Before I was nominated for the Liebster Award, I had never heard of it. But now I know about it and love the idea. It is all about spotlighting new and smaller blogs (less than 200 followers). For me it was great to know that someone other than my mom was out there reading and enjoying my blog.

Now I want to pass that love onto bloggers. It’s harder than it looks to find small, new blogs, but I’ve tried my best. I couldn’t find the metrics for everyone so some may have more than 200 followers. Here goes, 11 blogs with less than 200 followers that I think are awesome (in alphabetical order).

1. Annabel’s House of Books. Annabel has been blogging for longer than most of the bloggers I am recommending. She also posts from across the pong, that is, jolly old England. That is one of the reasons I like her blog so much. It gives a slightly different perspective and a heads up to what is hot over there. A word of caution: her site is undergoing some maintenance right now, but it is still pretty great.

2. Curled Up with a Good Book and a Cup of Tea. I really don’t have a clear idea about how many followers Shan has, but what I do know is that I like her blog. We read the same things and have slightly vegan leanings. It’s all good.

3. The Gilmore Guide to Books. Catherine reads many of the same books as I do, though we don’t always agree on what we think about the books. She doesn’t do sci-fi, YA, vampires and other genre literature, which is fine by me. Her reviews are balanced and insightful. The layout is clean and crisp.

4. Giraffe Days. Shannon reads widely and often. The reason I started reading her is because she has lived all over the world. I find that this gives her a broader perspective and she reads books from all over. Also her header graphic is great.

5. The Indiscriminate Critic. This is one of the first book blogs I started following. The critic is an indiscriminate reader and gives a fair and often thought provoking review of everything he listens to and reads. I have discovered some unlikely books from him.

6. Jules’ Book Reviews. I like bloggers who post frequently and Jules does. She breaks her reviews down into various headings so that you can find what you are looking for fast (like her rating). She also includes a monthly round up of books read and how she is faring in her challenges.

7. Literal Life. Jennifer’s blog not only contains book reviews, but also a fair bit of book related news. Sometimes this comes from large new agencies like the Huffington Post, but sometimes it is comprised of her own book related opinions.

8. Literary Hoarders. This is one blog that I love! Elizabeth, Penny and Jackie are three women with out of control book hoarding issues. They post often so there is always something new to read. They also often read the same books, giving you more than one opinion on a given book. That is something I especially like. I have found more than one hidden gem on their sight. They also sometimes do audio books.

9. The Misanthropologist. Besides having a great blog name, the reviews are pretty good too. She doesn’t always write as often as I would hope, but that is sometimes the case with well thought out reviewers. She often reads things that are news worthy (ie Inferno by Dan Brown) and that gives me an edge on faking that I’ve it.

10. Not My Typewriter. Ok, I’m showing my roots a bit with this one. Not a strictly book review blog, Not My Typewriter is quite often about Hamilton, Ontario and therefore may not be of interest to all. The photographs she includes, however, are stunning. She presents a picture of Steel Town that is quite different from what you are used to. Oh yeah, and she loves books.

11. Reading In Bed. I am a rather new follower of Laura. One thing she does on her blog that I think is a really neat idea is that she pairs books together with music. She’s also taking part in a Moby Dick read-a-long.