On My Anniversary (or Blogaversary)

It is official, yesterday was the first anniversary of the creation of this blog on Wordpress, on the 21st November 2011, or rather of my first post.

Unfortunately, I can't offer any tantalizing prizes or fantastic giveaways, and there will be no celebratory jousting or banqueting.

So for one year I have been publishing reviews, rants, musings and other random insights about Christian historical fiction on this lovely site from my corner of England. I have never had many followers (maybe one day more will come) but I did once get a negative mention in a comment on Amazon.  Does that mean I have achieved notoriety?

Prizes and giveaways might be a good 'incentive'. How does one go about setting up such things, I mean persuading honest hard working authors to give away books for free?

So what am I up to now (apart from serious academic work of course). Well I am reading two novels, the Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen  due for release in January, and A Corpse at St Andrew's Chapel,  by Mel Starr. The first is set in Cornwall in the 1800s and contains some elements of mystery/thriller, with someone playing the piano at night, but the room found empty, and other mysterious activities. Emma Smallwood, whose father is Tutor to the two younger sons of a noble family at thier grand house also seems to have a bit of a romantic interest  in one of the Older Sons Philip, whom she knew and taught alongside his brother at she and her father's school years before.

 The second number two Medieval Murder Mystery series, the Chronicles of Hugh de Singleton. In a way, I like the book, the descriptions of Medieval Life and the physical environment are interesting, and I think rather well done. The one problem is that I an mot sure if I like the protagonist, Hugh.

He only seems to be occupied by two things, food and pretty women. This is not to say he is immoral of lecherous, but he is looking for a wife, and seems to spend a lot of time fantasizing about finding one, thinking about women he would like to marry, and easily distracted by  a pretty face.
When a suspicious death occurs, he does  some investigation, but has to promptly return to the castle where he lives at regular intervals so as not to miss out on his next meal....which he hates to do.