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 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!
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.
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.
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 1122. I finished a couple of books and bought a couple of books, but I also removed a few books from my wish list after DNF’ing the first book in a series.
This week’s books:
Glass Houses by Rachel Caine – KEEP. I’ve been enjoying Caine’s other series, “The Great Library”, so when I found this paperback at Half Price Books and saw that it’s the first book in a series about vampires set in Texas, I decided to buy it.
Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater – KEEP. I’ve loved nearly every book Stiefvater has written, and I loved “Brave.” I also have a weakness for stories set in Scotland, so this was a no-brainer, auto-buy.
Stranger and Stranger by Rob Reger and Jessica Gruner – KEEP. This is the second book in the “Emily the Strange” series, and I thought I would certainly read it this year. However, there were so many other books I wanted to read during #RIP, and I didn’t get around to this one. Hopefully, I’ll get to it next year.
Novel Advice by Jay Bushman- KEEP. Fictional characters write to Aunt Antigone, the “agony aunt for the fictional” for advice. What could be more fun?!
The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas – KEEP. Here’s yet another pick for the Fantastic Strangelings book club. I will get to it at some point.
My want-to-read shelf is staying at 1122 books for now. Unless I finish some books, I don’t think it will be going down anytime soon.
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 one book to 1131. I didn’t have much time to read this past week. I also added a book to my wishlist.
This week’s books:
The Bodies in the Library by Marty Wingate – KEEP. This is a cozy mystery involving a library, and I have a weakness for those kind of books.
Echo by Thomas Olde Heuvelt – KEEP.Hex was a great Horror novel, so I’m interested to see if this one will be just as good.
When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo – KEEP. This was one of the books for the Fantastic Strangelings book club, and as with all of the other books picked, I have faith that it will be amazing and possibly bizarre.
IRebel in the Library of Ever by Zeno Alexander- KEEP. I loved the first book in the series, The Library of Ever, and I will probably have to order this one online since I haven’t been able to find it in any bookstores.
The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa – KEEP. Doesn’t the title say enough?
My want-to-read shelf is holding steady at 1131 books. I didn’t think I would let go of any books this week, but I’m not sure about one of the books that will be in the next post.
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 down a couple of books to 1130. While I finished several books, I also added several to my wishlist.
This week’s books:
If Books Could Kill by Kate Carlisle – KEEP. This is the second book in the “Bibliophile Mystery” series, and I enjoyed Homicide in Hardcover enough to keep reading. I’m going to try to get to it before the end of the year.
Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafón – KEEP. I love “The Cemetery of Forgotten Books” series, and this stand-alone novel sounds like it will be just as wonderfully atmospheric.
Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal – KEEP. The synopsis sounds like this book will be very good, but I’m not expecting anything as amazing as Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus.
In the Shadow of Spindrift House by Mira Grant- KEEP. So far, I’ve loved Grant’s books, and this one looks like it will be Lovecraftian. Hopefully, I can get to it next year.
Friends with Bunny Feets by Andrew Seiple – KEEP. I love the “Threadbare” series! Stuff and Nonsense wasn’t my first LitRPG novel, but it might be my favorite.
My want-to-read shelf is holding steady at 1130 books. I didn’t think I would let go of any books this week, but I’m not sure about one of the books that will be in the next post.
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 one book to 1132. Thanks to the #Readathon, I finished several books, but I had bought several books and added a couple to my wishlist.
This week’s books:
Days of Dreams and Laughter by Lucy Maud Montgomery – KEEP. This is one of the few books by Montgomery that I haven’t read. I happened upon it in a used bookstore and immediately bought it.
The Raven Spell by Luanne G. Smith – KEEP. I’m a sucker for a paranormal mystery set in Victorian England.
Whisky Galore by Compton Mackenzie – KEEP. This book takes place in Scotland during WWII. It was published in 1947 and is supposed to be comedic. I doubt it will be anything like any of the other WWII novels I’ve read, and I’m looking forward to it.
For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten- KEEP. I bought this book because it’s a retelling of “Little Red Riding Hood,” but I’m hesitant because the second genre listed after Fantasy is Romance.
The Maid by Nita Prose – KEEP. This was one of the picks for the Fantastic Strangelings book club. If I remember correctly, there’s also a movie on Netflix. I want to read the book first, of course.
My want-to-read shelf is steady at 1130 books. I wasn’t sure about a couple of these books, but I doubt I’ll let go of any of the books in the next post.
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 two books to 1131. I finished a couple of books, bought a couple, and added a couple more to my wishlist.
This week’s books:
Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel – KEEP. I got this book and the next one during a BOGO 50% off sale because they both looked like perfect books for #SciFiSummer.
The Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde – KEEP. So far, I’ve enjoyed or loved everything I’ve read by Fforde.
Rule of Cool by Matthew Siege – KEEP. I’ve been getting more and more into LitRPG, and this one sounds fun.
How to Sew a Button by Erin Bried- KEEP. I already know how to sew a button, but there are lots of other tasks in this book that I either don’t know how to do or haven’t done in so long, I need a refresher. I’m a little skeptical because the synopsis sort of sounds like this is how to be the “perfect” woman, but I’ll take what I need from it and discard the nonsense.
Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery – KEEP. I loved the “Emily” books nearly as much as Anne of Green Gables, and I want to reread them at some point.
My want-to-read shelf is steady at 1131 books. Despite most of these books being physical books I already own, I’m not getting rid of any of them. I’m not so sure about the books in the next post, though. The number of books I want to read will decrease though, since I’ve got another 24-hour readathon this weekend.
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 one book to 1129. I finished a book but added a couple to my wishlist.
This week’s books:
Bacchanal by Veronica G. Henry – KEEP. I’m a little skeptical about this one, but I’ll give it a try.
Alice in Deadland by Mainak Dhar – KEEP. This was a recommendation by a coworker when I was living in California.
Mayhem by Sarah Pinborough – KEEP. I think this book might have been a recommendation from a bookish podcast I used to listen to, but I don’t remember which podcast. It’s Historical Fiction with a supernatural horror twist, so I’m hoping it will have “Penny Dreadful” vibes.
Star Mother by Charlie N. Holmberg- KEEP. I’m a little hesitant about this one, but so far I haven’t read a book by Holmberg that I didn’t at least like.
A Texas Hill Country Christmas by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone – KEEP. I DNF’d the only other book by William W. Johnstone that I tried to read, so I’m fully prepared that this one might go that way as well, but I’m hoping it will be better.
My want-to-read shelf is staying at 1129 books. Maybe I’m being too soft about the books this week, but that might be because they’re all ebooks I already own. The next post will have mostly physical books I own, so we’ll see if that affects my desire to hold on to books I’m not sure about.
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.
