2.02.2016

bookshelf love {reading challenge}


If you are a bookworm, you most likely have something called a TBR (to-be-read) -- be it a shelf, a pile, or a room with a maze-like path through the teetering paperback forest -- and, if you're anything like me, books that have been on it for months or even years. And yet, we keep buying more books. And visiting the library. And ordering ARCs (advance review copies). And entering giveaways. The bookshelf starts feeling neglected, sitting untouched except perhaps to have more novels shoved into every little available crevice.

I propose we show those bookshelves some love.

The point of this challenge is to read books you already own, and possibly clear some space on those over-loaded shelves. Pick a stack of books from your TBR shelf and set a time frame to read them in. This can range from a small stack you'll devour in a matter of weeks to clearing the whole TBR by the end of the year. Regardless, any books that remain untouched at the end of your challenge get donated, sold, given away, or recycled, leaving more space for books you love or those inevitable bagfuls you'll bring home from that upcoming library sale. Getting rid of books is not a requirement of the challenge (note the "guidelines" below), but it certainly adds some incentive!

Feel free to join me for any length of time during the next seven weeks (Feb. 2 - Mar. 22), which is the span of my personal challenge, or set your own time frame as mentioned above. I'll keep adding to the participants list for as long as I have people signing up so that we can follow each others' progress and offer encouragement. Just provide your name and a link to your challenge post in the comments below, and I'll update the list. No blog? No worries! You can post your challenge and updates on any social media outlet.

guidelines*

1. choose a time frame for your challenge
2. select a stack of unread books from your shelves/piles/boxes/book hoard
3. post a photo and/or list of the books on your blog or social media, along with the chosen time frame
4. use the challenge image in your post (if posting on a blog) and link back to the original challenge page
5. leave a link to your post in the comments on the original challenge page, so you can be added to the list of participants
6. read, read, read!
7. donate, sell, giveaway, or recycle any books still unread at the end of the challenge

*I use this term, and not "rules," intentionally. Make this challenge your own! It is typically helpful to choose a time frame for a reading challenge, though, and no cheating on #2!!! If it causes too much stress or you just can't bear to part with your dearly beloved books, you can forego #7. I don't blame you -- if I had the space, I'd keep mine, too!


participants

1. Serena (poetree) -- 7 weeks, 12 books (Feb. 2 - Mar. 22) & 14 weeks, 10 books (Sep. 19 - Dec. 25)
2. Raye (The Book Hoarder) -- 9 weeks, 25 books (Feb. 6 - May 10)
3. Heather (Worth Getting in Bed For) -- 16 weeks, 16 books (Feb. 7 - Jun. 7)
4. Serpent -- 4 months, 6 books (Feb. 23 - Jun.) & 10 months, 11 books (Feb. 23 - Dec.)
5. Candice (O Ye Scribes) -- 5 weeks, 7 books (May 30 - Jul. 11)
6. Nora (Reading Experiences with Nora) -- 20 books, Oct. 14 - Jan. 5
7.


18 comments:

  1. Hey Serena, sooo glad I stopped by your blog-- IT IS BEAUTIFUL and you have such a lovely, poetic writing style! Like your bio over on the side bar? PURE POETRY. Which goes along perfectly with the super creative blog title, ahhh! If I wasn't working on getting my own novel published I would be like totally doing this link up because I have waaay too many books on my tbr XD I honestly keep asking myself like "WHY do I keep buying all these books when I have so many I haven't read??" It's a crazy process, haha. Anyway, you have a new follower! :D

    Kate
    NAME

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    1. Thank you, Kate! You just made my day! Best wishes with the publishing process -- if your book is anything like your blog, it will be amazing. :)

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  2. Love this challenge! Now I just need to pick the box of Books. Moved in August and still don't have books unpacked!

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  3. I Love this challenge!https://worthgettinginbedfor.wordpress.com/2016/02/07/bookshelf-love-or-bookbag-like/

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    1. Thanks for joining! I have the opposite problem you do -- I need to pack my books, hence the challenge. :) Happy reading!

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  4. Hey! I came to sign up but I see you already have me up there. Sorry it took so long. I hope you've been getting more reading done than I have. :)

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    1. No problem! I found your post through Heather, who linked to your blog from her challenge post. And through all that I realized that my guidelines hadn't been designed for copying and pasting to other blog posts (which was totally my fault, and I apologize for that), so I've fixed that now. Anywho... thanks for joining!

      I'm halfway through book #4, which I'm pretty happy with considering I usually only read 1-2 books every two weeks.

      Happy reading!

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  5. awesome challenge! I assume it's fine if I've already started the books? I have like 50 in progress haha (including non-fiction and collections where I might read an individual story and then put the book aside for months :D).
    also, would it be fine to post two piles with different deadlines? like, one roughly until the end of the year and the other maybe 3-4 months.

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    1. Absolutely! I created this challenge with flexibility in mind. Make it your own. :) Please do come back and comment with a link to your post -- I'd love to see what you come up with (and add you to the participants list)!

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  6. Posted on the Language-Learners.org forum :) (list my name as Serpent)
    did the link get filtered as spam?

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    1. Thanks for joining! I added you to the list. Your link came through just fine. :)

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    2. yay thanks! I posted it before but apparently something went wrong at first :D

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  7. I'm in just have to figure out my rules

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    1. Awesome! Let me know when you figure it all out. :)

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  8. I'm finally getting started on this challenge, and I'm looking forward to getting a lot of reading done. Thanks for creating this reading challenge, Serena!

    Here's my link: http://oyescribes.blogspot.com/2016/05/bookshelf-love-reading-challenge.html

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    1. You're welcome! I hope you enjoy the challenge. :)

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  9. I really like this challenge! I realize that a little bit (or maybe a lot) late, but it's okay. Here is the link to my blog post: https://readingexperienceswithnora.wordpress.com/2016/10/20/bookshelf-love-reading-challenge-tbr

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    1. Never too late! :) I'll add you to the list--thanks for joining!

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