Miranda's May Musings
Hello beautiful readers, welcome! I have a very serious question to ask this month: how big is your To Be Read pile? Ha, stop laughing... Is it like mine? Enormous? Even if I live to be eleventy billion years old I'll never finish. Such a thrilling dilemma.
Today fellow BITB blogger Alyssa J Montgomery and I went to a wonderful High Tea run by the Australian Romance Readers Association (ARRA), and it was divine. Held in a beautiful boutique hotel in Sydney, there were three tables, each hosted by an author: Kandy Shepherd, Shannon Curtis, and my table's lovely hostess Avril Tremayne.
You know where this is going, don't you? Yes, more books! I don't care that I've got a trillion books at home (slight exaggeration only). I staggered home full of tea, scones, sandwiches and cake, with a bag of free books and divine swag (unicorn pen! tiara! chocolates!) from Avril. So now, deliciously, these books are on my TBR:
  |
| Photo credits: amazon.com |
Here Comes the Bridesmaid is a beautiful hardback (isn't the cover sumptuously bridesmaid-y pink? I adore it!), and of course both books are signed by Avril. Swoon. Thankyou, Avril, thankyou.
...But wait, there's more. Our recent guest blogger Melanie Milburne was also at my table (read her recent column here). Congratulations Melanie on your 75th book (wow!). These are now on my TBR:
 |
Photo credit: amazon.com
|
 |
Photo credit: amazon.com
|
Somehow or other I missed getting a book from Kandy Shepherd. I love her sweet romances, they are gorgeous to read, and Kandy is the nicest person to meet and chat to. So I've pre-ordered her latest, which sounds right up my alley and has a divine wedding pic on the cover. I love it already.
 |
| Photo credit: amazon.com |
I did get this book from Shannon Curtis, quite outside my normal genre picks, which will be interesting to read. Shannon suggested I read Lycan Unleashed first, to get the gist of the world building. Alrighty then.
 |
| Photo credit: amazon.com |
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand there was more: some books by Penny Reid in the Knitting in the City series. And so many others to choose from - I honestly couldn't carry them all home, such a tragedy. Everyone staggered out from that High Tea with happy tummies and books spilling out of their arms, adding to their TBRs with gay abandon. Alyssa's bag was just as heavy as mine.
It is so, so, SO easy to add to the TBR, isn't it? Life is sweet! ...I'm off to read.
Until next time, my friends,
Love from Miranda xxx
Love to Love:
Free books! High teas! Meeting new authors and old friends! Thankyou ARRA.
Love to Laugh:
...at how dead easy it is to add to one's mountainous TBR. Awesome.
Love to Learn:
Has something fabulously wonderful like this happened to you? Free signed books poured your way? Or are you disciplined (unlike moi) and finish your TBR before you add more? (But seriously, does such a person even exist?!)
Hi Miranda
ReplyDeleteIt was a fabulous afternoon and why yes my massive TBR grew as well LOL, it is so easy for mine to grow these days recommendations by friends is always the best way and of course favourite authors releasing new books and there seems to be so many books coming out these days I really need more hours in the day.
Have Fun
Helen
Helen, we all need more reading hours in the day! And yet...life happens...?! Here's to winter, with cosy nights when somehow reading seems to happen more regularly. May your TBR overflow, though, and keep on overflowing! x Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI'm very happy you're going to give my books a try! And I added a few books to my own TBR pile - I think we're all in that boat together! Thanks so much for the shout out.
ReplyDeleteAvril, what a pleasure to meet you at the High Tea. I'm really looking forward to your books, and hopefully many more from you. Keep on writing and I'll keep on reading. What bliss. I hope you found some splendid new books as well. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteWhat a wonderful time you had Miranda and with the lovely Alyssa as company. So jealous of your book haul. So glad you had a great time.
ReplyDeleteIt was a lovely day, Cassandra. Actually in the blog I said 'today', but it was Saturday 5th May...I just wrote the blog 'that day'... I wish you could have joined us, you would have had just as much fun, I'm sure. Good company, good food, good books! What more can you want?
DeleteThe ARRA high tea was a fabulous cat h up with friends and... yes...more books!! But wait...I'm off to Reno next week to the Romantic Times booklovers convention so the TBR pile will grow again. I'm not complaining. Isn't it wonderful how many talented authors there are in the world?
