Monday, February 8, 2016

Resetting My TBR

Back in September, I really started thinking about the unread books in my collection and decided I would hold myself accountable by posting my "starting" and "current" TBR numbers on my sidebar. Since then, I've been tempted to re-set that starting number as my current total started creeping up instead of down. I decided that was the opposite of holding myself accountable though and instead slowly worked on moving that number back in the right direction.

However, now that I've done a major clean-up of my shelves, I think is IS time for a re-set. There has been a huge jump down in my total (yippee!), but that is due largely to culling rather than reading. While I have been reading from my shelves more than in the past, I think chopping 85-ish books off my TBR gives me far too much of a "cushion" to really have a sense of my progress. So, as of today, my starting number will be 500 instead of my original 580. At one point it had crept above 600, so while 500 is still a very large number, I'm very glad it's not as high as it once was.

It felt so great to finally let go of some books to places where they can be put to better use, that I'm certain I will continue to cull more. But I've put a lot of time into this project and I think I need to take a bit of a breather and re-evaluate again later with fresh eyes. Admittedly, it was easier to pass on books I had already read, but by being more honest about how my tastes and interests have changed, I know there are even more TBR titles on my shelves destined to find new homes.

Apparently this is what progress looks like... Please feel free to have a good chuckle about that!

Empty spaces! No doubling up! No stacking above the rows!

I spy half an empty shelf!

Letting go of ARCs really lightened my nightstand!

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Thanks for following along with this little book-reduction project of mine! How many books are on your TBR list?

14 comments:

  1. You are amazing! Nicely done Christine. That looks like a big task and a difficult one. Good luck with continuing to conquer your TBR pile. I know you can do it! I think taking a break from cleaning your shelves is a good idea. You don't want to get burnout or overwhelmed. I know I would. You rock!

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    1. Aww, thanks Kay! Sometimes some progress and encouragement really help me stay headed in the right direction :)

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  2. No judgment here at all! Your cleaned-up bookshelves look beautiful, and I am quite jealous of your bookshelfy nightstand. :)

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    1. Thanks Jenny! I couldn't resist using bookshelves as nightstands -- they were less expensive than other things we were looking at and they are super useful :)

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  3. Impressive! I'm slowly working my way through cataloguing my books to discover just how many I own that I haven't read yet. I'm a little scared of that number... Congrats on being able to cull so many!

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    1. Thanks Julie! It can be a little scary to face the number, but I think it helps give some perspective and figure out where to go from there -- it did for me anyway :)

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  4. Congratulations on whittling down your TBR. That's always difficult. Especially if you have sentimental feelings towards some of your books.

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    1. Thanks Tiffany! It can be hard, but I just knew it was time to do something about the out of control shelves -- first step is the hardest, right?

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  5. I did this last year as part of the #ShelfLove Challenge. I will probably do it again this year. There are some books I've acquired I don't feel a strong connection to any longer.

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    1. ShelfLove definitely helped me get my act together! It's hard to admit things got out of control and that I spent time and money getting books I no longer want to read, but hanging on to them doesn't do anyone any good -- not myself or anyone else who might get some use and enjoyment out of my excess.

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  6. Nicely done. I shutter at counting unread books. The scariest are the last book in trilogies, and boxed sets I haven't even opened..lol Go you!!

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    1. Thanks! The number can be scary for sure, but I'm really glad I faced it and am working on letting some go and having a more reasonable approach to books in the future.

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  7. Well done! My online to-read list is out of control, but I recently cleared out my physical shelves as well and it does feel good :)

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    1. I did a pretty good culling of my "want to read" shelf on Goodreads too actually -- that wasn't so tough because I know I can always add a book back on with a click if I change my mind later. Any less clutter, including digital clutter, feels pretty good to me :)

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I'd love to hear what you think :)