Mandy Eve-Barnett's Blog for Readers & Writers

My Book News & Advocate for the Writing Community ©

Bibliophile Collective Tuesday – A New Year – A New Reading Challenge

January 3, 2023
mandyevebarnett


It is always exciting to begin a New Year and a new book! I have an impressive book pile to begin 2023, and will, as always, leave a review on Goodreads for each one.

I would love to know what you are reading this month and why you chose it. Also please review each book you read, as these reviews are the life blood for authors. It validates all their hard work in creating a time, place and characters from their imaginations. Your review can be one sentence long, it doesn’t have to be a synopsis of the narrative.

My first book for 2023 is Villa Serena by Domenica De Rosa. As many of my followers know I love Italy, and this will in some small way ease my hankering to fly to Italy in 2023 and escape the Alberta winter.

I have set my Goodreads 2023 challenge. Why not do the same?

You can, of course, find many reading challenges online – here is a selection!

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/books-to-read-in-2023/

https://www.the52book.club/2023-reading-challenge/


#TBR Challenge 2023

2023 Beachcomber Mystery Reading Challenge

2023 Books in Translation Reading Challenge

2023 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

2023 Children’s Book Reading Challenge…for Adults!

2023 Classics Reading Challenge

2023 Diversify Your Reading Challenge

2023 Diversity Reading Challenge

2023 Diversity Reading Challenge

2023 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge

2023 Library Love Challenge

2023 Literary Escapes Challenge

2023 Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge

2023 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge

2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge

2023 NoveList Reading Challenge

2023 Romance Book Reading Challenge with She Reads Romance Books

2023 Romance Reading Challenge

2023 Southern Literature Reading Challenge

Around the World in 80 Books

Around the World Reading Challenge 2023

Beyond The Bookends’ 2023 Reading Challenge

Booklist Queen’s 2023 Reading Challenge

BookRiot’s 2023 Read Harder Challenge

Calendar of Crime Challenge

Color Coded Reading Challenge

COYER (Clear Out Your E-Reader) Challenge

Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

Creativity Reading Challenge 2023

Cruisin’ thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2023

Epistolary Reading Challenge 2023

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2023

Humor Reading Challenge 2023

Memoir Reading Challenge 2023

Mental Health Reading Challenge 2023

Read Around The World Challenge

Read It Again, Sam Challenge

Read With Allison’s 2023 Reading Challenge

Read Your Bookshelf Challenge

Reading by the Numbers Challenge

Roll to Read Challenge

Romanceopoly Reading Challenge

TBR Pile Challenge

The 52 Book Club’s 2023 Reading Challenge

The Book Girls’ Guide Decades Reading Challenge

The Book Girls’ Guide Lifetime of Reading Challenge

The Book Girls’ Guide Read Around the USA – 2023 States Reading Challenge

The Book Girls’ Guide Read Around the World: Book Voyage Reading Challenge

The Nerdy Bookworm 50 Books A Year Reading Challenge 2023

The Purrfect Reading Challenge 2023

Thrifty Thursday Challenge 2023

Uncorked 2023 Reading Challenge

Virtual Mount TBR Challenge

What An Animal Reading Challenge 2023

Wordsmith’s Collective Thursday – What About Those New Year’s Goals? How are you doing?

October 28, 2021
mandyevebarnett


At the start of each year, some of us decide on goals for the year. These range from the most common ones, such as weight loss, fitness, and stopping smoking, the ‘healthy ones’ in other words. But, what of the other goals, the practical ones, so to speak? For authors this would be improving our brand, more sales, promotional opportunities, presentations or speaking engagements and more. As writers, we want to increase our word count, the number of projects completed, or receiving publicity or publishing deals.

Obviously, many of these goals go by the wayside pretty quickly, while others make it to mid-year, or possibly later. The question that arises is – why make goals in the first place? Are we swept along with the possibilities of a fresh start? Do we think we can achieve them, and stay committed to our self-inflicted goals? The excitement of a whole new year ahead of us is a powerful momentum for change. I think that is the key to our initial thinking, when it comes to annual goal making.

As we all know that momentum gets harder to maintain as the months roll by. We get off-track.

There are time constraints, health issues, family matters, work events, vacations, seasonal holidays – the list goes on. Each scenario affects how we feel, our ‘free’ time, and what we are able to accomplish. There is always some ‘distraction’ pulling us away from that initial elation of new year possibilities.

So, what is the answer? This is a difficult question to answer, as we are all experiencing life in a multitude of ways. No one person is the same as another. I think the first step is to be totally honest with yourself, when it comes to setting goals in the first place. Too many goals, too loftier a goal and the ‘good grief’ goals should be shelved before they even get ‘out the box’.

