I can’t quite believe that this is my 500th post. I started the blog 2 1/2 years ago & I never expected to keep going past that first fortnight of my summer holidays. Amazingly, I have kept posting & all of you, the kind visitors who keep commenting & starting conversations, have kept coming back.
I thought I’d celebrate by adapting Simon’s idea of Five from the Archive & post links to five posts that sum up my enthusiasms. They’re the posts that have generated interesting discussions rather then the posts with the most hits. Looking through the list, most of the posts with very high numbers of hits have very few comments. Probably because they’ve been discovered by students looking for information about Sir Walter Raleigh & Emily Brontё or people googling terms like Royal Wedding & English Ghost!
Persephone is my favourite publisher & I love my collection of Persephones, both dove grey & Classic covers. This post, for Persephone Reading Weekend, generated a lot of enthusiastic responses – & some jealousy as well!
Book design always creates a fuss, whether we love the design (Persephones, original Virago Modern Classics) or hate it (pastel chick lit covers, headless women on historical novels). This post was my response to the changing fashions in cover art.
Then there are the books that we all love – well, all of us who love books about books or a particular type of comforting, funny novel that we can read over & over again. Excellent Women by Barbara Pym is one of those novels.
History is another of my enthusiasms & Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time is one of the books that got me started on my obsession with Richard III & English history in general.
I couldn’t finish a post about this blog without mentioning Abby. I was very touched by all the sympathetic comments from Abby’s fans when she died in May last year.
Of course, I now have Lucky & Phoebe to keep me company. They’re enjoying a beautiful sunny winter’s day by sleeping on the back porch after a busy morning of climbing (Phoebe) & exploring (Lucky). I’ve almost finished reading all the books I was part way through in this post so it’s on with the next 500 posts!
I Prefer Reading 
Happy 500th anniversary!
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Where does the time go! Not sure how many blog posts I am up to, but will check shortly.
Like you I started my blog during a holiday and was surprised that I am still doing it and also that people keep visiting!
Seeing your Josephine Tey post I must get in and read that book. Epescially since I have just read Alison Aeir's new book, which I am sure you will love as it covers Richard III as well as the Tudor era.
Here is to the next 500!
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I can't believe how quickly the time has gone Lyn, or how many posts you've written – it's a pleasure reading you though so keep it up!
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Congratulations on your 500th post, Lyn. I loved The Daughter of Time too and really must get around to reading Excellent Women soon!
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Congratulations Lyn! I am so delighted to have stumbled across your blog. Warmest good wishes.
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Congrats on the first 500! Looking forward to the next 500 on I Prefer Reading. Hopefully both Lucky & Phoebe will be featuring generously in them, too. 🙂
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I read your posts every day and occasionally comment. I like reading about the books you read, about your life in Australia, and about your cats. Congratulations on your blog and its longevity. I look forward to at least 500 more posts!
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Congratulations! Always enjoy your writing about books, gardening, and cats and looking forward to more to come! Susan E
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Well done! What a great achievement. It's wonderful how you can go back over all the posts and reread about Abby and your books. I will look forward to more to come. All the best, Pam
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Congratulations of your 500th post! 'Daughter of Time' is one of my favourites, read as a teenager it got me started on my interest in Richard III too:)
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Wow! And congratulations! Wishing you (and us) at least 500 more posts. And I'm laughing at myself because I saw the title of the post under this one — the one about midwinter — and I thought “But it's been a long time since the 499th!” I think I'm just wishing it was midwinter HERE, instead of hot and sticky.
Audrey
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Well-done on now having 500 posts in your back CAT-alogue.
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Has it really been that long, and that many posts? Gosh, you are a blogging veteran now, Lyn! A lovely look back through your archive highlights.
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Congratulations! – I really enjoy reading your posts (and Daughter of Time is one of my favourite books).
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Thanks Chris, you make me feel quite venerable!
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Thanks Jo. I think the comments & conversation keep me blogging although it started as a reading diary. I really enjoy hearing about what people think. Is that Alison Weir's new book you mean? Is it her book about Elizabeth of York? I'm looking forward to that. Or is it one of her novels? I haven't read those, are they any good?
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Thanks DR, I hope to blog for some time yet.
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Thanks Helen. DOT is one of those books that many people love. Influential too, because it starts many people on a Richard III trail. EW is wonderful in a completely different way, I hope you get to it soon.
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Thanks Rose, I'm glad you enjoy it. I always enjoy your comments.
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Thanks Michelle. There will definitely be lots more from Phoebe & Lucky in future.
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Thanks Joan, I hope I can keep going for another 500!
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Thanks Susan, the original idea for a reading diary has expanded to include the cats, garden etc & it's nice to know people enjoy reading about it.
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Thanks Pam. I'm so glad I blogged about Abby because I have so many lovely photos to look back on now. It's also good to go back & see what I thought about a book I'd forgotten!
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Thanks Rosie, I think there are lots of RIII obsessives you got started with DOT.
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It was only a few days! I hope you get some relief from the heat soon. I enjoying the winter although we had frost on the lawn this morning & that's quite rare. Thanks for your good wishes, Audrey.
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Thanks David. Although they're mostly book-related, I'm sure there are quite a few cat posts as well – & more to come.
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Thanks Simon. I still have a way to go to catch you up but it was fun to look back. Thanks for the archive idea.
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Thank you bibliolathas, I'm glad you enjoy the blog.
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Many congratulations. Great blog – most enjoyable to visit – and the lovely cats are a bonus pleasure. Cheers to your past 500 & your next 500 posts!
~Barb
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Thanks Barb. I'm glad you enjoy the blog & the cats! Hopefully I'll still be posting in a couple of years when no 1000 rolls around.
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