Miranda's May Musings

How Do You Choose What To Read Next?

Part Two!

Miranda is currently overseas. She hopes to reply to any comments but may not be able to (internet access being difficult at times). Meanwhile, she sends all her lovely regular readers her very best regards, and hopes you enjoy these suggestions for some great Book Review Blogs. 

Darlings, if browsing bookstores or having romance author friends isn't doing it for you with reading recommendations, where next to turn?

Dear reader friends, look at book blogs! I do recognise the irony of writing this on a blog - but hey, it works for me. I get heaps of book blogs handily funnelled into my email. Sometimes, particularly on the first couple of days of the month, I get severe reader envy... You've read all that? In ONE month? You know about all these others? But I am (usually) fairly adult about this reading jealous-ness and move on to peruse the book lists. Which is how I discovered Sally Thorne's The Hating Game after about five billion people recommended it - and having read it, decided it was going to be 'my' pick on The Breathless List which you can see again here:

Picture Credit: www.amazon.com

Which book blogs, you ask? If I wrote them all down you'd be still reading this next week, so let me give you a few examples and you can surf in and check them out. First, I have to give a big shout out to the Australian Romance Readers blog here. You are one click away from romance book paradise. So many authors, so little time! If you are also a writer, look no further than the Romance Writers of Australia blog. A lot of Aussie romance authors also contribute to blogs with colleagues overseas, and the links are on their websites. Let your fingers do the walking.

Romance blogs that feature highly on my read list:

All About Romance. I think I've been reading this since - er, maybe (whispers) the 90's.
RT (Romantic Times) Book Reviews. I also subscribe to their online magazine, and have since (whispers) the 90's. All the hot goss, all the reviews, every month, and the blog more often. I usually want to read everything they top star, so have to whittle it down to a few hundred or so (heh)...
Booktopia's romance blog. Love the Nine Naughty Questions they ask authors, and love the info and new romance releases they feature.
Amazon romance editors get to pick the Best of the Month, and this link also takes you to romance best sellers for the month. Once you get started you'll discover a very pleasant hour - or two or three - has passed.

Picture Credit: Picjumbo

Last but certainly not least, and these are a blast, I *must* mention the entertaining:

Heroes and Heartbreakers, and
Smart Bitches Trashy Books, which I love and adore and giggle over.

Both lead to endless - I repeat, ENDLESS covetous book thoughts from me, plus much amusement at their fun reviews and hilarious comments. It's so easy to get their newsletters and blogs straight into your inbox, or streamed. I highly recommend them both.

Phew! Enough information for now. Now go, get started.

And do share, what reading blogs are in your Top 5?

Love from Miranda xxx

Love to love:     reading romance book blogs. No brainer, really.

Love to laugh:  at some of the snarky comment on the above, especially when I agree.

Love to learn:   about more book blogs. Share your faves with me. Please?

How to Get Your Hands on That Book You Want...

By Karen M. Davis

You are standing in line, waiting for a coffee from your favourite cafe and you overhear two ladies in front of you gushing about the latest book they've read. Being an avid reader your ears prick up and you can't help but politely interrupt and ask the name of the book they are talking about. One of the ladies tells you the author and title... 'Oh but unfortunately it's not on the shelves anymore,' she says. 'My friend lent it to me and there is a reserve list at the library a mile long.'


Bummer, you think, already excited about what sounds like an exciting read.


I can't remember how many times I've been asked (and I'm sure other authors get the same thing) 'How do I get your book? I can't find it anywhere.'


As you may already be aware, with many new authors being published all the time and established authors putting out a new book each year, book retailers only have limited space on their shelves for all these amazing books. I've been told there is about a three month turn around, sometimes less. And if a book is really popular and sells out they are not always replaced because new books are constantly replacing them.

Image courtesy of bookbitesoz.BlogSpot.com

So what to do when you can't find THAT book you are looking for???

Visit a bookshop or give them a call and order the book you want. You want to buy it and the retailer wants to sell it.

