Reading the Past's 9th anniversary celebration: reflections and giveaway

It's hard to believe that another blogiversary has come along.  Reading the Past turns nine this month.  I've thoroughly enjoyed chatting about historical fiction with everyone who visits this site.  Thank you all for reading! 

The past nine years have seen numerous changes in the book blogosphere.  Many blogger friends have moved on to other interests, while new readers and bloggers have joined in.  Reading challenges are still hanging in there but aren't as prevalent as they used to be.  Comments are down overall, so I'm appreciative of readers who choose to comment, and I aim to respond to them all.

With regard to this blog specifically, I've implemented a few changes since the start of the year.  For one, I decided to concentrate on content that I'd written myself, so you'll be seeing a higher percentage of new reviews and previews of forthcoming books.  You may have noticed there have been fewer guest posts.  I'm proud to have published the guest essays that I have and am grateful to all of the authors for their contributions.  They have all offered a firsthand perspective on writing and researching historical fiction, and there have been some excellent pieces submitted.

However, with the number of requests I was receiving, the time involved in responding to emails, scheduling, and layout for the essays I accepted was more than I could handle.  I'm still debating a policy on guest posts going forward and would welcome people's thoughts on this.  With the wide range of historical novels available to readers, I prefer not to feature the same authors too frequently, so if I do decide to start accepting more guest posts, it'll be with this in mind.  I do have a couple of previously arranged essays coming up in the next couple of months, from some terrific historical novelists, and I look forward to including their words here.

I plan to do the occasional giveaway as well, focusing on those books I've read myself and can personally recommend.

Which brings me to today's celebration.  Over the past two months, I've received extra copies of the following four books, all previously reviewed here, so I thought I'd share the wealth.

(1)  Fiercombe Manor, by Kate Riordan (new ARC)
(2)  Girl on the Golden Coin, by Marci Jefferson (new in pb)
(3)  My Name Is Resolute, by Nancy E. Turner (new in pb)
(4)  The Siege Winter, by Ariana Franklin and Samantha Norman (new ARC)

The hyperlinked titles lead to my reviews.  Please fill out the form below for a chance to win.  Each book will have a different winner; one entry per person, please.  International entrants are welcome.  Deadline Sunday, March 22nd.  Good luck!

Update:  The giveaway has ended. Thanks to all who entered.