Helloooo!

I hope you’ve had a relaxing break over New Year. Recovered from touching salads and the horror of remembering what we do in work for a living. Batteries are charged so lets talk about that Booktempting TBR Reduction Challenge.

The To Be Read (TBR) Pile is something regular readers by accident create. we get more books than we read out. Books are fun; bookshops are places of treasure to be rescued and also our online readers can bring us books in a snap of the fingers. Its easy to accumulate. Readers are indeed like dragons. A TBR pile can though morph into something scary. The weight of those books on the shelves stares at you; you’re aware that you’re not reading as fast as you’d like and you can punish yourself by saying I don’t deserve to read this book by my favourite author as I’ve these other books to read first. The dragon-like hoard of treasure has turned into a Library of the Unread judging us and finding us wanting. Getting bigger and taking up shelf space; then floor space and before we know it a health and safety hazard.

Fortunately I think we can all help each other. This challenge is about two things - you getting to know what is on your To Be Read Pile and also using it. Its a TARDIS of space and time - you can go anywhere and also as you’ll discover reflect your inner space when you bought it. There will be books that you’ll remember where you got them; who gave them to you and also why you wanted to read them and they’ve accidentally been covered up by double stacking. over the year the aim of the challenges is for you to get some control back. You may find books you know you have now no desire or intention to read - you can let those books go. Fear not in my guise as a blogger I’ll always have more suggestions for new ones - oopsie! But a TBR pile has all these discoveries and I want you to become i charge if it. You won’t likely read them all but there may be various books you say - yep I’m reading you this year no matter what!

January’s Challenge is fairly standard - you have my permission to read the last book you bought!

This is how TBRs form - we buy book; then place on shelf; read another book instead. This month - is no longer about delayed gratification. No book diet for us in January. Pick that tale up and allow yourself the pleasure of reading it. Who knows this could become a habit to start the rest of the year!

One added dimension for me is using my kindle reader more. I heard a podcast refer to readers as where books you buy go to die. They’re easy to add to but terrible to navigate and so books get stuck in layers and layers. So just for me I’ll on occason add a second

My paper choice is Saturnalia by Stephanie Feldman - I heard about this on a podcast over Christmas and it has the honour of being my newest physical purchase. It sounds like a creepy horror with near future climate change and a touch of other myths to boot.

My digital choice is The This by Adam Roberts - this is supposed to be a very smart SF tale exploring social media which feels appropriate after last year. I’ve read a couple of Roberts books last year (both involving some form of collaboration) so intersted to see what happens when left to their own devices.

Now I also add an optional stretch goal - and for this month like the worm swallowing the tale I thought appropriate to say its - read the oldest book in your TBR pile. The one we have shown the least love to. The one that has been waiting, waiting and indeed WAITING for you. Give that book a hug!

And I went digital on this one with not just one of the first ever e-reader purchases but its also very old itself! Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stephenson - its a classic but I’m not sure I’ve ever read all of it or getting confused with all the TV and movie versions? Can it work without a muppet cast?

So that’s what I found! Are you joining in? If so let me know your picks in the comments and we’ll check in end of the month to see how we got on! This will be fun!