Making Dents in the Piles of Books Challenge

[Jackie]

Laurel, put it on your TBR list now ;)

[Laurel]

Very wise!

[Jackie]

Then you're not cheating. HeeHee!
Oy, us sneaky book lovers!

[Tracy]

That is to funny but I have done that. Not really thinking about it though.

[Sophie]

Jackie wrote: "Join the challenge, for one month don't add any TBR and only read what you have. It's easier than you realize once you make the commitment."

I was skeptical, but I'm finding you are very right! I'm only three in, but hey, its more than I managed from my TBR this year.

I uh, kind of have to make an exception already though. I just found out that Range of Ghosts is finally out. Author support and all for the first week of the books release =]

A legitimate excuse?

[Jackie]

Exceptions always happen, we all have favorite authors or series that are a Must Add. We're book addicts, no one said we could quit cold turkey, lol I wouldn't even try then.
But it does help to only add those very special books. The key is to read what we have, and minimize the adding of new books. Even if we read two and add one, we're still ahead of the game.
Whatever works for each of us is the goal.

[Tracy]

You don't have to wait until the book comes out to put it on your TBR.

[Tracy]

One more day. Have you guys got your TBR list ready.

[Katy]

April starts Sunday. Time to load up the TBR shelf.

[Jason]

I will figure that out this weekend.

[Jackie]

I've gotten much better reading off of my To Read shelf since I put the books in numerical order in which I want to read them. More often than not, I forget what I have. Now that the shelf is ordered properly, it makes what to choose next a breeze.

[Kasia]

In my head all my books are in my TBR pile, do people actually make a pile? Maybe I should do that, I never really thought about it... when I pick a new read it's mostly out of the blue, very seldom I have something specific lined up.

[Jackie]

That's how I always did it, walk over the my bookcases and see what chooses me. Then, later, I'll remember something I really wanted to read, too late. And then forget again.
I have the TR shelf set in the order than I think I want to read them, but nothing set in stone, the ones I want to read most are lower numbered but it doesn't mean I will read them in exactly that order. It's just a good way for me to remember the ones I'd like to get to first, like the first 50.

[Tracy]

You are a better woman than I am Jackie. I have to many books and not enough patients to do that.

[Jackie]

Once I got started it didn't take very long. You'd be surprised how quickly it goes.

[carol. , Senor Crabbypants]

I have a tiny subpile TBR that is stacked in the front of the shelved books--I've found that if I shelve them in their normal order, I forget that they are there/haven't been read.

[Kasia]

Carol wrote: "I have a tiny subpile TBR that is stacked in the front of the shelved books--I've found that if I shelve them in their normal order, I forget that they are there/haven't been read."

That sounds like the perfect way to do it, I will try this week, thanks Carol.

[Tracy]

I believe I will start with my kindle. Well, maybe not because I have several books I want to read that have been on my TBR for a while and they aren't on my kindle. I suppose it depends on my mood.

[Tracy]

For this challenge the first book I am going to read is Meeting Destiny and Fragile Eternity, well I guess that's two books.

Good luck everyone.

[Tracy]

OK, am I doing this challenge by myself or is someone doing it with me?

[Katy]

Finishing up The Book Thief and starting A Storm of Swords. Both are literally on a stack that I made for this challenge, and all the books in the stack have been on the TBR shelf for a bit. April is my month for this challenge -- only books that have been on the shelf, nothing new. Although when May comes... there are several coming out in April and May that I want to read for summer.

[Jackie]

I'm in. Have been so far this year and plan on continuing for as long as I can keep it up. Reading The Battle of Corrin and Anna Karenina. Next up will either Sisterhood of Dune or Inheritance.

[Laurel]

I'm in :). Only already owned books for all of April!

[carol. , Senor Crabbypants]

Woo-hoo, you all are impressive! I only have a few that I own that are on the TBR pile (as opposed to the few that I own that I intend to read only when I'm bedbound and starved for new material)... my biggest problem are the libary books--I end up checking them out for months (renewing) due to difficulty in writing my reviews. :)

[Jackie]

I don't write a lot of reviews, only for really bad or really good books. That eliminates a whole lot of reviews. Mediocre books are not worth my time, bad enough I wasted it on reading, no way will I waste any more on writing about it. The only reason I write reviews for really bad books is to warn others and because I'm pissed off over it. lol

[Pauline]

The April challenge is a great idea. I worked out recently that I've been buying books at the rate of 12 a month, and reading them at the rate of 8 a month. Even my maths can see the problem with that!

