#Shelflove: End of the Year Check Up

Posted December 9, 2015 by Julie S. in Challenges, Featured Posts, Shelf Love 2015 / 19 Comments

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No Book Buying Challenge 2015 – December Update

As you know, we are co-hosting the Show Your Shelves Some Love: A No Book Buying Challenge. You can also review the details of the post on theNo Book Buying Challenge page from the menu above. 

December’s topic: End of the Year Check in Post. How did you do with the challenge? Share an updated picture or list of your TBR pile(s).

Would you do the challenge again in 2016? You would? Well, you’re in luck because we’re doing it again! We’re co-hosting the ShelfLove 2016 Challenge so check out the page for details and stay tuned for our kick-off and goals post.


Julie Review AvatarJulie: 
I definitely need to do something like this again next year so I’m thrilled that we’re doing a modified version of this challenge again. I haven’t read as many of my owned books as I wanted, and my shelves are still overflowing with unread books. I’ve gotten really good at not buying books, since I really can’t read them anyway, so learning that restraint and reducing my collecting urges has been great for my overflowing bookshelves and my wallet.

I have read a total of 18 books from my #ShelfLove shelf and at the moment I have two in progress. My goal was 21-30 books: give your shelves a warm friendly hug so I came close and may still meet this goal as there are a few weeks left of this year.

I have embedded my Goodreads shelf so that I can share the books I read.


Lynnpic avatar Lynn: Here’s the thing. I’ve read 50 books so far this year. And not even half are books I actually own. I’m gobsmacked by that statistic. But, before this year, I would have never even known that number, as I wasn’t tracking it. From this challenge, I’ve learned these major points:     
1) I can be patient and wait for books from the library. I don’t need to buy books right away when published.
2) It’s a lot easier to know and read the books you own when you actually track them. It was rough at first, but once you have a list of the books you own, searching for something to read is much easier. And maintaining the list once started is pretty simple.
3) It’s really difficult to resist all those free and 99 cent books. Trust me. I struggle with this every day. But I’ve come to realize if I buy a book, I need it to be one I’m going to read right away. If something is intriguing enough, I’ll put it on my TBR list.

I’m really glad that we are continuing this challenge next year. I’m hoping to get my percentage of read books that I own over 50% of the books I read.  I have 20 books on my completed shelf, with one that I’ll finish in the next week or so. I’m calling that challenge complete. My goal was 21-30 books:  give your shelves a warm friendly hug. 

I’ve embedded my shelf below. I don’t want Julie showing me up with her fancy skills!   


Are you participating in this challenge? Link up your update posts below:

After linking up, don’t forget to grab your entry in the Rafflecopter for the giveaway. a Rafflecopter giveaway



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Posted December 9, 2015 by Julie S. in Challenges, Featured Posts, Shelf Love 2015 / 19 Comments

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19 responses to “#Shelflove: End of the Year Check Up

  1. Thank you for hosting the challenge. I’m planning on participating next year. My January post will be live soon and I did gain quite a few books this year, but also read some off my shelve, so I consider the challenge a success even if I didn’t win by the numbers.

    • Julie

      I like your perspective – yes even if you didn’t win “by the numbers”, reading your own books at all is a win!

  2. Bec

    Despite not buying that many books at all throughout the year, I ended up with more book on my TBR at the end of the year than when I started haha (this is thanks to birthdays and publishers sending review copies) But still I like to think I did well considering I only broke my buying ban three times!

    I don’t think I’ll officially sign up next year but I’m definitely imposing a buying ban again in 2016 as well as a requesting ban. My shelf deserves more love!

    Good luck with all your own 2016 challenges and well done with your acheivements!
    Bec recently posted…December 2015 Wrap Up

    • Julie

      Hey only buying books on 3 occasions is quite good progress on an all out ban. Good luck next year as well 🙂

  3. Shannon Brown

    I didn’t technically join this challenge (no linking or Rafflecopter entries), but I played along and did really, really well. *Patting myself on my back* I created 2 shelves on Goodreads, one for my 2015 Freebie Novel reading (over 120 pages) https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/17755136-shannon-gorilla-mcgee-winston-shannon-gorilla-mcgee-winston-shannon-gorilla-mcgee-winston?page=1&shelf=2015-freebie-novel-challenge and one for my 2015 Freebie Novella reading (under 120 pages) https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/17755136-shannon-gorilla-mcgee-winston-shannon-gorilla-mcgee-winston?shelf=2015-novella-a-week-challenge and I set myself a budget of $15/mo spending for Amazon and Audible. I kept my tally in a document on Facebook and with the way December is shaping up, I’m sure I will be at over 120 on my Freebie Hoard reading and within a decent amount of my budget (some months were a few cents over, most were under). I had a blast doing this and I’m proud of myself for seeing a challenge (especially a year-long one) through to the end. Thank you! https://www.facebook.com/notes/1593848194184461/

    • Julie

      Great job keeping to your budget and getting through all those books! Yes you should be proud of yourself for sticking with it all year. Will you do this again next year?

      • Shannon Brown

        Yep! My 2016 Bought It, Read It shelf is up. In 2015 I tried to read a lot of accumulated freebies. To be honest, I felt like my overall reading experience was blah. So now, I’m going to tear into hoarded ones I paid for and really want to read. Should be fun.

  4. Now I’m regretting not making a special shelf this year so I could embed it like this! Next year, perhaps… I met my goal of 50+, so I’m pleased with myself, although given the relative height of my Mount TBR, it’s not that big an achievement!
    Nikki recently posted…Review – Code Name Verity

    • Julie

      That’s kind of like I feel too, my Mount TBR is so high that it is going to take me years of just focusing on it and nothing else to hike it.