Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
Read the synopses of the books
Decide: keep it or should it go?
My shelf is down several books to 1118. I finished a few books and I decided to not continue a series so I removed those books from my wishlist.
This week’s books:
The Midnight Club by Christopher Pike – KEEP. I haven’t read a Christopher Pike book since I was a kid, so I’m looking forward to this one.
Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard – KEEP. The synopsis looks too good to pass up this one.Twelve Nights at Rotter House by J.W. Ocker – KEEP. This looks like a classic horror house story that might actually scare me a little.
Slender Man by Anonymous- KEEP. This is another book that looks like it might scare me a bit.
Burnt Offerings by Robert Marasco – KEEP. I’ve been wanting to read more classic Horror after reading The Elementals by Michael McDowell, and I think this should be my next book. It’s supposedly the inspiration for The Shining by Stephen King.
My want-to-read shelf is staying at 1118 books. I’m not complaining, though since it’s the lowest it’s been in a few years. I’m hoping to have it even lower by January 1st when I start my year-long #ShelfLove challenge.
I’m fully enjoying the holiday season now and am out of my funk! I got all of my Christmas shopping done, found a few more decorations to put up around the house, and I’ve been watching Christmas movies while drinking hot chocolate and keeping a fire crackling a long in the fireplace.
I’m bringing back the #ShelfLove reading challenge in 2025 in an attempt to reduce the amount of money I spend on books and the number of books on my TBR.
Goal: Abstain from buying books or set a book buying limit – and focus on clearing your physical and virtual TBR bookshelves for the entire year.
Challenge Dates: January 1st – December 31st, 2025
THE GUIDELINES:
Abstain from spending money on books for one calendar year or set a book buying limit (whether that’s monetary or the number of books you may buy).
Gift cards are OK as well as any Audible credits you already have in your account.
Encourage other challenge participants via blog comments and social media.
Library books do not count for this challenge. This challenge is only for books you already own.
Netgalley, Edelweiss, or other ARC books can count for this because you have the book, so read it!
Read books that are in your personal library that were obtained before January 1, 2025.
NO BOOK BUYING CHALLENGE STEP 1: SELECT YOUR GOAL
1-10 books: shake hands with your shelves
11-20 books: pat your shelves on the back
21-30 books: give your shelves a warm friendly hug
31-40 books: regular date night with your shelves
41-50 books: your shelves are now your BFF
51+ books: your shelves and you are going steady – I’m choosing this goal because my reading goal for 2025 will be more than 50 books. I’m a member of the Nightmares from Nowhere book club, so I am allowing myself to continue my subscription. These books, plus whatever books I check out from the library should be more than enough, but the key is to stay away from the book stores!
NO BOOK BUYING CHALLENGE STEP 2: Link-Up
Create a sign-up post that includes your chosen goal on your blog or any social media platform (Facebook, X, Goodreads, Litsy, etc.).
Don’t forget to use the challenge hashtag #ShelfLove.
Comment on this post with a link to your sign-up post!
NO BOOK BUYING CHALLENGE STEP 3: READ THOSE BOOKS!
Feel free to post updates on how the challenge is going and what books you’ve been reading. I’ll be providing an update every week in my “Building the Book Fort” posts, and you can comment on those posts if you would like, but updates aren’t mandatory.
I can’t wait to read all y’all’s sign-up posts and show my bookshelves some love!
I’ve been trying to get into the holiday spirit, but, thanks to my back, I’m struggling. I finally got the Christmas decorations up yesterday, and I’m reading a couple of Christmas-themed books, but nothing is helping me get out of this funk I’m in.
“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.
Currently Reading:
A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Classified as Murder by Miranda James
25 Days by Per Jacobsen
A Texas Hill Country Christmas by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone
Finished:
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
Total pages read this week: 283
Total books read: 111 of 115
I didn’t read much this week, but I did get the majority of my Christmas shopping done and made a Christmas music playlist. I’m planning to listen to an audiobook while I finally decorate the house and wrap presents this weekend.
What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!
Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
Read the synopses of the books
Decide: keep it or should it go?
My shelf is up several books to 1131. I finished one book, but I bought A LOT of books over Thanksgiving weekend.
This week’s books:
Exile, Texas by Rachel Caine – KEEP. I love the “Great Library” series and bought this ebook because it’s set in Texas.
Sisters at the Edge of the World by Ailish Sinclair – KEEP. I’ve enjoyed Sinclair’s other books, so getting this one seemed like a no-brainer.
For Whom the Book Tolls by Laura Gail Black – KEEP. I’ve been striking out with many of the book-related cozy mystery series I’ve been reading this year, but I’m willing to give this first book in the “Antique Bookshop Mystery” series a try.
Of Wolves and Med by Barry Lopez- KEEP. Other than cats, my favorite animal is the wolf. This book was on my wishlist for years before I finally found it “in the wild.” I’m definitely going to prioritize reading it in 2025.
Ghost Eaters by Clay McLeod Chapman – KEEP. This sounds like a very interesting take on the ghost story, and I’m willing to give it a chance.
My want-to-read shelf is staying at 1131 books. I’m not letting myself buy anymore books this year. Even though that won’t stop me from adding any to my wishlist, I’m hoping to get my Want to Read shelf down at least a couple of books before December 31st.
I was in Texas for most of this week having a great time with family and friends for Thanksgiving. I ate way too much food, most of it not very healthy, and I am OK with that!
“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.
Currently Reading:
A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
Classified as Murder by Miranda James
25 Days by Per Jacobsen
Finished:
Strange Tricks by Syd Moore
Total pages read this week: 846
Total books read: 110 of 115
I was visiting family and friends in Texas for most of the week of Thanksgiving. While I did read quite a bit, it was mostly while at the airport or on the plane. I was busy the rest of the time. One of the days I was in Austin, I went to the First Light bookstore. It was a wonderful little shop with a great vibe, and I enjoyed it more than any other independent bookstore I’ve visited in Austin. I will definitely be going back the next time I’m home.
First Light Book Haul
I also got several Kindle books (I couldn’t resist the Black Friday deals), a couple of audiobooks, and a book from my favorite Half Price Books in Austin. I won’t be buying anymore books this year unless they’re Christmas gifts for other people.
What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!
Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
Read the synopses of the books
Decide: keep it or should it go?
My shelf is still at 1122 books. I finished a few books, but I also acquired a few more that I want to read in December.
This week’s books:
The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson – KEEP. My boyfriend and I loved the show “Longmire”, so I decided to buy the first book in the series it was based on.
Murder at the Lakeside Library by Holly Danvers – KEEP. I haven’t been enjoying the book-related cozy mysteries as much as I used to, but I’m still going to give this one a try.
Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch – KEEP. I’ve been wanting to read this one for a long time. However, I only ever found the later books in the series at the bookstore, so I finally caved and bought the book online.
Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott- KEEP. I’ve heard nothing but great things about this book, and since I love dark stories based on folklore or fairytales, I had to buy this one.
Doing Time by Jodi Taylor – KEEP. “The Chronicles of St. Mary’s” is one of my favorite Science Fiction series, so I had to get this first book in the spinoff “Time Police” series.
My want-to-read shelf is staying at 1122 books. I highly doubt I’ll be letting go of any of the books in the next post, but I’m hoping that by then, my TBR will be down at least a couple of books since I plan to finish a few by the end of the month.
Twelve Nights at Rotter House by J.W. Ocker – KEEP. This looks like a classic horror house story that might actually scare me a little.