I have some great books on my to-read shelf, this is a terrific opportunity to - you know, actually read some of them.

[Christine]

I'm in too. I will be moving again and I need to reduce what I already have.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, *good karma*]

I'm in! I don't count freebies, lol.

[Tracy]

WhooHoo! ! Finished Fragile Eternity, one down and 199 to go.

[Tracy]

Yeah! Marked another off. Just finished Divergent and need to start the next one. Have to see if that one is on my TBR.

[Tracy]

Crap! Should have known Insurgent isn't on my TBR! Well I guess I will have to read it next month.

[Jackie]

You could still read it now...you own it, it's still going to thin down your pile whether it's officially on the list or not.

[Tracy]

Good idea Jackie. Thanks for the advise

[Jackie]

I don't always put books on my TBR list, I think I did, and well, you know how that goes. Here's another idea: it can go right on the Currently Reading list, hhhummm, is that cheating? I don't think so. lol
The goal is to read our books and to have fun while doing it. We can be as rigid or flexible as we choose. I'm all for the flex, lol

And now I have to confess....one of my son's friends brought over a book that he said was amazing Smilla's Sense of Snow and since I'm already reading 2 books on my TBR pile,Anna Karenina and Inheritance, I had no intention of reading this book right now. I just wanted to see what it was about and read a couple of pages....and a couple more....and a few chapters....
Ah, it happens. It won't stop me from trying to stick to the TBR pile. We fall off the pile, we climb back up again. BTW Smilla is a really good book.

[Tracy]

I think we all fall off the wagon sometimes Jackie.

[Christine]

If we are making confessions, I have to make one too. I went to a bookstore on Friday to pickup Frances Mayes new cookbook. They had an author event last Saturday, the 31st and I was out of town and unable to attend. I figured I was ok buying after the challenge had started because it was a planned buy. I don't know what happen when I got in the store. I had some kind of memory lapse and when I left, I had a bag full of books. It was some kind of book blackout. I didn't even last a week!

[Jackie]

Bag full of books? Tell all....if I can't buy any, I'll live vicariously through you, lol

[Christine]

I bought Around the World in Eighty Days, Fifty Shades of Grey, Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d'Art, this one is autographed as well and The Tuscan Sun Cookbook: Recipes from Our Italian Kitchen.

[Valerie]

Is this confession time?!

I went to Books-A-Million yesterday with a plan: to get something I already read this year and liked (like Daughter of Smoke and Bone) and to find The Broken Kingdoms (which is already on my TBR list).

Instead, I found the bargain shelves -- didn't get the two above but walked out with five other books, two of which weren't even on my TBR list to begin with. -headdesk-

So... yeah. MAYBE NEXT MONTH. \:D/

[Jackie]

We always have next month.

Nice choices, Christine. Sacre Bleu looks interesting.

[carol. , Senor Crabbypants]

I think there's a 12 step program for you all.

;)

[Jackie]

Yeah, but I'm not interested, lol

[Katy]

The sad truth is that we are only 1 week into April and I am already having "book-buying-withdrawls." If I make it through the month, I am almost afraid of what May 1st might bring.

[Tracy]

You can make it Kathy, hang in there.

[Mach]

Is this book addicts anonymous? lol. Hi everyone my name is Mach and i am a book addict, rofl.

[Christine]

Yes, I think it is!

[Tracy]

WHAT! I don't have a problem. I don't know what you people are talking about. :(I think I am in denial.

[Mach]

You know Tracy the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem ;)

[Jackie]

What problem? lol

For more confessions, check out this thread: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/4...

[Sophie]

Valerie wrote: "IInstead, I found the bargain shelves -- didn't get the two above but walked out with five other books, two of which weren't even on my TBR list to begin with. -headdesk-"

Oooh, I know the feeling! The Bargain shelves are the worst! There's no temptation like a big round $5.99 sticker on a Hardcover you've been eyeing for weeks! Then there's that "buy 3 and get the 4th free!" deals...my control isn't good to begin with, and one bargain buy lead to 2, then 3...

My purchasing hasn't interfered with my reading schedule YET, but I know it will. =/