I'm in the mood to make a New Years resolution, and seeing as how I'm talking about it here, I suppose it'd better be book related.
I've just been updating my book spreadsheet. I've bought an awful lot of books in the past few weeks. I started out resolutely refusing to step into Borders as the closing down signs went up, but eventually the brightly coloured signs lured me in. Even if the staff seemed intent on playing depressing Christmas music to make themselves feel better.
I found a lot of Jean Plaidy and a few other things I'm sure I would have never picked up, had it not been for the empty shelves.
With all these purchases, I found it necessary to rid myself of a fair few books, and I was ruthless - stripping my shelves of things long since bought but never touched. Three gigantic bags went off to Oxfam, although I wasn't quite as ruthless as my father who got rid of 300+ books in one fell swoop.
Now - on to this resolution. I don't think I can stop myself from buying books. After all, there are bargains and true finds waiting for me out there, and if they present themselves, they'll have to be bought.
No - my resolution is to read nothing that I don't already own at this precise moment in time (that would be Sunday 27th December, 8.22pm). That gives me 430 books to choose from, so the phrase 'I've got nothing to read' should never pass my lips. Wish me luck, and strength, dear comrades in books - I think I'm gonna need it!
9 comments:
I've made a similar resolution. Simon at Stuck in a book has had a baleful influence on a lot of people I think! I'm looking at a great pile of books bought over the past month & I have about 400 on the tbr shelves so I'm going to try to stop buying for a while & make a dint in the stack I already have. Good luck to us both.
Oh, I'd never manage Simon's feat (I did once give up buying books for lent, but made up for it afterwards!).
I'm glad I'm not the only one with a gigantic TBR pile. Happy reading is all I can say!
I've been wanting to set up a spreadsheet for all the books I have read for ages, but don't know how to go about it. Any chance you could email me info on how to go about this?
It's very simple really - I just enter the information (Author, Title, Have I read this, Year finished, Notes) and then sort by Author and then whether I've read it or not. I'll happily send you mine, if you email me at mistressdickens @ gmail.com
My TBR pile is ever growing so will need some pruning.
On Boxing Day I bought the "essential" 15 books from my list that I had not been bought as Christmas gifts. You should know that I received several books for Christmas...
Once I had placed the order I did feel rather guilty as clearly I already have more than enough unread books to choose from and really need to get a grip. I did think about limiting myself to a book a month (or even two!) in 2010 but I know that's unrealistic so I'll just feel bad when I break my limit... What's a girl to do? :(
I've made a similar resolution as well--to only read books that I own as of the beginning of 2010. The only exceptions will be books that I read for book clubs (online or in real life) or that I receive for LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. I'm going to try to limit my acquistions only to books in those two categories as well, but we'll see how that goes. I've just got to start reading books I own more quickly than I acquire them!
Libraries and book swaps (not to mention borrowing from friends) don't count, do they? I had to do something similar once, after realising that the three-shelf stand and two tables on which I kept my books (I live in one room) were overflowing, so a resolution like yours might be in order.
Peta: I went a bit insane in the failing Borders before Christmas, but I didn't get hold of thing I've been wanting for ages. Don't feel guilty about those you've bought, or the fact you can't limit yourself - what else are books there for, if not to be bought!
Teresa: Sometimes I wish I could stop time so I can catch up on my unread pile, so I can buy more!
BFH: No, libraries, book swaps etc don't count at all - that would be horrid!
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