what makes this a real challenge is not just 52 books, that's easy (I routinely read more than 100), but can I read 52 books from my own bookshelves? another book site is calling this concept ROOT -- read our own tomes.

1. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris. completed 2014-01-04.
2. Redoubt by Mercedes Lackey. completed 2014-01-11.
3. Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris. completed 2014-01-25.
4. My Promised Land by Ari Shavit. completed 2014-02-09.
5. Women's Suffrage Memorabilia--An Illustrated Historical Study
by Kenneth Florey. completed 2014-02-14.
6. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett. Completed 2014-02-16.
7. Sourcery by Terry Pratchett. Completed 2014-02-22.
8. The Big New Yorker Book of Cats. Completed 2014-03-05.
9. Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey. Completed 2014-03-22.
10. Catfantastic IV edited by Andre Norton & Martin Greenberg. Completed 2014-04-01.
11. Time Management for System Administrators by Thomas A. Limoncelli. Completed 2014-04-09.**
12. Manage Your Day-to-Day by Jocelyn K. Glei Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind by Jocelyn K. Glei. Completed 2014-04-09.
13. The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery by Sarah Lewis. Completed 2014-04-28.
14. Stuffocation by James Wallman. Completed 2014-05-27.
15. He, She, and It by Marge Piercy. Completed 2014-06-14.**
16. In Celebration of Lammas Night edited by Josepha Sherman. Completed 2014-06-16.
17. Circle of Magic, books 1-3 by Tamora Pierce. Completed 2014-06-25. These are really short books for me and I own 3/4 of the series so I'll count the quartet as one book.
18. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness. Completed 2014-06-28.
19. Sweater Design in Plain English by Maggie Righetti. Completed 2014-07-30.
20. Knitting in the Old Way: Designs and Techniques from Ethnic Sweaters by Priscilla A. Gibson-Roberts. Completed 2014-07-30.
21. Knitter's Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters: Basic Designs in Multiple Sizes and Gauges by Ann Budd. Completed 2014-08-09.
22. Knitting with Two Colors by Meg Swansen and Amy Detjen. Completed 2014-08-09.
23. Eric by Terry Pratchett. Completed 2014-08-15.
24. Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett. Completed 2014-08-25.
25. Space Stations by Martin H. Greenberg (Editor). Completed 2014-08-25.
26. Sword and Sorceress I by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Editor). Completed 2014-09-13.
27. Magic Steps by Tamora Pierce. Completed 2014-09-27.
28. Sword and Sorceress II by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Editor). Completed 2014-10-04.
29. Sword and Sorceress III by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Editor). Completed 2014-10-04.
30. Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce. Completed 2014-10-04.
31. Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce. Completed 2014-10-05.
32. Brioche Chic: 22 Fresh Knits for Women & Men by Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark. Completed 2014-10-05.
33. Making Money by Terry Pratchett. Completed 2014-10-07.
34. Sword and Sorceress V by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Editor). Completed 2014-10-22. (note: I am missing IV)
35. Sword and Sorceress VI by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Editor). Completed 2014-10-26.
36. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. Completed 2014-10-31.
37. Sword and Sorceress VII by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Editor). Completed 2014-11-06.
38. Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron by Jasper Fforde. Completed 2014-11-07.
39. Sword and Sorceress IX by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Editor). Completed 2014-11-15. (note: I am missing XIII)
40. Sword and Sorceress X by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Editor). Completed 2014-12-08.
41. Sword and Sorceress XI by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Editor). Completed 2014-12-15.
42. The Best of Marion Zimmer Bradley Fantasy Magazine Volume 1 by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Editor). Completed 2014-12-20.
43. Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World by Gil Marks. Completed 2014-12-25
44. Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well by Douglas Stone, Sheila Heen. Completed 2014-12-27.
45. Cats in Space and Other Places by Bill Fawcett (Editor). Completed 2014-12-28.
46. Lost Cat: A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology by Caroline Paul, Wendy MacNaughton (Illustrations). Completed 2014-12-30.
47. Computational Fairy Tales by Jeremy Kubica. Completed 2014-12-30.

** technically a reread but I hadn't read it in a while and I purchased my own copy.
He, She, and It was last read in September 2001.

---
rereading:
1-2. Dragonsong & Dragon Drums by Anne McCaffrey. (Completed 2014-03)
3-5. Heralds of Valdemar Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey. (completed 2014-05)
6-8. The Mage Winds Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey. (completed 2014-05)
9-10. The Mage Storms Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey. (completed 2014-05-27)
11. Black Gryphon by Mercedes Lackey. (competed 2014-05-28)
12. Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. (completed 2014-06-24)

I like it! That is a really good idea.

Whitney wrote: "I like it! That is a really good idea."

Thanks! I tried to read more of my own books last year. I did ok. This year I'm determined to do better. However I notice I left a big loophole open. I didn't specify when the books needed to enter my possession! ;)

Good luck!

It's a great feeling to read your library. I vowed to do it a few years ago and it worked, not only have I read them all, I buy less books, I'm more discerning now because some of the books I had stacked up and collected were not what I thought they were and I didn't like about 10 of the books I owned. :) I had bought them for the binding or the title but didn't really investigate about the book. It's great to have a smart phone now, I can read reviews etc right in the store and choose if I want it.

Ok, so while i hit 54 books today Wednesday, July 30, 2014, I haven't yet made 52 ROOT books. As of today I'm at 19.