Blogging has become my favorite hobby and it’s something I’m incredibly passionate about. When I’m not writing on my own site but still have blogging on my mind, I love reading others’ blogs. I’m always on the hunt for new sites to add to my Bloglovin’ feed and they run the gamut in terms of subject matter. The perfect time for blog reading is Sunday morning, so pretty much weekly, I’ll go on Bloglovin’ or even Google and type in different search terms to see what comes up. Sometimes I get lucky and find sites that really stand out. Those are the ones I’m sharing with you today.
What makes you want to follow a blog after reading just a handful of posts and what makes it one of your favorites?
Certain blogs stand out to me now that maybe wouldn’t have caught my eye at age 22 and probably won’t speak to me as much at age 42. We go through different life phases and our interests change over time. Regardless of timing, every site I consider one of my favorites — or have in the past — does the following three things. A professional, organized, easy-to-read layout goes without saying!
Photo credit: Shutterstock.com / Song_about_summer
My favorite blogs have the following characteristics:
1) I get a sense of the person behind the blog and the writing doesn’t read like a news article delivering information that anyone could deliver. For example, there are food blogs that I enjoy reading when I need a recipe, or fitness blogs I check out for a good workout, but the blogs I love are the ones where I feel like I know the person sharing the recipe or workout. The post wouldn’t be as successful or interesting if it had been penned by anyone else.
2) I have something to think about. Maybe the post leaves me with a new perspective, teaches me something, or makes me think about a topic that hadn’t crossed my mind before.
3) Topics are thoughtful and varied. Sometimes they do lists, personal essays, roundups, interviews, informational articles, anecdotal pieces, etc. The content is interesting and meaningful and not fluffy and inauthentic.
If they’ve got jokes, that’s an added bonus. Blogs that meet the above criteria are the ones that when I see a new post pop up in my Bloglovin’ feed, I immediately click to go read it. You can tell the blogger loves what they do because a piece of them shines through in every post, and trust me, that is not easy to do at all.
Maybe the person lives abroad, but most likely they don’t. In all honesty, other blogs written by foreigners in France (or anywhere) aren’t my favorite because I guess I feel like I’m already in that head space enough of the time with my own blog and the fact that I live in France, so I tend to follow sites with other content or a different point of view.
There isn’t one particular niche or location that I’m particularly drawn to although I tend to gravitate toward blogs that consider themselves lifestyle blogs.
What sets blogs I love apart from all the internet noise out there is that they don’t regurgitate boring topics we’ve seen 100 times before. If the topic is a popular one, they bring something new to the table and present the topic with a fresh angle.
Out of everything I mentioned, I think that getting a sense of the person behind the blog is the most important aspect for me. I want to continue to try to do that on my own site. But when you share a piece of yourself online and show your vulnerable side, it’s scary because it also invites criticism and judgment. I think there’s a fine line between being vulnerable and real vs. oversharing for the sake of it.
I like “real” people who aren’t afraid of admitting they don’t have it all figured out because it’s more relatable to me. If a blog consistently shows only the highlights, it’s probably not one of my favorites — but it might be yours, and that’s why we’re all different. For me personally, I like blogs that pull back the curtain and don’t shy away from real talk.
Anyway, here are 5 bloggers — some of whom I’ve discovered very recently — who are putting out consistently thoughtful lifestyle content that I just can’t get enough of (in no particular order). Go check them out. My intros below are short because I think the content speaks for itself. I hope it resonates with you, too.
This Renegade Love
I discovered Lauren’s site well over a year ago, and before I read any of her posts, her tagline hooked me: “A place where anything is possible.” Then I devoured her content for the better half of an afternoon. She explains that her site was born out of a “desire to connect to people, to inspire them to believe that anything is possible and to make them realize that it’s never too late to start over.” Yes to all that! Lauren writes about all kinds of things with a focus on career, wellness, and travel, but no matter the topic, it’s always from the heart and has a takeaway for the reader.
Top reads: 15 Things to stop giving a sh*t about & 5 Hard truths I learned about money from self-employment
Sophie Cliff
Sophie is a travel and lifestyle blogger living in Leeds who is all about getting the most out of life and encouraging others to do the same. I found her uplifting site last week and realized right away that she’s a gal after my own heart. I can relate to so much of what she writes about and love that she doesn’t steer clear of the hard stuff. Read Sophie’s blog for thoughtful content that will always leave you with something to think about.
Top reads: Why I write & You’re supposed to have the life you dream about
From Roses
Rebecca has two really cute dogs, but that’s not what makes her blog stand out. Her approach to writing varied, meaningful content is what caught my eye — not to mention her beautiful photos. She tackles tough topics like mental health, while being vulnerable about her own struggles, and does it with such care and grace. Rebecca also has fantastic posts on skincare, beauty, and other things life throws her way, and I so wish I found her blog sooner!
Top reads: Why I love being a little bit of a loner & 6 Things my dogs have taught me
The Lifestyle Files
Viktoria’s site is all about intentional living with style and she describes herself as a “brand and content strategist, freelance consultant, and lifestyle blogger trying to live an intentional life by making smart choices, building good habits, and turning simple moments into meaningful memories.” One of the first things I noticed was that all her posts go the extra mile and deliver value through and through, whether they’re on fashion, beauty, minimalism or one of the other topics she covers.
Top reads: 21 Habits that make my life a lot simpler & Freelancer lessons: Attitude is everything
Lucy Lucraft
Lucy is an ethically conscious blogger who is passionate about vegan and zero waste living, but her writing goes well beyond that and covers travel, blogging, and more. I find her work refreshing and real and it’s inspired me to live a more sustainable life, one step at a time. She also has a podcast on blogging and creativity called What She Said that I can’t wait to download!
Top reads: Ethical beauty: My vegan and cruelty-free favourites & A two-week itinerary for South Africa
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Do you have any blog recommendations? Share them with me below!
P.S. I’ll be back here in a day or two sharing another “5 Quick picks” post over the holiday week, so if you’re taking a little vacation and have time to relax, I’ll see you back here on the blog soon.
PIN IT:
Thanks SO much for including me! What a lovely surprise, and with some of my fave bloggers too 🙂 xx
More blogs for me to check out
It seems we have a lot of the same blog reading criteria! I hate when I can’t get a sense of the person as well. I also love blogs that are evocative and give off a certain feeling or aesthetic as if I’m thumbing through a scrapbook 🙂 I will definitely have to check some of these out.
Some great recommendations! I also love Damn Girl, Get Your Shit Together: https://damngirlgetyourshittogether.com/ and Runawaykiwi: https://runawaykiwi.com/
I think my previous comment didn’t go through because I included links to a couple of blogs I think you’d like, but you can google them instead maybe: Damn Girl Get Your Shit Together and Runawaykiwi are both worth a look 🙂
Thanks for this list. I always enjoy blog recommendations from great blogs I already read.