Inherited a lot of my Aunt's books. My collection tripled a few years ago. Now I am finally getting around to reading them. Some of them are on my bookshelves but the majority of them are still packed away at my parents.

I realized I was a book collector and not a book reader when I retired in 2005 and downsized my living situation. I donated my lifetime of book purchases, around 22,000 books to the San Francisco Public Library book sale. Now, happily retired, I use our wonderful public library system in Chicago. I buy the best and check out the rest.

My TBR pile is getting out of hand. My local library has a used bookstore. All paperbacks are 3 for $ 1. I just can't resist them. I can't afford new editions so I'm somewhat limited. I have stopped keeping books ive read . I sell them to a used bookstore in the area . This helps with my book budgeting. It's so much fun to go to library booksales and find treasures. Its my favorite way to spend my time .

I did something very similar for 2024. I tallied up all the books I owned that I hadn't read and saw that it came to about 250 books. That was about 50% of the total of my owned books. Not great. So I'm on a "no-buy" year for books with the exception of my two favorite authors who don't have books due this year anyway. I have kept my own audible + sub as excluded as well because I don't want to lose access to the Great Courses that I listen to. I did do some birthday shopping for books, but I went to a used book store and I traded in about $100.00 worth of books and ended up not spending any actual money. I've also been using my local library more if the need to "browse for new books" is too high.

Algorithm Gods sent you my way and boy was it right !! I’ve got the buy the book addiction too. I’ve a serious amount not read yet. I’m really going to try the commitment to not buy anymore anc read what I have after I receive my latest and last Amazon purchase (hopefully for a while) tomorrow 😅😅😅 just subbed. Thanks 💚

I'll be about 140 before I finish reading the books I have.

You are both a collector and a reader. The activities are both laudable and complementary. “Every passion borders on the chaotic, but the collector’s passion borders on the chaos of memories. …to a true collector the acquisition of an old book is its rebirth.” - Walter Benjamin 1931.

It's a great idea to donate that money to charity. Good luck with the challenge

The struggle is real! I am trying to be ‘better’ and then another book comes along 😍…..Although I would say I ‘only’ buy 5 books a month. I do need to slow my roll nonetheless. You have inspired me! Thank you! 😊

360 unread books is child’s play lol! Many of my books are for research purposes and so most of them will remain unread. I am getting to books I have owned for a while though. Blessings in your endeavor!

Love this challenge, Ed! Very inspiring to me as well. I’ll admit, my physical TBR is not as lengthy as yours, but it’s larger than it has been in a long time. Having a long physical TBR is difficult because, like you, I don’t read >100 books a year, and I also have a very funny brain that gets really excited about reading a particular book/series and then the longer that book/series is sitting on my shelf, the more disinterested I become. So I have to keep the physical TBR to a minimum otherwise I end up wasting money on books that go unread! It seems like there’s always some shiny new book that piques my interest more than the ones I already own. So I will go along in this challenge with you and try not to buy any more books until I’ve read at least half of the ones currently on my TBR shelf (which means reading 25 books before I can buy another one).

I earned a MA in English which I believe made me a book snob. Over the years I've collected books by authors I know I appreciate, such as Wilkie Collins and Sylvia Townsend Warner. But with fantasy, I have a few favourites that I periodically re-read. Between these strands, I have whittled my library down by reading and then passing it to a charity bookstore. At the moment, I am enjoying a first read of the series The Ballad of Sir Benfro, but I will be posting these to my brother-in-law in the States when I finish the series. I wish you good luck with your challenge.

Yep. My problem is the convenience of buying books on the internet. Greetings from a fellow Dutchy

I absolutely love to find a book tuber who admits he's a slow reader. I am an obsessive reader, but I have dyslexia and I read slowly. I like to think it means I'm savoring the book.

You are a much stronger man than I am Ed! Good luck and Godspeed! I think the inclusion of a charity incentive is amazing

My TBR has been concerning me lately, but you have made me feel much better (rather than anxious and guilty) as I now know I'm not alone in having too many unread books and my TBR is tiny by comparison. Now that my guilt and anxiety are salved I can read and enjoy with a light heart and no worry. Thanks from the other side of Doggerland.

Good luck on your challenge! I work at a food Bank charity, and we are always needing funds. I do the 52 Book Club Challenge with 52 specific prompts, so it would be hard for me to do that and not buy new books. I could commit to getting books from the library.

My goal for this year!

