Like many authors and some other people, I hoard books. I hardly go into a bookstore, used book store, or library book sale and come out empty handed.
But then do we read those books? Oho, of course not. There’s always something shinier, or your holds have come in at the library, or you were passing a shelf at the library and saw a cover you had to have, etc.
(I try to mitigate this somewhat by delegating shiny books to either my Amazon wishlist or my library account’s For Later list. In the pandemic age, where the library is closed, I have found myself buying eBooks of the things that would normally have gone on the library list, so this is not helpful.)
(Especially since the library’s digital library is available, so who even knows.)
In December we had to buy a new six-foot bookcase to accommodate the books just laying about, so when 2020 started, I made a pledge.
And that pledge was to read one book that I’d bought at a library book sale a month. Since I typically read 3-5 books a month (though more like 6-8 in the pandemic age), this still allows me leeway to read whatever else I felt like.
Now, I’ve made pledges like this before. A few years ago, I thought I’d read one new book off every bookcase shelf until I made it all the way through all my many bookcases (and then start over, I assume).
I think I made it four shelves before I got distracted.
Admittedly, we are only five months in, but I’ve already read six of my library book sale books. (Well, five and one used bookstore book where I confused its origins.) And I think the difference is that I’m planning the book out when I do my monthly goals.
Yep. I stare at my bookcases, identify which book I’m going to read, write its title down in my goal list for the month, and then it’s there to stare me in the face each time I look at what I’m supposed to be doing with myself.
And so far, so good. Each one has been read in its month, sometimes quickly, sometimes slow, but it is happening. And slowly I gain more bookshelf space.
(For more books.)
(Also, I haven’t been able to bring myself to select any books larger than about 350 pages, so the biggest offenders continue to sit there.)
I’m also selecting a writing or nonfiction book for each month. Same process–picking the title and writing it into the goals–but it’s a little less successful since I’m finding that the writing books, especially, take longer to get through. Ah, well. I’m still making it through books I’ve been hoarding.
Books! They are great.
Getting your reading done, friends?
I have the same issue, but I also have ARC reviews I owe authors, so those need to be read and reviewed in a timely fashion. I owe multiple series for one author, who has been so patient with me since I went freelance and lost 90% of my reading time, but I don’t typically binge series. I’ll read one, read a few other books, read another, and so on. So it’s been taking awhile. But damn it, I WILL finish them.
I have a ton of series books of auto-buy authors I still have yet to catch up on. I get distracted too. Terribly. It’s the bane of our existence, I think.
My library card died on me pre-pandemic. I never got it fixed/renewed, so no library ebooks for me! 🙁