This past week, I posted a photo on my Instagram showcasing my recently re-organized book shelf. A week or two prior, I started to pull books off of the shelves because I had too many that were stacked around the floor and needed to fit. I also had to admit to myself that there were quite a few books I had that I might never read (lost interest, read it but didn't really like it, etc.) and needed to put in a donation pile. I am pleased to say that I managed to get the majority of my books (both read and unread) on the shelves (there are 6 total). I have the top 4 shelves organized by color and the bottom two are pretty haphazard.
You might be wondering why I only organized the top portion of my shelf ROYGBIV-style. Why not the whole thing? Well, that's because the top 4 shelves are made up entirely of books I haven't read yet. That's right. I haven't read any of the books you see in the picture above (or the ones that didn't make it to the photo on the shelf below).
Some might call that a problem.
And it is a problem. I will openly admit that I have a bit (understatement) of a book buying addiction. I'm trying to work on this.
Of the 100+ books in the photo above, at least 90 of them were purchased in the last year.
Last year, I started to follow BookTubers. I started to follow Bookstagrammers. I saw books I hadn't heard of, had my mind opened to new authors and genres. I loved it. I totally bought into it.
I've always been a book buyer. When I really got into reading again (late 2010?), I would buy a few books at a time just so that I always had something to read. I was catching up on authors I'd heard of (like David Sedaris and Emily Giffin) but had never read. So I had a few books, whatever. It wasn't too much. I'd read what I bought and have the next book lined up. No book purchased went unread back then.
When I realized I didn't have space for them, I started to visit the library. I loved the possibility of picking up a book and just giving it a spin without any financial woes. I also got my first Kindle, which allowed me to buy plenty of books without taking up any additional space!
I still love the library and use it often (I work at one for Pete's sake, so duh). I still love my eBooks. But here I am with more than 100 books owned but not read. It's scary. It is intimidating. And it probably has a lot to do with why I get into book slumps.
Okay, so the point of the post: TACKLE MY TBR!
This is my summer goal. Instead of perusing the stores or online for new books to buy (that will just end up on the shelf, unread), I want to "shop" my already filled shelves and read the books I just had to have. I want to focus on and read what is already available to me at home. I know I won't be able to resist checking out the occasional new release that hits the shelves at the library and, as mentioned in a previous post, I have a few pre-orders coming in August that I'm very excited about! But for the most part, I really want to hold off on buying books until I can make a significant dent in these shelves. (I know I won't be able to read all 100+ books in 3 months, but a little goes a long way!)
If I find something that I missed while weeding, something that bores me or that I'm no longer interested in, I am going to try my darnedest to be okay with giving it away.
I guess this means I'm going to be putting myself on a book-buying ban. I'm scared to say that, because I almost feel like it is setting me up for failure. But maybe instead of actively saying "I'm banning myself!" I can say "I'm focusing on my own shelves right now. The other books will still be there in a few months." And if I slip and buy a book, I don't want to beat myself up. But I really want to make some progress here. I really want to give the books I just had to have a chance. Otherwise, I will keep buying books and reading some of them and getting scared and overwhelmed and wondering why I don't have as much money in my pocket as I should.
I think I'll include my TBR Tackle books logged in my monthly wrap-ups. Like, out of all the books I read in a month, how many were already on my shelf (not checked out from the library or purchased or gifted within the month)?
I guess we will see how this goes...
You might be wondering why I only organized the top portion of my shelf ROYGBIV-style. Why not the whole thing? Well, that's because the top 4 shelves are made up entirely of books I haven't read yet. That's right. I haven't read any of the books you see in the picture above (or the ones that didn't make it to the photo on the shelf below).
Some might call that a problem.
And it is a problem. I will openly admit that I have a bit (understatement) of a book buying addiction. I'm trying to work on this.
Of the 100+ books in the photo above, at least 90 of them were purchased in the last year.
Last year, I started to follow BookTubers. I started to follow Bookstagrammers. I saw books I hadn't heard of, had my mind opened to new authors and genres. I loved it. I totally bought into it.
I've always been a book buyer. When I really got into reading again (late 2010?), I would buy a few books at a time just so that I always had something to read. I was catching up on authors I'd heard of (like David Sedaris and Emily Giffin) but had never read. So I had a few books, whatever. It wasn't too much. I'd read what I bought and have the next book lined up. No book purchased went unread back then.
When I realized I didn't have space for them, I started to visit the library. I loved the possibility of picking up a book and just giving it a spin without any financial woes. I also got my first Kindle, which allowed me to buy plenty of books without taking up any additional space!
I still love the library and use it often (I work at one for Pete's sake, so duh). I still love my eBooks. But here I am with more than 100 books owned but not read. It's scary. It is intimidating. And it probably has a lot to do with why I get into book slumps.
Okay, so the point of the post: TACKLE MY TBR!
This is my summer goal. Instead of perusing the stores or online for new books to buy (that will just end up on the shelf, unread), I want to "shop" my already filled shelves and read the books I just had to have. I want to focus on and read what is already available to me at home. I know I won't be able to resist checking out the occasional new release that hits the shelves at the library and, as mentioned in a previous post, I have a few pre-orders coming in August that I'm very excited about! But for the most part, I really want to hold off on buying books until I can make a significant dent in these shelves. (I know I won't be able to read all 100+ books in 3 months, but a little goes a long way!)
If I find something that I missed while weeding, something that bores me or that I'm no longer interested in, I am going to try my darnedest to be okay with giving it away.
I guess this means I'm going to be putting myself on a book-buying ban. I'm scared to say that, because I almost feel like it is setting me up for failure. But maybe instead of actively saying "I'm banning myself!" I can say "I'm focusing on my own shelves right now. The other books will still be there in a few months." And if I slip and buy a book, I don't want to beat myself up. But I really want to make some progress here. I really want to give the books I just had to have a chance. Otherwise, I will keep buying books and reading some of them and getting scared and overwhelmed and wondering why I don't have as much money in my pocket as I should.
I think I'll include my TBR Tackle books logged in my monthly wrap-ups. Like, out of all the books I read in a month, how many were already on my shelf (not checked out from the library or purchased or gifted within the month)?
I guess we will see how this goes...
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