A Necessary Step
The above photo was taken in July this year, and in all honesty things have only got worse, it contained 146 books at the time and is probably touching 175 now. So I’m going to have to do something about it!
Not to mention that there are some fantastic books in there I really want to read.
(You can stop the eye-rolling and stifled laughter right now!)
So, I’m going to start a book acquiring ban starting December 1st, I’m not sure I can impose the same strict rules, Chris and Nymeth have imposed on themselves, but I do need to do something.
-
First of all, there are at least four or five books in the above pile, that I know I am just never going to read. Clearing them out and donating them to a charity shop (ideally one of those that have done so much to add to the problem recently in the first place!) will have an instant (albeit slight) visible effect on the problem.
-
Not really about my TBR pile but any books that have been on my Bookmooch inventory for more than six months, shall be removed on Dec 1st and also donated to a charity shop. (I don’t need the points at the moment!) So if there is something on there, you think you might want, mooch it now!) Again this should hopefully start me off with a good feeling of progress! And will reduce the amount of potential points to break the rules with! And more importantly make room on my books read bookshelves, for all those that will be making the move!
-
I’m only going to run this for three months to start with. (If I can see an end to it, I’m more likely to stick to it!)
-
If I sign up for any challenges, they must be able to be completed from my current TBR pile. (That is not to say, any books I’m allowed to bring in within my new rules can not be used, because that would be, you know, just wrong!
but the intent must always be to bring down the TBR pile). -
This is a book acquiring ban, this means, I should avoid bookmooch and the library where possible as well. (Although, rules can be bent on the bookmooch front – because I’m not going to cut off my nose to spite my face and miss out on a book I want – but any ‘naughty’ acquisitions that break the rules must either ‘paid’ for by coming off my future allowance or I’ll donate 5 points to a bookmooch charity, in addition to what the book cost me in the first place).
-
The actual rules? Well I’ve decided to keep quite simple: For every five books I read from the TBR pile as it stands on Dec 1st, I can buy, mooch, or borrow from the library, one new book.
-
Books that come in between Dec 1st and February 28th can not be used to earn another book.
-
Any books I accept for review purposes, must follow the same rules.
-
If this works I’ll wipe the slate clean and start again on March 31st.
So, if I’m good and read say 25 books during the ban, and use up my allowance, I should have reduced the TBR pile by 20 books in addition to those I’m donating to charity! I’ll be more than happy with that I feel. 
And maybe I’ll feel able to tighten the rules even further in March!
Tweet
Posted by Darren on Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Filed under Blog · Tagged with Book Buying Ban, Madness
Enjoy this post? Then subscribe to receive updates in your favorite reader or by Email.
 YA Dystopian Reading Challenge 2
Enjoy young adult dystopian lit? Then don't miss out on my reading challenge this Oct to Dec! |
Clover (2)
Michelle (2)
Amanda (1)
Chris (1)
Chrisbookarama (1)
I have considered putting myself on moratorium myself. I think I am going to only accept small press books to review next year (unless there is a book by a favorite author I want to read that is coming out). And am going to really FOCUS on the books already on my shelves.
Also, thanks to you, I now have a gravatar. I didn’t even know what one was before, but I’m glad I can be consistent
Sounds like a sensible plan to me!
Fantastic gravatar, by-the-way!
I so admire your intentions and I’ll be rooting for you. On the other hand, I will *not* be showing this post to Mr. BFR. Why give him ideas?
Thanks! I’m hoping I can at least keep it going for the three months I’m planning!
I can’t think what ideas Mr BFR might take from this post…
Mine is much, much worse. I really need to stop!
Ah, reading these comments makes me feel better!
Good luck to you! I think I have about 300 unread books on my shelf. Oh the pain!!
And speaking of books, I sent you a request to ask for Hard Love if you’re willing to send it overseas.
Accepted and will be sending it soon!
I wish I could say that I can’t relate, but I can. My TBR pile is very similar and I’m trying to decide how to get rid of books…most likely the library. Bookmooch: I don’t really want more books at this point with so many left to read.
I think I’ll always want more books, whether I should allow myself them is another issue!
Good job! I have 80 books on my TBR pile and had to ban myself from being allowed in bookstores to purchase anything other than gifts. Now I am allowed to swap books via paperback swap so the TBR pile never seems to decrease but at least it doesn’t seem to get (too much) worse!
Only 80? Those were the days!
I refuse to post pictures of my bookshelves because there are so many books. And it seems that at least over 1/2 are unread. (I would venture to guess between the standing shelves, the built in shelves, and the books on the desk in my office; the ones I have boxed in storage; and just the ones randomly lying around my house I have well over 1000 books.