ReplyDeleteAlyssa, the RT booklover's convention is on my bucket list, and has been since - well, last century! One day, one day... Have an absolutely fabbo time over in Reno, and bring me back a splendid bookmark or something equally wonderful. I am a bookmark fan, I confess, I love them (hint, hint). And so easy to carry! Ok, I might have overdone the hints, but seriously, have a blast. I love that we'll never read every author in the romance world, but just knowing they're out there gives me immense delight and the knowledge my TBR can always accommodate one more new book. And another. And another. Heh.
DeleteIt all sounds so fabulous! What a great job ARRA do to promote Aussie romance authors. Hopefully next year. Fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteWe missed you, Marilyn, but we can't begrudge you your wonderful trip to Wales! How amazing. And yes, you need to be there next year. Can't wait to see what books you bring back from your travels. Stay safe. x
DeleteLucky you enjoying a High Tea and Awards night surrounded by romance authors on ARRA's special night. And it's never a bad thing adding to your TBR pile! 😀
ReplyDeleteNext year you MUST come, Enisa! So much fun to be had! So many books and nice people all around. My happy place.
DeleteHi Miranda, thanks for more titles to be added my TBR list. I always have more books in my kindle than I can possibly read. But then there is the fun of choosing which romance novel to read next.
ReplyDeleteYou know what, I'm sure most romance readers are in the same situation, Sharon, with so many books in their TBR they may never finish. But the happy job of choosing what next to read is such a fabulous adventure. And when freebies are given out, well...bliss...
DeleteI'm so jealous of your ARRA experience, Miranda. I bet it was wonderful (certainly sounds it), with lots of lovely authors and readers talking that best of genres: romance. And what a haul of books.
ReplyDeleteAs for TBR piles, everyone knows that too many books is never enough. Enjoy!
I can't say much about the 'lovely authors', as otherwise I'll sound like I've grown a massive head, but I will say, Cathryn, that you definitely missed a really lovely event. With super scones.
DeleteAnd books, sooooo many books - mwahahahahaha!
It was lovely to be at the ARRA high tea and a huge honour to be guest speaker at the awards dinner.
ReplyDeleteIt was fabulous catching up with friends and colleagues and making new friends.
Hope you enjoy the books, Miranda! I certainly came home with far more luggage than I arrived. 😁
Melanie, thanks so much for stopping by! I sadly missed the Awards dinner so didn't hear your key note address. But I can only imagine it was awesome. I loved sitting beside you at the High Tea, and now I have some more of your books to read. How fantastic.
DeleteI had so much fun at this event, and I really loved catching up with everyone! Funnily enough, I also made off like a bandit with an armful of books.
ReplyDeleteP.S. - the scones were my favourite!
Shannon, the scones were definitely the bomb, with the jam and cream. Are you a cream first or jam first person? I do believe that can cause civil wars in discussion, hah. But they were delicious either way. And the books! So many to choose from. If I'd taken more I'd have needed a crane. Not that I'm greedy or anything, but what a banquet of books. Thanks for popping in to say hi!
DeleteHi Miranda, it was so lovely to see you on Saturday! Alyssa was on my table and it was great to see her too. It was such a nice event and, as I've found with all ARRA events, the food was delicious!
ReplyDeleteI went along with some books to share - and came back with an even heavier bag full of books to add to my TBR list.Even though I read a lot of e-books these days, there's just something about a paper book that is irresistible! To get them signed on the spot by the authors is really the icing on the cake - I mean on the scone with jam and cream!
Thank you for ordering and sharing my BEST MAN AND THE RUNAWAY BRIDE, I really hope you enjoy it. I loved writing that book, one reason being it is set in the beautiful island of Nusa Lembongan off the coast of Bali. I actually wrote some of the scenes while on location. A writer never really has a holiday!
Kandy, thanks so much for stopping by! And it was gorgeous to see you at the High Tea. And yes, it really is wonderful to get signed books by authors - treasures to cherish. As to your 'Best Man and the Runaway Bride', I look forward to 'being on holidays' with them. Bali, what a wonderful location, so heavenly. I do know our Marilyn Forsyth is on holiday at the moment, scoping out parts of Wales and Scotland - I'm looking forward to reading her next book in those locations, sigh... Brilliant.
ReplyDelete