At the weekend I attended my very first The Book Party and I finally feel clear-headed enough to write this blog post!
The theme this year was the Halloween Ball and the venue was the Old Library in Birmingham. I have a couple of good friends that I originally met through my old PR job in video games. We haven’t seen each other in far too long. They both live close to Birmingham and love reading too so it was a great reason to come back together and reunite for a catch up!
I headed across to Birmingham on the train and met with Lauren and her lovely family for some food before we headed over to the venue to meet Holly and her friend and get ready to party! There was a big queue of eager readers outside when we arrived. On arrival we were greeted by the fantastic party hosts Vic and A. J. Once we were inside there were fab orange goodie tote bags for us all including 2 books, samplers and bookmarks! We were treated to a welcome drink and joined the queue for the ARC table. We were allowed one pick each and I was excited to choose Sam Blake‘s The Killing Sense which sounds fantastic and is available to pre-order now.
About The Killing Sense:
Single Mum Kate Wilde has escaped an abusive marriage and hasn’t had a holiday in years, so when she wins a five-day trip to Paris to learn about perfume – in a competition she can’t remember entering – it’s a dream come true. Or is it?
Almost as soon as she arrives, Kate’s ex texts with evidence that he’s in Paris too. Kate can feel she’s being watched, and she’s sure someone has been in her apartment. Then she discovers that there’s a killer in the city focusing on red headed women like her. And his kill count is rising.
Who should she fear the most?
As well as the party, it was also the venue for the UK Book Blogger awards, where I was nominated for Rising Star. Sadly I didn’t get to bring it home but I was honestly just so thrilled to be recognised and included. There were some very deserving winners including:
- Creative Excellence: The First Eleven Minutes
- Heart of Gold: Shaun Trott
- Rising Star: Gee’s Reading Corner
- Bloggers’ Author: John Marrs
- Book Blogger of the Year: Nothing Beats a Good Book
After the awards were finished, it was truly time to unwind! I got to meet some fab authors including Clare Mackintosh, T. M. Logan, A. J. West and Tom Mead. They were all kind enough for a chat and to sign their books for me. It was brilliant that everyone was just mingling with no dedicated signing areas etc.
Another big bonus of attending was that it was amazing to meet a lot of other readers and bloggers I haven’t met before in person! I’ve spent a lot of time chatting across Instagram, TikTok and X so it was great to put some names to faces.
I had a great time, plenty to drink, made lots of new memories and danced my little elder emo heart out to Blink 182!
If you like the sound of the Book Party then you’ll be pleased to know they’re doing it all again! The Enchanted Summer Book Party will be held on the 5th July 2025 in Bristol and you can book your ticket today for the early bird rate of just £35. Please see their website for all the details.
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Beth Reads Crime 
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