That said, I quit buying books last year. Mostly out of necessity for the almighty dollar. In 2009, I have bought myself less than 15 books. Pretty good, don’t you think?? Anyway, I do check books out of the library. WAY TOO MANY to be honest!
Only 15 books? *gets the shakes* LOL
I like of think of library books as having negative effect on the TBR pile, but I have had to accept that whilst they don’t add to the problem, if I’m reading a library book I’m not reducing the issue either
So I am trying to cut back there as well, at least for a bit.
Good luck! My book ban is not going TOO badly, I’ve found that it’s not as hard if you don’t have any money to spend. I still buy books that I want for £1 and I still accept review copies, but the pile is showing signs of decreasing a little. I have more than you, though, at 364. Not as bad as earlier in the year when I was up to 390! My husband threatens divorce already if I hit 400, so I have to get it down for Christmas.
364?! That’s certainly an impressive amount.
If you get near 400 just hide a few, there’s plenty of other bloggers about that’ll give you an alibi if you need it!
Seeing posts like this always make me feel so guilty. I have over 1500 books in my library (shelves in three separate rooms), and I’d say at least 200 of those books are unread. I’m an impulse book buyer and a spontaneous reader which seem to be “bad words” around the book blogging sphere.
I will say that all of you are inspiring me; maybe it’s time I focused on reading what I own rather than buying whatever I want to read at the moment.
I’m the same (Can’t resist 3 for 2 offers!) as well with the spontaneous reading. But at least half of my TBR pile is books I really do want to read, but keep getting shuffled down the pile in favour of new books. I just need to chip away at what’s there for a few months.
GOOD LUCK! I have successfully not bought a book for six weeks (and that was a slip which broke another six weeks before that) but I am still acquiring them from other sources, so somewhat easier for me. Here’s hoping we whittle down those TBR piles!
P.S. Are those orange and cream Penguins Sherlock Holmes?
No, they are a series of modern classics (Hornby, Ali, Rosoff etc that were issued a few years ago) I got them for Christmas last year.
Wow!! Quite a lot of books you have waiting for you. I need a book ban too but I just can’t make it stick! I have been buying books for other people for Christmas though, so that hasd been helping because I am getting the book buying out of my system without adding to my own collection!
Clever planning! I take it these are books you’ll want to borrow back at some point?
If so that’s doubly sneaky!
I fool myself into thinking that mine isn’t that big BUT I have four bookshelves for my classroom library and they are all basically on my TBR pile!
Seeing this picture makes me think we should do another buddy read! I am not picking off your shelf this time, though, because that didn’t work so well last! You know how to find me if you are interested in doing another one.
I’m definitely for another buddy read.
Have you got a list of TBR books anywhere?
ETA: This was your 100th comment on my blog!
The number of books in the house neither of us have read is shocking and yet I have bought 6 this week in addition to three new review books. Eeep.
Well the real reason behind this, is of course, to make room for a load of new books in 2011!
Heh! What a great idea.. a self imposed book ban! I wish I had as much self control! I don’t even have any GOOD bookcases and I keep purchasing books, for some reason! :-/
Whether I have any self control remains to be seen! It could just be that I make good plans…
Aaaah… One book per five sounds so much more sensible than per ten. (Sure, it gets the TBR pile down faster, but the wait…)
For me the key was to allow for exceptions officially too. It took all of October, but I think I’m finally on track with the ban. ^-^ (Of course, I haven’t been in many bookstores since the first of November.) That’s mostly a convoluted way to say “Your rules make an awful lot of sense!” and “Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t work straight away!”
Good luck with it! ^-^
Go Bart! You can do it!!
I don’t know if I could ever impose such a ban on myself. Of my 400 or so books I own, there are a good number I haven’t read, although I don’t feel as bad since about 50 of my books are old classics my grandmother gave me and I don’t plan on reading a lot of them. Of the books I’ve bought myself, I probably have only about 20 or so books I haven’t read that I want to. I try to be good about reading the books I buy. However, I am addicted to buying books so at least once a month when I can convince my parents to drive me to Barnes and Noble I buy at least $50 worth of books. I figure when all 5 of my bookshelves are completely filled (with my last one that I’m on now being from floor to ceiling) then I may have to figure something out. Although I’m thinking that by “figure something out” I mean buy another bookshelf, rather than get rid of/stop buying books, lol.
Another bookshelf…
Hmmmm….
No, I mustn’t!