Or, go to your local Library. If they don't have it because it seems to have constant reserves on it, they may be able to borrow a copy from another Library.

If you like to read from a Kindle or ipad there are plenty of apps and online options for download. Or you can order online using the printed form from Booktopia, Amazon or Boomerang Books. You will have to wait for a few days but hopefully it will be worth it.

Image courtesy of freepngimages.com

Disclaimer: this blog was inspired by a blog post by author Jenn J McLeod.

I love to laugh at old Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em shows. I love Frank Spencer.

I would love to learn a musical instrument when I can find the time.

I love to love my family obviously but also my pets; Heidi the cat, Benny the Moodle, and his very old dad, Billy the wonder dog.

Writing a Book Review 101

with Cassandra Samuels


Hi everyone!

Speak to any published/self-published author and they will tell you how important reviews are. I've lost count of the number of times people have said they would love to post a review of a book but are not sure how to do it, don't know what to write, or think it is only for professional review bloggers.

 Reviews are not for authors, they are for readers. 

They help readers determine whether any author might be worth their $2.99 investment. A review can determine whether someone picks an author's book or skims on by. With over 5 million books on Amazon it can be hard for a reader to find their next favourite author.

Reviews on other platforms like Goodreads can be very helpful. If you are a reader (and let's face it, most of us are) and you are unsure about leaving a review let me put you at ease.

Amazon reviews

When you buy a book from Amazon, they kindly give you a few weeks before sending you an email asking how you liked the book. Here is your opportunity to let other readers in on your thoughts. 

The only real requirement is that you be over 13 years of age to do a review. You should be honest and respectful in your review and explain why you liked or disliked the book. You don’t have to do a summary of the book like professional reviewers do but rather just say in your own words why you enjoyed reading the book.

Was it the characters, the setting, the time period, the intriguing plot? Was the book free of errors? Did you enjoy the writer’s style, humour or emotional punch? Did it make you laugh or cry? 



Amazon to some extent tries to help by providing these three buttons.

You don’t have to use the buttons if you don’t want to. To get the stars, simply highlight the desired amount with your mouse. Then all you have to do is write about the book, trying not to include spoilers. It doesn't have to be an essay, as long as you think it might help another reader. And that is it.

You can also go to the Amazon site and do the same thing from there if you like. Amazon keeps an account of all the books you have bought.

Goodreads

If you have a Goodreads account it is easy to leave a review. You have two choices:


1. A starred review with no comments  

2. A review with stars and comments

When you hover over the stars it helps you to determine how many stars you want to give the book.

• 1 star - I did not like it 
• 2 stars – it was ok 
• 3 stars – I liked it 
• 4 stars – I really liked it 
• 5 stars – it was amazing 

Of course a review with comments is more helpful for fellow readers than a starred review on its own. The same applies here in regards to being honest but not nasty. If you truly do not like a book by all means say why. Perhaps you didn't like a certain character in the book or the fact that it was filled with errors which kept pulling you out of the story. 

However, if there were any redeeming features in the book it is nice to balance a 'not so nice' review with something positive. Perhaps it had some humorous moments, or a battle scene that was exciting to read.

Here you can see that my book 'A Scandalous Wager' has 14 ratings and 7 reviews. Goodreads at a glance gives you an average rating for your book. You can see under the cover picture that you have the opportunity to hover over the stars and give any book on your list a rating. Or let the author know you want to read it by adding it to your virtual shelf by clicking on the green button below the picture.

And that my dear readers is all there is to writing a review! Remember, reviews are for you--the reader, but readers have to leave them in order to be able to use them!

 Have you hesitated over leaving a review on a book? Tell us why. Did this blog post help you to feel more encouraged to leave a review?

I love to laugh at this video of dogs failing at being dogs.

I love to love solving a story problem in the shower.

Picture courtesy of mentalfloss.com

Love to learn that I am not the only one who struggles with work life balance.

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