Ten year anniversary

It completely passed me by that July 12th was the 10th anniversary of the blog. I started it not long after moving into a house that was painted blue, hence the name. I was hesitant about initiating it as I knew it would be a commitment to keep adding content, but it's actually been a pleasure to write a review or post an observation a couple of times a week.

Over the past decade, I've published 2,690 posts, 412 of which were drabbles and 1,031 book reviews, which is quite a few more than I was anticipating! Part of the reason for this is that the blog led to interactions with other crime fiction bloggers and their recommendations significantly improved my reading experience by pointing me to books that I was likely to enjoy. The more you enjoy something, the more you're likely to do it. Ergo ...

My first review was Stuart Neville's The Twelve and it's been a real pleasure to support Irish writing, so far reviewing 132 books published by Irish authors. I try to support writers in general, while sticking to the principle of reading the books I want to rather than out of obligation, hence why I've purchased nearly every book reviewed.

My style of blogging tends to be as a broadcaster, rather than someone who channels conversation, but I'm always grateful for those who leave comments. Many thanks to anybody who has stopped by to take a read. I'm not sure if I'll make it twenty years, but I've no plans to stop blogging just yet.