A blog to marvel at

Many thanks to Margot at Confessions of a Mystery Novelist who has given me this award.

I 'discovered' Margot as a novelist when I reviewed her novel PUBLISH OR PERISH earlier this year. [I should perhaps really say that Margot 'discovered' me and asked me if I'd review PUBLISH OR PERISH if she sent me a copy. ]

Margot has been writing her Confessions blog just since August this year. In it she shows an incredible knowledge of the crime fiction genre, in particular Agatha Christie. Everyday she comes up with a new thought provoking idea. I've often thought how I'd love to sit in on her lectures. In case you think my blog topic today is about my blog, it isn't - the blog to marvel at is Margot's.

Do visit Margot's blog and see the list of other bloggers she has given this award to. They are well worth visiting and adding to your growing list.

One of the comments Margot makes is that she has learnt so much from other bloggers and I couldn't let the occasion go past without reinforcing that too. In the 2 years (almost) that I have been blogging I have gravitated into a supportive group of crime fiction enthusiasts (Crime and mystery fiction on FriendFeed) who add so much to each other's delight in reading and discovering new authors and titles.

One of Margot's other awardees, Martin Edwards, commented in a post the other day how "the online community can exert an influence over the creative process that is completely unexpected by all concerned."He was commenting how a blog post by Nan from Letters from a Hill Farm had supplied the exact thing he was looking for to solve a problem he was having in writing his new novel THE SERPENT POOL. Nan contributes to the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge Blog Carnival too, so blogging really does bring the world closer doesn't it?

Weekly Geeks - 2009-37: Diversity Roll Call

This week's Weekly Geek task posed by Ali asks us to consider how blogging brings people from diverse backgrounds and reading tastes together.

I thought first of all I might take another look at where the visitors to my blog come from. I know they aren't all bloggers, but they are invariably crime fiction readers and it illustrates how crime fiction is a universally popular genre.

The first image shows how by far the majority of my readers are English speakers, although for those who are not, I have provided the Google translate widget.
However this second graph indicates a far greater diversity of backgrounds.

I belong to a group who meet in a FriendFeed coterie called Crime and Mystery Fiction.

While we converse in English, in reality we come from all over the world: Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the USA, and Denmark. What binds us together is the fact that we read, enjoy, and review, crime fiction. The room has 108 subscribers at present, and we catch up on a daily basis, watching and commenting on each other's blogs, sharing news, and so on.

Some are able occasionally to meet in the flesh in their home country, and just occasionally people from different geographic locations get to meet. Here are 2 such meetings. (Click on the images/links to read the stories).

Dorte met Tim

Norman met Mack.

Lovely Blog Award

Many thanks to Desert Rose who has given me this award.

This award which is given to new blogs and blogging friends.

The rules to follow are:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I've decided to pass this award on to those who have been contributing to my Agatha Christie Reading Challenge Blog Carnival.
Not all of these bloggers are "new friends" but there are 17 contributors so far, and this is a good opportunity to acknowledge them..

The recipients are

• David at from my bookshelf....
• Kate at What Kate's Reading
• ng kai-lee at zhen's tofu shop
• unfinished person at An unfinished person (in this unfinished universe)
• Robin at My Two Blessings
• Karen at Euro Crime
• Margo at Joyfully Retired
• Sarah at A library is a hospital for the mind...
• Sherrie at JUST BOOKS
• Marg at BooksPlease
• Kathrin at Secret Dreamworld of a Bookaholic
• Melissa at Melissa's Book Shelf
• Bella at Bella is reading .
• Grad at The Curious Reader
• Sue at Books, Books, the Magical Fruit
• Irish at Ticket to Anywhere
• whitelady3 at My little corner...

My first Award

Many thanks to Just A (Reading) Fool who made my day by giving me a BRILLANTE WEBLOG PREMIO 2008 award. In giving me the award he said "she brings a worldwide flavor to mysteries and highlights books that those of us here in the States might not have heard about."

Admittedly it is one of those awards that is part meme and rather like a chain letter. But it is a chance to tell a few others that you admire what they do, and also to direct your own readers to blogs that you regularly visit.

Here are the rules:
Once an award is received, the rules are as follows:

1. Put the logo on your blog - I have included it in this posting, but also put in in the side bar
   
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you - that is here in this blog, and also in the block called 60 Blogs I'm watching.
   
3. Nominate at least seven other blogs (see below).
4. Add links to those blogs on your blog. - they are already in my list of 60 Blogs.
   
5. Leave a message for your nominee on his or her blog (I'm off to do that now).

Here are the 7 book reading blogs I'm nominating

Petrona- Maxine is just an admirable blogger. She reviews crime fiction both on her blog(s) but also for Euro Crime, and also writes about other items of interest. She has also been a great source of encouragement to me. She recently introduced a heap of us to Friend Feed
She created Crime and Mystery fiction FriendFeed group and then this morning I discovered she also has OWL FriendFeed group. I don't know where she finds the time or the energy!

Detectives Beyond Borders - Peter is another who has been a great source of encouragement. He has a very cosmopolitan taste in crime fiction, and is a constant source of a new direction for my reading. He is responsible for many of the new-to-me authors like van de Wetering, Glauser, Vargas and the like.

Do You Write Under Your own Name? - Martin's is one of the calmest feeling blogs that I read, but always informative. He is also a talented writer and recently won an award for one of his short stories, "The Bookbinder's Apprentice". He hosted Carnival of Criminal Minds #17 and keeps me up to date on Festivals and the like in the UK. One day we will meet.

Musings from a muddy island -Not only does she read crime fiction occasionally, but Juliet takes fabulous photos of the waters around her muddy island.

Reading Adventures - this is Marg in Melbourne, queen of challenges. She reads much more broadly than I do and I am amazed at all the challenges she participates in.

Barbara Fister's Place - Barbara is another who has been a great encouragement to me. She is also the creator of The Carnival of Criminal Minds, a wonderful blogging ring that I have also participated in.

Bloodstained Book Reviews- Canadian Lillian Porter is an avid crime fiction reader and we share a lot of reading DNA. I watch her reviews to see what she thinks of books I haven't yet read. If Lillian doesn't like something, chances are that I won't either.