels between seemingly never-ending rows of solid concrete blocks. Even with broadband, the films can be slow to load, and it is a shame that the blog is not updated more often. Nevertheless, this site shows that the eye behind the camera is what makes art.
Terrace talk
www.blogfc.com
If the mark of a good single-subject blog is that it can engage a reader who knows nothing about the subject, then BlogFC is Premiership stuff. On the ball since 2003, it is written with passion by dedicated fans and neatly archived for quick searching. No discussions over the finer points of the offside rule here; BlogFC buzzes like a pub full of amateur pundits, opining on topics as diverse as bad refereeing and racism. The World Cup is the current focus: “Ronaldo, absolute rubbish. Discuss.” You’ll find club news, too, such as discussions of Arsenal’s controversial dealings with Belgian club Beveren, which have stoked heated debate. Adolescent bravado thrives — a recent post on the ethics of team fans chanting insults turned into an irony-free celebration of jingoism — but this blog is still entertaining for both lifelong fan and casual watcher.
