Give it up for MAUD NEWTON!

**Before reading post first check out MAUD NEWTON'S blog post here** http://maudnewton.com/blog/

After riffling through the list of 10 blogs that Mark Sarvas recommended and evaluating each one, I think Maud Newton deserves to be named the best (or at least in my opinion). The reason why I chose this one as opposed to the other nine wonderful blogs was because I felt very comfortable reading it.  To me, the ease of reading a blog is a highly important aspect that is often overlooked. I found that while most of the other blogs were engaging and impressive, it took a lot of effort and energy to focus and zone in on the context of the blog. Using big words and having a perfectly edited blog is not always the most impressive.

The Maud Newton blog stood out to me because of its fluidity and humor. It felt like I was listening to an old friend talk to me, instead of being lectured on a book that I have never read like Mark Athitakis’ American Fiction Notes blog. That one I found interesting but I had absolutely no clue what he was saying because I had never read those books! Thus, my attention was lost after the four sentences of each post.  The Mumpsimus blog has that sense of comfort and relaxedness too, but what it lacks is Maud Newton’s witty humor. The ranting quality makes it honest, and funny in a subtle way.

C'mon...you know you want to

What keeps me reading the blog is also its randomness. I felt as though I were reading Snapple bottle caps with all of the random topics and information thrown in there. It is actually interesting and sparks curiosity or teaches me something I had never known. It is almost as though there are no boundaries for the blog and yet somewhere it remains contained and fluid. However, while it is random information, it is the opinion given about those subjects that counts. The opinion and perspective creates a strong voice and once that is established I think that any blog can be successful.

The actual layout and design of Maud Newton sparks a lot of intrigue as well. The title, which looks made out of cutout letters from newspapers and magazines, grabs the attention right away. The simple color scheme of red, white, and black creates just enough flare to avoid boredom without overdoing it. The plain background makes it easy to read the text. All of the posts are organized to the far left while side information, “remainders” and “on twitter”, fall to the right and are divided by thin, subtle lines. The use of visual aid like pictures and videos keeps the audience engaged but doesn’t take away from the text. All in all, I give this blog a big gold star! I can honestly say that I truly enjoyed reading it and I know that I will be revisiting it again soon.