Welcome back, my fellow book dragons. I’ve missed you.
It’s been a while, I know. Life and holidays pulled me away, but now I’m ready to dive back in. For this new issue of The Nook, I’m launching a book challenge with clear rules and a shared journey. But you’re probably asking yourself, Why the challenge? Well, simple: I have way too many books at home, and it’s time to purge. But before I do , I want to read them first to decide whether I want to keep a copy — Plus I’m this close to running out of space ( loool, obviously ).
So buckle up — we’re in for a ride. During the challenge, you need to write a set of rules that you’ll follow throughout your journey. But the most important rule you must follow is: NO BUYING NEW BOOKS. Yep — not even that one shiny paperback whispering your name. If you need ideas to make the challenge fun, here’s a recommendation:
Book Challenge Name Ideas
Pick one that matches your vibe:
- The Great Book Purge
- Shelf Survivor: Read Don’t Buy
- No Buy, All read
- The Book Buffet Clean-out
- Read ‘Til You Drop
- Books Before Buys
- The Ultimate TBR (Too Big to Resist ) Challenge
- Space Saver Book Quest
- Operation Readify
- Shelf Busters
Rules
- Must read for a total of 90 minutes or do it in 45 mins intervals with one at least in a park or a coffee shop.
- Must log all reading in a journal ( or an app). As long as it works for you.
- Must be on book-buying ban for the duration of the challenge.
- Read either a physical book or an audiobook, but it must be a book you already own and have not read yet.
- All books must already be owned, borrowed (friend, foe or library). If you must buy one (say for a book club) it must be through a second-hand shop or an indie shop (no, Amazon, Target, or Walmart, we are not supporting the giants anymore)
- Keep yourself updated using a tracking app, journaling, or for some, a speadsheet (I personally could never lol).
- Create a system for keeps or purge so you don’t mix them nor place them back on the shelves. Most importantly, make sure to purge out and donate them to a second-hand book shop, local library or best of all, a little free library.
Challenge Conclusion: The Final Page
And just like that — we made it!
The shelves are lighter, the TBR has been tamed ( mostly), and we’ve read more books than we bought this month. This challenge wasn’t just about clearing space — it was about savoring the stories we already own celebrating every finished cover, and proving that discipline can be fun ( yes, really)