Making a goal is a very personal thing. You need to look at what your time will allow and also your personality trait. Do you have a week to week, or month to month planner or do you hope for the best? Or something in-between? Having too many goals sets you up for failure and that isn’t good for anyone.  Remember we don’t have to do ALL the goals in one year – pace yourself. Put the most ‘important’ one first, then plan accordingly and stick to it. Put less pressure on yourself and accomplish one or two instead.

My goal board

You can even make a ‘goal’ under the umbrella of a wider spectrum, such as ‘improvement’, whether for your health or for your writing career. Many of you saw my 2021 goal board link – it is the best board I have made in many years and I don’t think I will be changing it very much for 2022. I have goals I want to reach in the next few years and the board reflects that for me.

Realistically, a goal can take longer than a year. Accept that and work towards it at your own pace. Time constraints and deadlines are not applicable here. We all ‘work’ at different paces, make that work for you.

How are your 2021 goals coming along?

Have you succeeded or are you on track?

Bibliophile’s Collective Tuesday – Limboland & New Year Goals

January 4, 2021
mandyevebarnett


Limbo-land by Mandy Eve-Barnett

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

We all know the strange limbo-land between Christmas and New Year. A land of past and future. The Christmas celebrations are over, but memories remain. The glitz of the holiday décor is still shining, but with an absence of gifts and anticipation. Leftover meals are the norm – turkey this and that – accompanied with moans of ‘not again!’ echoing over the dining table. Half boxes of chocolates and sweet cookies scatter tables and shelves, tempting some to taste, while others resist. Gifts are put away, to use, or keep for another day. We think on our excesses – too much alcohol, too much food, too many treats partaken. Pine needles fall as the tree begins to whither, needles prickling under foot, falling into crevices, and appearing for months to come. The hustle and bustle, frantic preparations and worry, vanish leaving us with a feeling of anticlimax and tiredness. We slouch on the sofa, watch mindless shows feeling at a loss and lethargic after so much activity. Some may use this time to reorganize, restock, renew, while others feel undecided and aimless.

As we languish in this limbo-land feeling heavy and worn, gradually a spark begins to form. A new celebratory opportunity awaits. Party plans are made, and excitement builds again as family and friends look forward to a New Year. The stroke of midnight is filled with kisses, hugs and new promise. We once again find new purpose and are full of possibilities, goals, tasks and ideas. Expectations are high for a new year, a new start, a new you – everything is possible. We pack away the decorations letting the house breath again with a lightness and uncluttered space. We may be missing the glitter and sparkle but find satisfaction in a fresh home. It gives us the opportunity to begin with a clean slate as we go forward into uncharted country – a New Year.

Did you enjoy your Christmas & New Year celebrations in this half-life existence we are experiencing?

Do you make goals for the New Year? Care to share yours?

Photo by Polina Zimmerman on Pexels.com

Wordsmith’s Collective Thursday – Seasons Greetings with Book Reading & Writing.

December 24, 2020
mandyevebarnett


I wish all my followers, a wonderful and safe festive time this year. Although, many of us will not be able to be physically with our family, friends and loved ones, be thankful they are safe and well. Whatever, ‘tag’ you put on the season – enjoy it in whatever way is possible:

  1. Merry Christmas
  2. Happy Hanukkah
  3. Joyous Kwanzaa
  4. Yuletide Greetings
  5. Happy holidays
  6. Joyeux Noël
  7. Feliz Navidad
  8. Seasons Greetings

I have a couple more books to finish before the end of 2020 to reach my goal – how about you? https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2020/5477628

I should be ‘resting’ the first book in my detective series until the New Year, but will probably delve into editing and revisions. Fortunately, I have the full week between Christmas Day and the 3rd January off work, so will make the most of it.

Take care, be safe and hope for a better 2021.

Wordsmith’s Collective Thursday – Goal Planning

January 2, 2020
mandyevebarnett


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Firstly, a Happy New Year to you all. I hope the writing gods are kind to you in 2020 and inspire you to write many new stories.

planners

It is customary to make goals or resolutions with the arrival of a new year, some will be accomplished others not, but no matter what, we can help ourselves by planning. There are several way to do this, such as:

  1. Making a goal board
  2. Using a planner
  3. Writing out each goal on your calendar so you have a deadline
  4. Work with a group of friends to encourage each other to stay on track
  5. Or even a mixture of some or all of the above!

As you can see from the image, I have four different ‘planning’ tools – I always use the same fridge calendar, where dates are entered for all my ‘writing’ related items such as conferences, meetings and events etc. This year I am attending a new event, When Words Collide and traveling to  new parts of Alberta and British Columbia on writing road trips.

The weekly notepad with the lovely floral background now has my facebook/twitter group schedule so we all post the same subject each day enabling us to share and comment. The smaller notebook has freelance projects listed in it with details, contact information and deadlines. I also have a new ‘word of the day’ desk calendar, which I will use to inspire my Muse.

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What do you use to keep yourself on track with your writing life?

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