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 has gone up one to 1154. I finished several books since my last post, but also added several to my wish list.
This week’s books:
Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson – KEEP. I’ve enjoyed other books by Bryson, so I’ll give this one a chance.
Was Superman a Spy? by Brian Cronin – KEEP? The Goodreads synopsis says this is all about the crazy and bizarre stories that have been told over the years about popular comic books, many of which are true. I’m willing to give it the 50-page test.
I Don’t Care About Your Band by Julie Klausner – KEEP. I may have outgrown this book. I’ve owned it for over a decade, and it had been on my wishlist for several years before I got around to buying it. However, I’m still going to give it a chance because it’s a memoir, and even though it speaks to a much “younger” version of me, I will probably be able to relate to it through my past experiences.
Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend- KEEP. Middle-Grade Fantasy is one of my favorite genres to read, and the only reason I haven’t read this one yet is that I was focusing on finishing as many books as I could, and the length of this one (461 pages) meant it always got moved to the bottom of the stack.
Dryland by Sara Jaffe – GO. I got this one through a book box subscription many years ago, and I’m just not interested. I’m sure it’s a wonderful story, but out of all of the books I could read, I know I will never pick this one up and say, “I HAVE to read this!”
My want-to-read shelf and my TBR are back down to 1153 books. The next post will again be all physical books that I own, and most of them look like keepers.
The constant up and down with the weather is messing with my back and sinuses, and that makes me glad I chose the free option for the Taji 100. I won’t be signing up again as long as I live in Ohio. February is just not a good month here.
“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.
Currently Reading:
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
Nothing Much Happens by Kathryn Nicolai
Live Your Best Life by Dr. Stuart Farrimond
Walden on Wheels by Ken Ilgunas
Finished:
Unstuck by James S. Gordon
The Book of Idle Pleasures by Dan Kieran and Tom Hodgkinson
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
Imbolc by Carl F. Neal
Total pages read this week: 486
TBR Mountain: -3
Total books read: 10 of 80
If I’m going to keep up with my goal, I need to finish 1 more book from my physical TBR this month. The trouble is, besides what I’m already reading, I don’t know what book I want to pick up next, and only one of my current reads is a physical book. I think I’m in the mood for more Fantasy, but I also have a couple of Non-Fiction books I’ve been meaning to read. Hopefully, I’ll settle on something today.
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 has grown quite a bitsince my last post. It currently stands at 1154. I’ve added a lot of books to my TBR, but also to my wish list.
This week’s books:
The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma – KEEP. Time Travel and Literary Classics? Yes, Please!
These Restless Heads by James Branch Cabell – GO. Goodreads doesn’t have a synopsis, but luckily the one review did. This book is a Non-Fiction account of the author’s life during the 1920s in Richmond, Virginia. I have the ebook, but I have no idea where or why I got it. It was probably a freebie, but regardless, I have no interest in reading it.
20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill – KEEP. After reading Heart-Shaped Box, I’m definitely going to give this short-story collection a try.
The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy- KEEP. This is by the same author that wrote Tess of the D’Urbervilles, which I gave 4 stars, so I’m willing to give this one a chance.
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan – KEEP. This book is considered a Classic and involves music, so I will definitely read this one.
My want-to-read shelf and my TBR are down one to 1153 books. The next post will be all physical books that I own, and all but one look like keepers. We’ll see.
I signed up for this year’s Taji 100 after I learned that I could register for free and not get the t-shirt, medal, and other things that come with the paid registration. Unfortunately, I got sick soon after I signed up and am already behind on my miles. Life happens when you’re busy making plans.
Despite getting sick, I managed to get my miles for the week toward my annual goal, which means I’ve earned $5 toward something from my Amazon wish list. The Boyfriend and I are doing a “No-Spend” month, though, so I’ll be saving that for March.
“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.
