I’ve known for some time that my book acquisition habits needed an intervention. What can I say? I’m spoiled and decadent in my bookish ways; I live near one of the coolest used bookstores in the country, I spend my workdays at an audiobook publisher finding new authors (and adding their books to my TBR), and I also get free paperbacks and audiobooks as part of my job. I’m so book-wealthy my house is beginning to look like a Versailles of fantasy ARCs, paperbacks I slipped into my purse on my way home from the office, and buzzed-about debuts delivered straight to my door courtesy of prime shipping.
It’s gotten…a little out of hand.
Take it from someone who spent last night building yet another bookshelf to house her thrift store scores and Barnes and Noble impulse buys; it’s possible to lose some real gems in the book avalanche.
That’s why I’ve decided to institute a no-new-books ban through the rest of 2018. That’s right; I’m going to abstain from buying or renting any new books through the rest of the year! I was inspired partly by the September #readwhatyouown challenge started by instagrammer ANovelFamily. So without futher ado, here are my top reasons to join me on this book-buying cleanse!
- It reassigns your money value. Those books tossed on your bedside table or shoved into your backpack had enough value at one time that you were willing to pay good money for them! Honor you past self by getting your money’s worth out of those pricey little acquisitions.
- It helps you de-clutter your home. Could you imagine how much more room you would have in your living space if you got rid of books you read and had no intention of reading again? I know it can be difficult to let go of books, but be judicious about which ones you keep after reading them during the challenge!
- It resets your attention span. I know as I’ve gotten older and more absorbed into social media and multitasking culture, its gotten more difficult for me to be still and devote myself to a single story. When I can’t hop from free audiobook to free audiobook with my mood, I’m much more likely to commit to that sweet sweet book monogamy. Lately, I’ve been tucking into Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, a book a bought myself as a payday present last month, and Her Perfect Match by Jess Michaels, a steamy historical romance I snagged from the free shelf at work. I’m further along in them than I ever would have been before #readwhatyouown.
- It helps you feel better about what you choose to read. A fatigue of choices can happen when you have unlimited stories at you fingertips through online shopping (multiply this by 100 if you have a E-reader or Audible subscription). It can make whatever you choose feel disappointing, or distract you from enjoying that book you really wanted because there’s a new release to lust after. Picking what to read from what you already own helps with satiety and satisfaction.
A #ReadWhatYouOwn Protip: Know when you need to bend the rules! Really wanting that hot YA debut is not a good enough reason to cheat on your challenge, but if you promised to beta a friend’s novel, or if you have to buy new books for your fall classes, work those into your reading plan ahead of time! I’m currently writing my next novella, a retelling of the Snow Queen story, and I know I’m going to have acquire and re-read the Hans Christen Anderson original as well as snag some library books on Scandanavian folklore and history for research.
Feeling inspired? Who’s going to go on this #ReadWhatYouOwn journey with me?
Note: I received an advance reader copy of Odd Spirits from the author in exchange for a book review. 
