Today marks the start of Book Blogger Appreciation Week. Some of you may know it as the impetus behind the BBAW Awards, but the awards are just a small part of BBAW. The main purpose is to celebrate and recognize all of the book blogs out there, and to take a few days to showcase the important online communities that involve around books and reading.

Many book blogs are started by readers who have no professional ties to the publishing industry. Indeed, I think they paved the way to show the rest of us that readers are indeed interested in engaging with authors, hearing other reader’s opinions, and learning more about the books that are being published. So to all of you “civilian” book bloggers, out there, thank you. You have had a huge impact on the book world and the continuing evolution of publishing and bookselling.

As an illustration of this evolution, I have been thrilled to see many blogs started by wonderful bookstores. I’m gratified that the hard work and dedication put forth by the staff at these bookstores is now out in the open for all to see. Below, I’ve highlighted just a few of the many bookstore blogs that are in my RSS reader. These are the blogs that I know the best, mostly because I also know the stores and/or people personally and I can see how the blogs do an excellent job of carrying through the passion from the brick and mortar store to the online world.

• Bunch of Grapes Bookstore – This is the blog that has most often made me cry. Really. Some of you may remember that this Martha’s Vineyard bookstore burned in a terrible fire during the summer of 2008. As the store went through the rebuilding process, manager Katherine started a blog to keep the store alive in the minds of the community. She’s done a fantastic job, and the blog is a great mix of book recommendations, personal thoughts on bookselling, and issues relevant to the larger publishing and bookselling community as a whole.

• Greenlight Bookstore – If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to start and run a bookstore, add this one to your RSS feed reader of choice. Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn, NY is expected to open its doors any day. So far the blog has focused on the incredible processes involved in getting the store funded and the doors open. I have a new respect for all of my store owner friends after following along with Greenlight.

• The Inkwell Bookstore Blog Fun, snarky, and often irreverent, this independent bookstore blog tells it like it is. Sometimes not safe for work, but always entertaining.

• Just The Bookstore – This small independent bookstore in Illinois is a friend of Books on the Nightstand. They took our Beowulf on the Beach Reading Challenge a step further and hosted a real-life party, complete with Anna Karenitinis and a visit by Jack Murnaghan himself. Their blog is a hoot — be sure to check out “The Great Lobster Mystery“.

• The Northshire Bookstore – Vermont’s famed independent bookstore has a new blog, and it’s fantastic! Written by the owner and members of the staff, the blog is as eclectic as the store itself. Northshire has some of the best booksellers in the country, and when they recommend a book, I always pay attention.

• RJ Julia Booksellers – This new blog is headed up by Karen Corvello, the Head Buyer at one of the most high-profile bookstores in the country. Karen and the bookstore staff have managed to translate to the web the bookstore’s sense of both fun and seriousness when it comes to literature.

• Vroman’s – This may be the “grand-daddy” of bookstore blogs, with the first entry dating all the way back to July, 2006.  Though I’ve never visited the great Pasadena, CA bookstore, I feel that I know the store just from reading the blog. Book recommendations, author interviews, movie reviews, riffs on music, and musings on the publishing industry — it’s all here. I love their new feature, “Meet the Bookseller,” and can’t wait to hear from more of the Vroman’s staff.

I do hope you will check out these bookstore blogs. If your favorite bookstore has a blog, please let us know in the comments. If you are a bookstore with a blog, be sure to tell us that as well.