The 2023 Treat Yo' Shelf Challenge was a success. I managed to read 61 books. Also, blessedly there were no "Ain't nobody got time for that" books in 2023. In all fairness, there were a couple that were so bad that I finished them purely out of spite, but they're finished, never to be read again.
This year's challenge will be another round of the "Full Shelf Challenge." It’s been ten years since I attempted this particular challenge, so I figure now is as good a time as any to revisit it. Though I’m not overrun by overflowing bookshelves, I have too many volumes that have sat unread year after year. The same malady infects my Kindle library and my collection of unread magazines. Though I can’t guarantee that I won’t buy more books or check any from the library, my goal is to make a dent in the tomes I already have.
I know that Goodreads requires a goal number each year, however, if I don’t meet that goal, I won’t feel like I’ve failed. I believe I’ll start with a goal of 50 for 2024 (I can always change it later). I would also like to resume writing book reviews. I’ve not written a new review since February 2022. I’ve enjoyed the “First Line Friday” series and would also like to continue contributing to it.
I don’t have a particular goal for my magazines. I may not desire to read every article in each issue; taking the time to thoughtfully go through them is the goal.
Like my other reading challenges, this one doesn't have any specific instructions or types of required books. However, some books may be part of various categories. Examples include:
- Kiddie Lit -children's books. Hey, just because I'm over 50 doesn't mean I can't enjoy a good (or bad) children's book.
- Recommended Reads - books recommended by what I hope are trustworthy sources.
- Glorious rereads - books I enjoyed so much that I'm reading them again.
- Everybody's Reading It - books that everybody and their grandma read that I'm just now getting to.
- Nobody Admits to Reading It - books that others have said to stay away from (whether they've read them or not).
- Impulse Reads - Books I bought, borrowed, or checked out of the library for no other reason than "hey, this looks interesting."
- "Potty" Books - I'm retooling this category. The exhaust fan in my bathroom is so loud that I can barely concentrate to read, much less do my business. Unfortunately, it's connected to the water closet's overhead light, so I can't turn it off without losing my reading light. I'll have to use that time to partake of e-books on my Kindle.
A new thing I'm trying this year is the Category bingo card from the Bibliophage Book Bingo Facebook group. I've been a member of the group for a while and have never used the bingo cards as an inspiration.
My rating systems is as follows:
✮✮✮✮ = Outstanding
✮✮✮ = Pretty good
✮✮ = Could have been better / could have been worse.
✮ = Not so great. What the heck did I just read? I'm finishing this one purely out of spite.
Zero stars = Ain't nobody got time for that = DNF (did not/would not/could not finish)
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Books Read and Reviewed:
Completed books will be marked as a link to the review or Goodreads comments.
Book 01 - Bingo Card: Number on the cover
Book 02 - Bingo Card: Offers new perspective
Book 03 - Bingo Card: About Productivity
Book 04
Book 05
Read but Not Reviewed:
- Intimacy With the Almighty by Charles R. Swindoll ✮✮✮✮ (Bingo Card: Less than 100 pages)
- The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis (a glorious reread) ✮✮✮✮
- I Dare You by Joyce Meyer ✮✮✮
- Enjoying God by R. C. Sproul ✮✮
- God's Chosen Fast by Arthur Wallis ✮✮✮
- Work Reimagined by Richard Leider ✮✮✮
- Grit by Angela Duckworth ✮✮
- Life in Community by Dustin Willis ✮✮
- The Essential Guide to Prayer by Dutch Sheets ✮✮✮✮
- The Weight of Glory by C. S. Lewis. A glorious reread. ✮✮✮✮ (Bingo Card: Full of Wisdom).
- Letters to Malcolm by C. S. Lewis ✮✮✮✮
- The Problem of Pain by C. S. Lewis ✮✮✮
- The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame ✮✮ (Category: Kiddie Lit)
- The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter ✮✮✮✮
- The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis ✮✮
- The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee ✮✮✮
- The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Timothy Keller ✮✮
- A Cloud by Day, a Fire by Night by A. W. Tozer ✮✮✮✮
- Pray Big by Alistair Begg ✮✮✮
- The Blessing of Humility by Jerry Bridges ✮✮✮✮
- The Path to Wholeness by Dr. Mark Mayfield ✮✮
- The Path Out of Loneliness by Dr. Mark Mayfield ✮✮
- Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman ✮✮✮✮
- The Release of the Spirit by Watchman Nee ✮✮
- Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne ✮✮✮
- The Self-Aware Leader by John C. Maxwell ✮✮✮
- 3 Seconds by Les Parrott III ✮✮✮
First Line Friday Entries for the Year:
#17 #22
#18 #23
#19 #24
#20 #25
Ain't Nobody Got Time for That!:
Magazines:
February:
- Believer's Voice of Victory February 2024
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