No Book Buying for 40 Days: Testing My Resolve and Will Power

I spent a recent Saturday morning gearing myself up to sort through the stacks of books I have at home. For weeks I've stared at them, added to them, and thought I should probably look through them. But then I would ignore that, or put it off. I'm really good at procrastination when it comes to looking at my TBR piles and deciding what to do with them. 

I managed about a full 10 minutes of shifting through them before I became overwhelmed, re-stacked everything, and left my books alone. 

Well heck. This isn't going to work, I thought. I can't even casually look through my books without feeling stressed. I realized Lent is coming up, and while I am a very lapsed Catholic, I decided it would be a good chance to test my desire to read through my TBR piles. Once I found out Lent begins fairly soon (February 26), I really felt strongly that this was my chance to break my habit of adding to my TBR pile without also reading from my TBR pile. And once I've read the book, it either goes to friends to read, family to keep and read, or is donated. Only super special "must keep" books will stay with me. 

Yes, I know Lent is all about giving up something that would be hard to give up for 40 days. Let me tell you, I've spent decades buying books whenever it suited me to do so; sometimes buying 5 books a week. Usually I last about 2 weeks tops before I buy something at the bookstore. Even using the library, I still buy books. Mostly because that's what libraries do for a lot of us--we see something there, read it, and decide we want a copy for our shelves at home. 

My goal over those 40 days starting February 26th is to read books I check out from the library and read books from my piles at home. It's going to be a random mishmash of stuff, for sure. But I can't buy any books for those 40 days. I'm already feeling the pain. 

I'll keep you updated on how I'm doing, of course. 40 days isn't very long, but it's long enough for me to feel overly dramatic about it:

via GIPHY

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No Book Buying for 40 Days: Testing My Resolve and Will Power

February Reads, a DNF from January, and So Many Books, So Little Time! 📚📚📚📚📚📚

Well, I devoured a lot of books in January. It was a battle some nights to stay awake long enough to read more than a few pages. I will confess to a few weekends of spending most of my time happily reading instead of doing my weekend chore list. Hey, when the books call, I just have to stop and read. 

I tried, I really did, to read The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu. I could not concentrate long enough to get through some of the slower bits. It goes back on my bookshelf with the expectation that I'll pick it up again someday and be able to dive back into it. 

February has an extra day--yay! But it always feels so short and I have a lot of books I want to get to this month. I keep looking at my TBR piles and have moments of "Maybe I should just give them all away and make space in my house" to "But I can't because I still want to read all of these!" And then I look on my bookcases and have similar feelings. Then I see the stacks in my bedroom and decide I need a mental break so I sit down and read until I feel better about the whole darn thing. 

And still, those stacks remain. 

February is African American History Month, and of course we've got Valentine's Day. It's also the month my partner and I celebrate the anniversary of our first date: 02/02/2002. He doesn't share my love of reading, but oh, he so gets why books are my life. I'm so very lucky he understands and loves to hear about my book world. He knows as long as I can bring a book with me, I'm happy to go wherever. 

So I have all the feels for February, and my book choices are some titles off my TBR piles and some new books that I've bought in the last month:

                                               

A novel that has been on my bookshelves for months. Reading for a book group.

An All Iowa reads pick for 2020. Hopefully the first of many children's novels for me this year. 

Favorite author Sandra Dallas is back with a tale of women who travel West to the gold mines of California in 1852.  

Bookshops, romance, Paris. Perfect for February! 

Another book off my TBR pile, from the publisher. It's the fourth in a series, but I'm diving in! Historical mystery. 

A modern twist on Henry the 8th and his wives. The darker side of love.

This novel is being released in early February. A publisher request for review that I can't wait to read. 

Well. I have my work cut out for me. But it's work I love, and my absolute favorite way to spend my down time is reading. I make time for reading every day, no matter what. It's not about racking up an impressive reading total, but my absolute wish to read all of the wonderful titles that are created by so many talented writers. I'm still trying to make peace with the knowledge that I can't ever read everything I want to read. As long as I have coffee, a comfy place to read, and some quiet time, I'll keep working my way through all the wonderful stories waiting for me. 

Happy Reading!  

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February Reads, a DNF from January, and So Many Books, So Little Time! 📚📚📚📚📚📚

Thinking About Reading Challenges, TBR Piles, and All the New Books of 2020: What's in Store for January

Is it wrong that I've already ordered two new paperbacks, and two hardcovers, all new titles that are out in January? See, this is why I tell myself I won't limit myself on how many books I can buy each month. I'd last about 10 minutes before I broke that promise, so I'm not going to try, and heck yes, I'm not even going to feel bad about it!

However, I'm happy to say I am still checking books out at my library. And I have been thinking and pondering for days just what to do with all of my TBR piles sitting around at home. Brilliant breakthroughs have not made an appearance, so in the spirit of not putting ridiculous pressure on myself, I'm just going to make an effort each month to grab a few books off my bookcases and my piles on the floor and read them, then pass them along to friends and family.   So for every new book I buy, I've got to read that much out of my piles at home. HOLY HECK.

January is usually one of my big read months. The weather may turn nasty at any given moment, and I usually just spend most of my time reading at home when I'm not working. I expect that to happen this January, too. It's my official hermit month. It begins at midnight tonight. 

Here are a few of the books I plan on reading and reviewing in January:

This is a TBR book; also fills a requirement for my book club theme this month. 

Another TBR book--I started it very early this morning and already cried. Better get the tissues out cause I know there's more to come. 

New in January--I can't wait to read this! The latest from the author of The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend.

Just checked this out today from the library, already started it, and was immediately  sucked into the story. Two women living in the same house 50 years apart; marriages, secrets, and trying to be the "perfect wife". 

I'm planning on a few other titles for January but haven't landed on exactly what just yet. I'm still wrestling with the idea of signing up for the Goodreads 2020 Reading Challenge when it's available. It does give me an easy and quick look at what I've read over the year, and I do like to have a goal. However, sometimes it can make me feel panicky when I haven't had time to read at a steady pace. So is it worth it? I don't know. I think 2020 will be a year when I will be more patient with some of the books I read and give them a fair shake before I DNF and pick up something new. It's a TBR pile knockdown kind of year and I can't wait to rediscover some of the books I bought a year or two ago and never read. So while I'm excited for the year of 2020 in reading, I'm being cautious about goals and strategies and working on just rediscovering and discovering some pretty fantastic stories. 

I can't wait to share it all with you! 

Happy New Year!  

The Bookalicious Babe

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Thinking About Reading Challenges, TBR Piles, and All the New Books of 2020: What's in Store for January