Show Your Shelves Some Love: No Book Buying Challenge

Hosted by ChapterBreak and Second Run Reviews

No books for a year?! The goal of this challenge is simple — for one year abstain from buying books (or set a monthly book budget) — and focus on clearing physical and virtual to-be-read book shelves. This challenge begins Jan 1, 2015 and ends Dec 31, 2015.

What’s the point? To read as many books as you can that you already own, either on your physical bookshelf or on your e-reader.

So what are the rules? Well, let’s not think of them as rules and more as guidelines.

• Abstain from spending money on books for one calendar year (or follow a monthly book budget). If someone gives you a gift card you can spend those–it’s not your money. Audible credits are okay too, but buying extra Audible credits is not!
• Library books do not count for this challenge. This challenge is mainly for books you already own.
• Encourage other challenge participants via comments, social media and emails.
• Participate in the monthly posts. The link up post will go live on the first of each month and be open for 30 days.

How to Join in the Fun

Step 1: Select Your Goal
1-10 books: shake hands with your shelves
11-20 books: pat your shelves on the back
21-30 books: give your shelves a warm friendly hug
31-40 books: regular date night with your shelves
41-50 books: my shelves are now my bff
51+ books: my shelves and I are going steady

Step 2: Join the Mailing List
We’ll send some updates and reminders about the Challenge. We’ll connect you with other challengers if you need encouragement to NOT buy the next biggest release. We’ll only contact you if you tell us we can.

Step 3: Share the Love
If you have a blog, create a “I’m Joining the Challenge” post and link up! Share the news about the challenge on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites using #ShelfLove.

*Head on over to ChapterBreak or Second Run Reviews for more information, to join the mailing list and to add your sign-up post*

I am aiming to have regular date nights with my shelves by reading 31-40 books from my TBR pile.

As for the no book buying; exceptions are:

• the next in a series and I've read the previous books, 
• new releases by a very favourite author i.e Neil Gaiman,
• books I've simply wanted for a really long time,
• books required for university.

Aside from university books, all books must be within my monthly book budget of £10. That budget is allowed to rollover to the following month if I don't spend it. Any books bought must be read soon after purchase and will not count towards any TBR challenges.

Anybody else planning on doing this challenge?