My Book Challenge

. So I know I have a problem. I know that my love for books can be a little obsessive. I know that I also buy more books than I need because I like to have a loaning library and, honestly, I feel comforted by being surrounded by books. Recently I was struck by how much I spend on books each year. I also noticed that I have a lot of books I haven't read yet. One night I decided to count them: 65. That's right, in my room alone (that doesn't count the closet of books I have) there are 65 books I own and haven't read. Then I counted the books I've borrowed and haven't read: 30. So I essentially have 100 books in my room that I haven't read yet.


. I gave myself this challenge and wrote it down next to my list of books I need to read:

. I may not purchase another book until I have read every book I own except theological, devotional, historical, or math books.

. I must also finish one borrowed book before I can buy one new book. (This is to make room in my shelves and because it's rude to keep a book for that long)

Exceptions are:

• Books in a series in which I've read every previous book in that series.
• Gifts (for others or from others)
  
• Books I need for a specific purpose. (I know this sounds like a loophole, but what I mean is books I may need for a Bible study or for my classroom, but ones I need to buy intentionally)

. It has been two weeks since I've made this choice and so far I've made it through one trip to Barnes and Noble without buying a thing! I've also finished one borrowed book, one owned book, and started to read four other books. I think I might make an addendum stating that if I don't want to read a book on my list, I may sell it to the used bookstore, but cannot replace it with a purchase from that store unless the previous stipulations have been met.

. I'm not sure how long it will take me to complete my list. I would say a year, but some of the books include "David Copperfield" and "Gone With the Wind" which I've meant to read for 18 years after I dishonestly wrote a book report about it even though I hadn't read it (I got an A, but it was a tainted A). Those will take me a long time, but I'm sure that since most of the other books are either teen fiction or Christian romance novels I'll be able to zip through them quickly.

. I'll keep you posted on my progress and feel free to hold me accountable. I'm just not sure what to do about our school's book fair...it's for a good cause...I better start reading fast.