Currently Reading:
Unstuck by James S. Gordon
The Book of Idle Pleasures by Dan Kieran and Tom Hodgkinson
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
Nothing Much Happens by Kathryn Nicolai
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
Imbolc by Carl F. Neal
Total pages read this week: 340
TBR Mountain: -1
Total books read: 6 of 80
Instead of finishing a book, I started another one! If I’m going to keep up with my goal, I’m going to have to finish 3 books from my physical TBR this month. Luckily, the Boyfriend and I decided to do a “No Spend” month, so I’ve got plenty of time on my hands on the weekends to read, and with the exception of my book club subscriptions and a book I pre-ordered several months ago, I won’t be adding any books in any format to my TBR.
We did a “No Spend” month in 2019 after I came across the book 31 Days of Living Well and Spending Zero by Ruth Soukup, and taking on the challenge again this month seemed like a good way to reset after a couple of crazy years involving a cross-country move, buying a house, renovating said house, buying furniture, etc. Part of the challenge involves shopping your own closet, pantry, etc to discover forgotten items and to declutter whatever is no longer usable, so I’m going to take some time to write a couple “Down the TBR Hole” posts to see if I can’t shed a few books, or at the very least shop my own shelves for some gems.
What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!
I would really like to sign up for this year’s Taji 100, which starts February 1st, but I’m concerned that I won’t be able to get anywhere near 100 miles in 28 days with how the weather is affecting my back and hip.
“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.
Currently Reading:
Unstuck by James S. Gordon
The Book of Idle Pleasures by Dan Kieran and Tom Hodgkinson
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
Nothing Much Happens by Kathryn Nicolai
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
Finished:
Mortby Terry Pratchett
Total pages read this week: 228
TBR Mountain: -1
Total books read: 6 of 80
I spent a crazy amount of time over the past week going through all of my books on Goodreads and sorting them out into two new shelves (Physical and Ebook) and then reconfiguring my spreadsheet to calculate how many physical books I’ve read versus how many I own. I own 517 physical books that I haven’t read yet, and another 308 ebooks, plus 72 audiobooks.
Now that I’ve got all of the numbers and a clear view of my TBR situation, my goals are to 1) read 80 books this year, as already planned, and 2) reduce my physical TBR by 24 books. I’m already down 1 book this month, so I’m going to try to finish A Deadly Education by the 31st.
What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!
I’ve got my elliptical about halfway set up, but I’ve been having a lot of back pain and other health issues this week.
I’m down 6 lbs, which is great considering I haven’t been able to be nearly as active as I want to be. I see losing a pound in the past week as proof that my new way of eating is at least helping, especially when I’m not able to exercise much.
“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.
Currently Reading:
Unstuck by James S. Gordon
Mort by Terry Pratchett
The Book of Idle Pleasures by Dan Kieran and Tom Hodgkinson
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
Finished:
This is Your Brain on Food by Uma Naidoo
How to be Champion by Sarah Millican
The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland
Total pages read this week: 625
TBR Mountain: +3
Total books read: 5 of 80
I recently discovered that Amazon has come out with a new Kindle, the Scribe, and it is now my reward for meeting my reading goal for the year AND reducing my TBR by 24 books (which I’m already behind on because I bought a few audiobooks). I really want to reduce my physical TBR, but that’s going to take some work over the next week or so to create new shelves on Goodreads (“Physical” and “Ebook”, because I already have one for my audiobooks), and then reconfigure my spreadsheet to calculate how many physical books I’ve read versus how many I own. Right now, it has just one calculation for all of my books combined.
Why am I doing this? 1) I own over 900 books that I haven’t read yet, and 2) I would like to get to the point where the only physical books I own and buy are my absolute favorites. My space and shelving are limited and packing, moving, and unpacking a thousand+ books is painful. I’m still building my book fort, but I would like it to be a little smaller and more manageable.
I would also like to get back to doing “Down the TBR Hole” posts again. Getting rid of books I’m no longer interested in will help me reach my goal, and clear out some clutter from my shelves and Kindle. Since I usually sell my physical books to my local Half Price Books store, I can save up that little bit of money and put it towards the cost of the Kindle Scribe once I’ve reached my goals.
What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!
