Last weekend I returned to a place I like to call heaven: McKay Used Books. For less than $20, I found a few books I love and didn't own and several more I want to read. Plus, finding Reality Bites on DVD for $2.95 made me burst with fruit flavor.
It's not like I didn't know the state of my To Read stack. It's as out of control as ever. But this time around, there was no room at the inn. The stack has spread beyond the confines of my bookshelf (I stow the stack in the cabinet- or at least I did). The new pile of books sits in front of the bookshelf, mocking me.
For months I've known I needed to do something about this. But then another library book would come in or an ARC and there would be no time for resolutions. Just plain ol' good intention. This isn't to say I don't read any of the books in my To Read stack. That's the first place I head when vacation is on the horizon and there are usually a few in process, thanks to my reading system. By and large, however, the books languish.
I only buy books I want to read. So why am I not reading them?
I decided to do something crazy.
That's right. For all of February, I'm only reading books I own. I've stopped putting requests in at the library and am going to do my best to read the ones I'm currently borrowing this week. I have 7 books out right now so we'll see how that goes.
(In an unintentional self-sabotaging move, I read the first book in two YA series over the weekend: Vampire Academy and The Selection. The agony of waiting a whole month until reading the next installments!)
To make it easier on myself, I went through the stack and picked out what I'd like to read. I'm going to keep these books where I usually keep my library books so they'll be front and center. I need only pluck the next one from the top.
- Lit- Mary Karr
- Death by Suburb- David L. Goetz
- Corked- Kathryn Borel
- The Soul of a Chef- Michael Ruhlman
- Saffron Cross- J. Dana Trent
- Glitter and Glue- Kelly Corrigan
- To Be A Friend Is Fatal- Kirk Johnson (Kirk is a grammar school classmate of mine. I'm amazed by all he's accomplished in the years since.)
- (not pictured) Notes From A Blue Bike- Tsh Oxenreider
I also removed books from the To Read stack. It's time to admit I'm never going to read some of the books I own, whether they were gifts or reflected my interests at a previous time. I'll try to sell these at McKay and get credit. So I can buy more books I want to read.
This whole scheme still strikes me as crazy but here's what gives me hope. When I originally posted about the Books I Own But Haven't Read Yet, I mentioned several books I wanted to read next. I'm delighted to say I've read most of those, including a few others. I feel pretty good about my odds next month.
Sure, it'll be strange not stopping at the library or Barnes & Noble. But this is how a book buying addiction is conquered. Or at least brought under control. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.
Will you join the February Reading Challenge? I'm going to need all the solidarity I can get!
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