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When the beautiful disorder of Christmas retreats into boxes tucked in the closet, I view my home with new eyes. Floors are swept and vacuumed, the mantle and tables dusted and free of the past year's collected clutter. I relish the minimalism. The possibility for something new to fill the empty spaces.
Empty spaces which upon further perusal reveal an inordinate amount of books -- all over the space.
I ponder my piles.
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| This basket. |
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| This stack. |
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| That shelf. |
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| Plus the ones behind the above. |
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| Crap, I forgot the ones on my Kindle. |
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| The ones I'm currently reading. |
Blogger James Reads Books offers up a yearly challenge/dare in regard to unread books. He calls it the TBR Double Dog Dare. For the first three months of the new year, only books on your To Be Read shelf can land in your hands.
I'm in. Thinking I'm a good candidate. Double Dog Dare be damned.
I will avoid all trips to the library, favorite bookstores and late night perusals of what's up at Goodreads and Amazon. No distractions.
Torture.
And I'm never distracted.
What's on your reading shelf?
I have started to read my stash and am avoiding buying anything new for he next few months!!
ReplyDeleteSometimes you just have to do what you have to do. Good Luck!
DeleteWe have quite a few books in common... in every single photo! Good luck with the dare. I'm in for January, but it will be harder while we're in Florida. I love both the local library and the indie bookseller. Let's hope for the best in February and March.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, yes, yes to your first paragraph. I feel the same way after Christmas is
packed away for another year. We'll see how long that minimalism lasts...
Definitely good luck to you. I, too, love the indie stores I find. Love to support them. Enjoy what you find. You are such a prolific reader, I'm certain your shelves will go down much faster than mine. And, hey, try to stay warm in Florida.
DeleteI have a few boxes to sort through to see what stays forever. I don't have the shelf room anymore. I also have one almost ready to put out.
ReplyDeleteAh, readers. Oh, what space we need. And I still prefer the actual books to the electronic. Read on.
DeleteIt's impossible not to peruse another person's books, and I saw you have many I have already read and a few that I want to read. I loved the entire "Call the Midwife" memoir series, BTW. I hope you don't get distracted! :-)
ReplyDeleteI love looking at other's books as well. I know you and I have shared similar books in the past. I think most of those are still on my shelf. Onto their consumption!
DeleteI'm in! But can I make an exception for book club books? Otherwise I need to do this, too!
ReplyDeleteYes, you can make an exception for Book Club books. And you can even buy books, but I'm thinking I won't. Need those shelves to go down. (Or so I say.)
DeleteI once heard a library guy say that after we buy a book we don't have to read it because it's always there, for when we want it. Which sometimes never happens. I recognized the truth of this; my shelves are full of books I either wanted to read or thought I should read, and never have. I don't buy many books these days, but I also don't read a whole lot. Not sure why!
ReplyDeleteI try to keep them off my shelves (except for the special one - hence why they're all over the place) until they are read. I find I read much slower these days also. And then there is the newspaper and the New Yorker. And all the other things that take up my time. Some of it well spent and some of it not.
DeleteAs I recall, you have lots of other great projects taking up your time, Nancy.
Wow...I am in awe of all of your book collections. I read a book once and pass it on. Although as my memory slowly subsides with menopause....maybe I will be able to get away with reading a book twice. Good luck everyone in your challenge.
ReplyDeleteI try to pass them on as well. Usually bring a stack to Book Club, but too often return with a similar stack. Went last night and came home empty handed. I'm getting better.
DeleteThat comment made me laugh at loud. Good job. Cheers.
DeletePretty much my New Years resolution exactly. But now I see books in your stacks I want.
ReplyDeleteWe'll have to do an exchange during lunch. Send me a list!
DeleteNice to hear from you again after a long time. We do lose touch with bloggers don't we? It only takes a new computer (I had one in November) to help you forget somebody. Anyway, nice to welcome you back.
ReplyDeleteBooks. Don't mention them. Every year or two I have to buy a new shelf system for all mine. Last year I decided to cull a few and managed to empty one shelf so could accommodate a few of the piles lying around.
