Mandy Eve-Barnett's Blog for Readers & Writers

My Book News & Advocate for the Writing Community ©

Bibliophile’s Collective Tuesday – Finding a New Folklore Character

January 18, 2022
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I am currently reading The Golem and the Jinni – a wonderful book I would recommend if you like fantasy fiction. I have not come across a golem before so did a little research.

I am sure most of us will think of Gollum, the Lord of the Rings character. However, a golem is a different kind of creature all together.

Firstly, the spelling is different, but also the creature itself comes from Jewish folklore. It is an animated anthropomorphic being created entirely from inanimate matter (usually clay or mud). In the Psalms and medieval writings, the word golem was used as a term for an amorphous, unformed material.

As I have always been fascinated in folklore, fairy tales and mystical creatures, I was surprised I had not come across this particular creature before. So it has been added to my collection of great creatures and myths.

I have a couple of books I treasure, which include wonderful creatures. One is Gnomes and the other Fairies.

There are many creatures that can be helpful or harmful to gnomes & fairies, one is a Snotgurgle. Even the name conjures up an image! Yes, he is a nasty beastie.

Do you have a folklore character you would like to share?

Have you discovered a previously unknown fantasy character in a book?

Bibliophile’s Collective Tuesday – What Makes a Good Book?

January 11, 2022
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Photo by Leah Kelley on Pexels.com

As a reader, I look for a story that grips me from the beginning. It maybe the opening line, a well defined character, or an inciting scene. To become quickly immersed into a narrative, means the author has done a good job. We also tend to have certain authors we read as we know their skill in storytelling and the genre they write.

Choosing a book to read is a personal preference and a gift card is a good way to delight the reader in your family. Unless of course you know them very well and their reading likes and dislikes.

There are many ways a book can be defined as a good book.

  1. A strong opening. A sentence or paragraph that compels you to continue reading.
  2. Well defined and relatable characters.
  3. A well written constructed plot.
  4. Believable dialogue.
  5. The writer’s style absorbs you into the story.
  6. Good use of description to let you ‘see’ the location/characters.
  7. Great tension in the story line.
  8. An original tale.
  9. A sense of expectation of what happens next.
  10. A satisfactory conclusion.

How do you determine your choice of a book?

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

January 4, 2022
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I use the Goodreads annual reading challenge to track the books I read and review each year. Sometimes I hit the target, other times I exceed it. This year I began with a novella, To Rome, With Love by D.P. Rosano, which was a Christmas gift. I am now onto my next read The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker.

I have set my challenge for 20 books this year.

Do you set a target for your books?

What are you currently reading?

What was your favorite book of 2021?

I enjoyed If It Bleeds and Billy Summers both by Stephen King – as you all know I love his story telling expertise. These books were very different in genre, but both equally compelling. The other book that rates on my long list is The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick. It was a delightful tale of self discovery and mystery.

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Mandy Eve-Barnett’s Blog Schedule for 2022

December 30, 2021
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I am once again committing to a blog schedule for the upcoming year.

As last year’s topics and posting days proved to be popular, I am going to keep the same schedule for this year. There will be weekly posts divided between writing topics on Tuesday’s, when I will be delving into my writing (and reading) life.

The posting days will continue as Tuesday and Thursday of each week as follows:

Bibliophile’s Collective Tuesday

Stories behind my published books and also from works in progress.

First pages

Update on events I will be attending – if possible physically, if not virtually in 2022

Glimpses at my current writing project.

Sharing short stories or poem’s I have written from prompts or workshops.

Character Interviews

My book reviews

Wordsmith’s Collective Thursday

Special Interviews with authors from Creative Edge

Writing Tips

Writing contests

Literary Birthdays

Author Interviews for Creative Edge Publicity

Also I am happy to host an author interview for anyone interested in doing so.

I welcome your suggestions for inclusion of a topic or a theme, so please comment below.

I will continue with my monthly newsletter, so please sign up when prompted. I hope we can develop a great relationship with this new venture – Sneek Peeks & Glimpses. Thank you in anticipation.

Photo by Ylanite Koppens on Pexels.com

Wishing everyone a wonderful, healthy and fiction filled Christmas and New Year.

Bibliophile’s Collective Tuesday – My Book Reading Stats for 2021

December 28, 2021
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I love to set a reading challenge through Goodreads each year. Not only does it give me the opportunity to review every book I read, but also to track what I have read. You can see my 2021 list here:

It is always interesting to see the facts – pages read, books read and the average book length. This year that was 318 pages. This of course does not count the number of pages I read and re-read while writing my own!

Do you track your reading? What method do you use?

How many did you read in 2021?

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