Book of the Year 2012

Each of the books awarded the Golden Hammer & Anvil Shield in the last calender year are automatically short-listed for my "Book of the Year" Award.

I have been impressed and entranced by each of the six books on this years shortlist.  Originality, beautifully crafted words, sentences, paragraphs and chapters, imaginatively created plots, brave themes and exciting tales of hard-fought battles have kept me up late at night as I repeated the age-old readers mantra "Just one more chapter, just one more chapter".

Selecting one book to sit at the top table with me, has been a difficult choice to make.  Each one is superb, each one worthy of being crowned the best of the bunch - however, as Christopher Lambert says in Highlander, "There can be only one."

The Sir Read-A-Lot Book of the Year for 2012 is...........

The Stockholm Octavo by Karen Engelmann

What set this book apart for me, was the painstaking amalgamation of true fact with fiction coupled with a truly inspired production by Two Roads Publishing.  Karen Engelmann has written a bold story with deeply flawed characters who find themselves having to act unselfishly in order to keep the world they inhabit from crumbling around them.  Her publishers have taken inspiration from a time when books were not just a commodity, but something to be held and treasured.  From the blue and silver gilt filigree on the cover, to the heavy, vellum like pages this whole package screams quality at you from the moment it catches your eye.  It is truly breathtaking.  Congratulations, Karen!

May I take this opportunity to thank everyone for your support and wish you all a happy, healthy, prosperous New Year.

A Christmas Message

This year has been one of the most fulfilling I have ever had.  I started this blog in May 2012 with no real expectations, apart from wanting to share my love of historical fiction with the world.

I honestly thought my reviews would get lost in the ether, as there are many hundreds of book bloggers and reviewers all vying for their own little corner of cyberspace, but with nearly 12,000 unique page views in 7 months and very big TBR pile, it seems I am here to stay!

Talented, independent authors have sat side by side with those you see represented by major publishers and every book I have published a review on has been, in one way or another, a joy to read.

But without you , those of you that read my posts, who enter my giveaways and share my blog links via social media, I would be a lone voice in a cacophony of shouts.  So this post is for you - to the readers who take time to read my opinions, to my fellow bloggers who help me by promoting my reviews, to the authors who trust me to pass a verdict on their labours and provide free copies of their books to offer as prizes and to those behind the scenes who have given me support, guidance, encouragement and (on occasions) a kick up the backside.

Thank you everyone, from the bottom of my heart.  Merry Christmas & may 2013 bring you everything you hope and dream of.

Fondest Regards,


Stuart