Buon Natale 2013

This site began back in January 2011 and here we are, three years and 374 posts and 7,500 comments later. So, what have we learned this year?

Well I feel very proud that I completed Bev’s 2013 Vintage Mystery Challenge and had a great time – and this year I also undertook Katie’s Book to Movie Challenge – and it went so well that next year I am co-hosting that one (let’s hope Katie does;t regret it)! Most of us on the mystery blogosphere (or so it seemed) contributed to Todd Mason’s Tuesday’s Forgotten Film meme and remembered Forgotten Books for Patti Abbott over at Pattinase so special thanks to these fine folks for looking after us all so lovingly.

There were a few upheavals here and there, not least at Fedora, what with my moving house not once but twice but as always this year has been made very special thanks to the contributions of those generous enough to stop by and share their passion and expertise. Most especially I really must tip my cap in thanks to Colin of the fab Riding the High Country and Margot Kinberg (the exceptional and prolific blogger over at Confessions of a Mystery Novelist), both of whose support has been invaluable.

Curt of The Passing Tramp this year offered me the chance to revisit my love of John Dickson Car’s radio dramas and I can’t wait to see how that turns out; Mike Ripley, whose column ‘Getting Away With Murder‘ over at Shots is a must, also supplied from wonderful Westlake books – thanks chum; John F. Norris of Pretty Sinister Books provides amazing value and we must all thank him even more than usual as, like Mike at Ostara, he is now helping to get well-deserving books republished. Locked room aficionado Pietro De Palma launched a new blog, Vanished Into Thin Air, while Patrick from At the Scene of the Crime remains the most enthusiastic blogger imaginable and has not only helped get some classic mysteries republished in e-book format but has also been spreading his wings into new and uncharted genres …Randy Johnson decided to leave Not the Baseball Pitcher after WordPress made his life just too difficult and has set up shop over at Big Daddy’s Place. I also want to send some special seasonal cheer to such fine bloggers as Prashant at Chess, Comics and Crosswords, TracyK of Bitter Tea and Mystery, Jeff (he of the amazing Kenji) of The Stalking Moon, Yvette and her evergreen in so many words …  and Neeru of a hot cup of pleasure for being so supportive. There were also some new faces on the block, most conspicuous of which was I Spy fan Kelly Robinson, who took the blogosphere by storm with Book Dirt.

As always, special Christmas thanks to PuzzleDoctor of In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel and the eponymous hostess of  Mrs P Investigates as they inspired me to start Fedora – I owe them tremendous thanks.

As my final sign-off, here’s a clip from that Christmas perennial White Christmas directed in VistaVision by the great Michael Curtiz that reminds me of my fantabulous twin nieces:

Hope to see you round in 2014 from mid January onwards.

Cheers!