After talking to many, and I mean many, bibliophiles throughout the interweb, it seems that a common complaint (which isn't really a complaint...) is that we buy books and then never have time to read them.
Then suddenly our shelves are full of unread books.
And the biggest issue is when someone stops by (which how often does that actually happen with the introverted book fanatic, like yours truly) and asks about a book on our shelves. Then we are faced with admitting we haven't read it!
It's sort of embarrassing...
Not to mention when we look at our monthly spending on new books...
Anyway...
As my goal this year is to conquer some aspects of my life, the unread books gracing my bookshelf are on the must conquer list.
Then suddenly our shelves are full of unread books.
And the biggest issue is when someone stops by (which how often does that actually happen with the introverted book fanatic, like yours truly) and asks about a book on our shelves. Then we are faced with admitting we haven't read it!
It's sort of embarrassing...
Not to mention when we look at our monthly spending on new books...
Anyway...
As my goal this year is to conquer some aspects of my life, the unread books gracing my bookshelf are on the must conquer list.
So, since this week is all about books I didn't get to last year, I figured this was a good time to set down my goals for the UnreadShelfProject.
The Basics
Alright, so first let's talk about Whitney's "rules" for this challenge. (The plus is this challenge is about setting your own goals... so she only gives us a starting point)
- Count your unread books, and from those set a goal for reading for the year.
- Once you decide which book to read for each month's specific challenge, you need to finish it by the end of that month, or get rid of it... (you don't have to throw it away, but it can't stay in your possession any longer)
Yep, that's pretty much it!
She also gave a monthly focus to help if you want to use it:
- January - any unread book
- February - a book gifted to you
- March - the book that's been on your shelf the longest
- April - the book you most recently acquired
- May - a book you bought because of the movie/TV/theater adaptation
- June - a book about travel or set in a country you've never been to
- July - a book from a series on your shelf
- August - a book voted for you to read by bookstagram followers
- September - a book you can buddy read with someone
- October - a book that scares you... for any reason
- November - a book from your favorite genre
- December - the shortest book on your shelf
Oh and one more small point, you are not supposed to buy new books while participating in this challenge. Many people seem to be limiting the books they do buy beforehand so they stay in a new book window...
My Current Unread Bookshelf... well the ones I'm going to conquer this year anyway
- When Dimple Met Rishi - This was my January book, and I'm happy to say that I actually finished it! And I loved it!
- PS I Still Love You & Always and Forever, Lara Jean - So I got the entire trilogy before the Netflix movie for To All the Boys came out, and I read the first book but these two... well... and I'm thinking these will work for July
- LifeL1k3 - This one is on my buddy read list for the summer so it will be read by the end of September for sure!
- Nevernight - A great bibliophile friend gifted me this for Halloween... so I think this might work for February... or October... I'm not sure yet
- Crooked Kingdom - Yep this was on my TBR challenge last year... and I never got to it... and since the setting is influenced by Russia it will be my June read, or read by then at least.
- Seige & Storm and Ruin & Rising - Another set of books... I started book one, but I haven't gotten to the rest of the trilogy... but technically I just got these, so for April then...
- Thunderhead - You guessed it... loved book one...
- Crimson Bound - Another one from last year's list, this might be the oldest on my shelves unread... so to be read by the end of March it is...
- Lady Midnight - So here's the deal with this one... I got this on sale while I was marathon buddy reading TMI series, but then we burned out, and now I promised myself I won't buy the rest of this trilogy until I've read this one... so... once I read this, I can buy the second book... and maybe by then book three will be in paperback too (which will match all of CC's books on my shelf)
- Summer Days and Summer Nights - Well this is a collection of short stories, and I hope to read them this summer, but at least by the end of the year since December is about shortest...
- Eliza and Her Monsters - Another example of a book that has been on my shelf for a very long time, and I've heard it's really good... and in a genre, I tend to enjoy, so maybe November.
- Wonder Woman: Warbringer - I know this has nothing to do with the movie, but the hype around the movie certainly got me interested in this book... so here's one for May.
Sure, I'm not exactly following the monthly themes... but I will use them as deadlines for the books mentioned. Maybe I'll be able to rock it and be done with this list early! Wouldn't that be a true conquering of the challenge???
At this time I have another twenty-three books on my shelf that are unread... and I do hope to get to many of them this year. But I think if I can read the 14 listed above for the challenge I'll be happy, and that is the point of conquering right?
Now the real trick will be to not buy a bunch of new books... I have a couple on preorder for series I've already started. And one from an author I love! But other than that, and the few mentioned in the actual list above, I am going to avoid buying any new books for myself...
That is the goal.
Honestly...
And that will be the true challenge!
Let's be honest with each other for a moment... Do you buy books and then never get around to reading them? Is this a challenge you think you could take on?
Thanks as always to Jana for hosting
I'd also like to finally read When Dimple Met Rishi.
ReplyDeleteThis is my Top Ten Tuesday post.
Ooh, this is a super interesting way to finally read those books that have been collecting dust! I might just join in, because my shelves are literally buckling in the middle from the weight of all the unread books. xD It's a problem.
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