But it is hard to be ruthless.
What have I read lately. My favourite - H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald - absolutely brilliant. AlsoPlease Mr Postman by Alan Johnson, the second part of his political biography - may be not so interesting unless you like British Politics.
I intend to call in the Library today as my books are due back. Shall I get anymore out? I expect so - they do draw you to the shelves, don't they? And the weather is set to be stormy and horrible here. Do call again.
It is very hard to be ruthless. I weeded out my shelves last year and donated 187 books to a small town public library. I loaded the boxes into a cart they had at the dropoff site. I guess I was not letting go of the handle of the cart as the volunteer finally patted me on the back and said, “We’ll take good care of them.”
DeleteLove following your blog. And a pleasure to hear from you.
I just finished Ian McEwan's THE CHILDREN ACT and Colm Toibin's NORA WEBSTER, both of which were excellent. But don't you go thinking about any books except those in your stacks, now!
ReplyDeleteWill add those to my growing Book Crawler list, though. Staying focused. Began another from the stacks yesterday.
DeleteGlad that I didn't bring my two bags of books to share at Book Club then. You were my primary target for passing a few on! But if this was a mistake, just let me know and you can have first dibs...
ReplyDeleteTemptation, temptation. You always have ones I like. Hmmmmm
ReplyDeleteIt's so much fun to see your titles. Many I've read, or are on one of my many piles. I think I saw an Ann Patchett I've missed and will check that out as soon as I leave here. My reading these days is driven by my library hold list. Whatever shows up is what I read. Since I put things on the list often before they're even out, it's always a nice surprise when I have it in my hands.
ReplyDeleteI love to read everyone else's titles as well. I'm moving forward on this -- three books down. I hope to utilize the library more when this stint is over. Get back into that routine. Plus I can now get some of the books there on my Kindle so looking forward to setting that up. However, I still prefer the touch of a book in my hands.
Deletemy reading shelves are always full, never empty and before I've finished six, I've brought home seven. it's a good addiction, better than a lot of addictions, right?
ReplyDeleteHa! Indeed a good addiction. I need to remember that.
DeleteI have far too many of those shelves, stacks and piles also. And I only tend to buy them at garage/yard sales for under a dollar. I'm cheap! Nah not really, I just find more than enough through the summer to last me. How does Call the Midwife read? I just finished watching the three seasons of it on Netflix and very much enjoyed it. I'm assuming by the narration, that it's also a well written book.
ReplyDeleteYes, the book was very well done. However, I don’t feel the need to read the others. I am watching it on Netflix as I had not before, but am finding I liked the book much better. The narrative provided a much clearer picture in my mind of the squalor and circumstances of the people she meets. I’m only a few shows in so will continue. Truly fascinating stories she tells.
DeleteNow that's a different take on a book reading challenge! I keep a TBR list in the Notes of my iPhone which is currrently at 32. No way I'll ever read all of them. Plus I have those "shelves," too! Funny, I can have my next book in mind and someone will mention a good read and I'm gone in another direction again. A friend just recommended Salvage the Bones by a new author whose already winning awards. Not deep enough into it, but it's about what happens to a family during Hurricane Katrina. Also, I'm "circling" back through the classics...not that I actually came anywhere close to reading enough to use that term. My current is The Last of the Mohicans. I hope it will be faster than the 6 months it took me to read Anna Karenina.
ReplyDeleteAnd lastly, I love having books around, but have finally given in to borrowing them from the library. I have Sooo many in my home already.
Hahahaha! I can appreciate 6 months on Anna Karenina. I once spent an entire Colorado winter reading Centennial. I also understand heading off into another direction. Someone hands me a book or I discover a new author and the ones waiting are long forgotten. I try to keep all those I haven't read in just a few places. So hard for me to part with many I've read. Donated 192 to little public library last year. They practically had to pry them from my arms.
ReplyDeleteIn all your stacks of books, the only familiar one is Hotel du Lac. I will highly recommend it. The others? Couldn't say. I would probably donate them to our neighborhood library.
ReplyDelete