Wednesday, March 4, 2020

The Unread Bookshelf

I first heard about The Unread Shelf Project from a post by Karen on Random Reflections

I was immediately taken with the concept and decided to implement it myself.  Thanks for the link Karen!  I'm not really following along with the monthly challenges, I'm just trying to whittle down my unread shelf throughout the year.  Either read or donate (or read, then donate) so that at the end of the year, these books are all on my "already read but want to keep" bookshelf or off to new homes.  Which would be easier if I would stop buying new books! Between books gifted to me and ones I've bought, I own a fairly complete reference section on job searching now!

Here's my Unread Shelf:


At the far left are Bella Grace magazines and several art books that are out for reference and aren't truly part of the challenge.  Starting with "God is At Eye Level" (a photography book) are the unread books culled from all over the house that I want to read or let go of this year. I've read The Gifts of Imperfection several times, but feel the need to read it again and choose one of these copies (both I've highlighted) to keep permanently.

Interestingly, not a single piece of fiction on that shelf! Most of the fiction I've "read" in the past several years has been Audible books.

The six books laying across the top are the ones I've already completed since January 1, 2020.  I also re-read Best Year Ever by Michael Hyatt but that one is currently on loan to Sarah.

With the exception of Rising Strong by Brene Brown which I'm halfway through, I've FINISHED all of the unread books on my Audible subscription and cancelled the subscription. I learned that I can borrow audio books for free through the Philadelphia Library. 

Audible books completed this year include:
The Minimalist Way by Erica Layne
The Proximity Principle by Ken Coleman
Decluttering at the Speed of Life by Dana K. White (this one really helped when I tackled my craft space)
Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah (second novel I've "read" by this author and I really like her style).

What are you reading???

5 comments:

Patio Postcards said...

I also have a highlighted copy of The Gifts of Imperfection on my shelf, that is a keeper.

I've just started to read My Oxford Year.

Karen said...

That looks like a pretty doable set of books---though it may take more than one year to get through them. I'll need several years to get through my unread books which take up an entire bookcase in my bedroom. Little by little, though, I'm giving away some of those which I'll never read. If I didn't acquire any others or stopped loaning books from the library, I'd get through them faster. Right now, I'm reading two library books. Two books in your collections caught my eye: Becoming Wise by Krsita Tippa which I loved---that was a keeper for me. I also have God is at Eyelevel, but it's in the unread category. For this year, I didn't count any of my unread photography or art books. I dip in and out of them, and rarely read any of them cover to cover in a chronological way.

debs14 said...

Oh my, that is quite a lot of unread books! Interesting that you have no unread fiction books there!
I've just seen your comment on my blog about your own 'ta dah' moment last month - and want to wish you all the best in your new venture x

Melissa said...

Great job gathering these (& already reading 6 of them)! I'm working on my 2 shelves of books-to-read as well. In January, I culled any I really didn't care to read (sold them to Half Price Books) and returned any I've already read to the other shelves in the house. Now I'm steadily working through the other books & enjoying it.

alexa said...

A very interesting collection - can I come and have a reading vacation in your house? I was tickled at how many of the titles have 'rise' in the title. Definitely your word this year. I clicked back to Debs to read about your new venture - wishing you every success as you get it up and running.