I am excited to see how you progress through this trying time! And I thank you for choosing to add good to the world.

To say i relate is an understatement (of epic proportions) im exactly the same- down to withdrawals wishlists & being a slow reader 🤣😂 Subscribed- hopefully you'll keep me inspired 👍🤝🤓

Wow, I applaud you for this! I tried to do the same several times but I never succeeded 🥴. Greetings from a fellow Dutch (also grey bearded) booktuber who loves to read fantasy (Tad Williams’ Empire of Grass at the moment).

You’re stronger than I am DGB, good luck!

Three great charities. I first discovered War Child through their collaboration with 11bit Studios on the brilliant computer game: This War of Mine.

Already up to book 6 in Pern? You are such a fast reader. Good luck with the challenge!

A charity idea is to research if there is a local/national literacy organization or an organization that gives books to children that might not have easy access to books. That way the read what you own challenge still has a book related reward at the end.

I am also in a similar challenge, but I allow myself to buy a new book as long as I plan to read it right away (not necessarily finishing the book though, especially for short stories or essays collections which may be read in little bits over a long period of time, and I am learning to put down books when I am not enjoying them). I try to make better use of the "want to read" list on goodreads, and will review the books on the list periodically. I hope to make this a permanent challenge and have used a countdown widget on my phone to record the numbers of days I have been in this challenge (which will recount from 0 if I failed). Today is the 304th day.

Sounds like this challenge will be helpful for you- good luck! Olly has some great tips in one of his videos- one of which is to find a positive booktube review for one of the books on your shelf to encourage you to read it. Great idea!

That is a VERY eye-catching book in your thumbnail, in my opinion. (: I wish you good luck and minimal suffering.

a real challenge! i will read all the books i own eventually, barely reaching 30 books, but can’t hold on when i see truly intriguing ones that i don’t own already, and that cycle just keeps going!

I like the donating part of the challenge

283 books... what a number, but I understand what you mean by fantasy booktuber's enthusiasm being infectious 😂 All the best with reading 50 of your books! I know it's not easy as I've been harshly culling and reading from my own collection BUT it is very satisfying.

wat een top idee! ik ga eerst lekker mijn boekenkast reorganiseren en dan lezen wat ik nog heb. en het bespaarde geld gaat naar een goed doel

Your voice reminds me of a narrator 😊 narrating books. I mean this in a good way 😊. Love your videos 😊. I need to actually get into more fantasy 😇 books 📚. Keep up the good work 👍🏻💪🏻

Your books look so new, with uncreased spines and apparently pristine pages. Do you have separate reading copies? My books are in boxes because I don't have room to display them. I keep most of them inside clear, plastic bags to protect them from bugs and dust, and many look new. But the ones I've read, even if I put them back in their bags, don't look like yours at all. I have many reading copies (former library ones, mostly), but I also tend to annotate my books with pencil, so even if it's the only, new copy that I own and I read, it will look a bit worse by the time I'm done. I can't do the challenge because I own thousands of books and it would take me decades to reach the half point.

I'm currently doing this myself. I have about 40 I need to get through before the end of the year.

Wish you luck 😁

Hmmm😮

Just a suggestion. Please give consideration to doing audiobooks. By that I mean making recordings. There are too many people like me who want to read but who have physical issues that prevent me doing very much reading, such as dyslexia. If your knee-jerk reaction is "Oh, no no no. I can't do that. I haven't all the skills that actors who can make their voice sound different for every character." Then consider those audiobook companies who specialize in 'the first five chapters.' That is enough to let someone know if the rest of the book is worth the struggle to read. It's entirely up to you, but good karma is always a thing to bank up on. You never know when you're going to need it.

sick library. what is the song in the beggining? it sounds super cool

Will you marry me?? 😆😅🤣😂 I'm an addict too. Together we could go broke reading!!!!

Reading books that you've bought because you wanted to read them is a killjoy??? 😮 😢 do you even realise what you are saying (to yourself)? 😂😂😂

I don't think you can do it. If you think, you will find a book you want, or is it need?

You are reading junk. It's like eating nothing but candy bars. If you want a challenge, read better literature instead of eating more candy.

Yea! Another visit from Ed!! RWYO is hard 🫤. Especially when there are library sales where I got 5 books for $3!! Olly is a fast reader - his 100 is the equivalent of about 25 for me. Hope Becky Chambers is on your wish list. Her SF has a literary quality that I think you'd enjoy. I'm not helping, am I? 😈 LOL!!