I Won’t Be Buying Any Books in 2022

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cting dust in my house for the last 6 or so years, but both were 5-star reads and favourites I’d like to keep in my personal library forever. After turning the final pages, I felt bad they’d been waiting to be read for so long. It’s like when you were a child, and you abandoned a toy (the one you were once so excited to receive or buy) in favour of a newer, shinier model — didn’t you feel a little guilty?I want 2022 to be the year I discover even more favourites on my shelf. With almost 400 books unread, you would think that there should be something in the collection for me to read, no matter the mood. I’ve got exciting books such as In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado, The Earthsea Quartet by Ursula K. Le Guin, and Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami on my shelf. I should be pretty set for books next year. But I have plans in case I stray and get tempted by something beyond my own library!How will I resist the bookshop? I won’t. It’s my happy place, an environment of comfort and joy, and one I couldn’t possibly tear myself away from for a whole year. You’ll still find me browsing the shelves and adding books upon books to my TBR list, but I (hopefully) won’t be walking out of there each time with an additional dent in my bank account.Missing out on new releases is another factor to consider. However, unread books on my shelf were once new releases, too, and they weren’t read immediately. It’s likely anything new I’d buy would share the same fate. I’ll use the library for anything I can’t possibly wait for or give my Mum’s bookshelf a raid if she’s been shopping lately. Of course, there’s also my birth

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day and Christmas to consider, which I’ll be using as a method of securing the hottest new reads.I’m allowing myself one exception to the ban — series. If I already own the first book in the series, or I’m a few books in, then I won’t restrict myself from getting the next in the saga. That would be some kind of torture, surely? However, I’ll only be buying these if I know I’m going to read them immediately. No more purchases left to sit on my shelf — untouched and unread.I want to add that there’s nothing wrong with buying lots of books. These are purchases that bring us joy, and that’s something to never feel guilty about. Plus, it’s important to support your local bookstores and libraries! So yes, I might not succeed in buying zero books all year long — I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on myself, but I want to switch my mindset into being more thoughtful with my bookish purchases.As discussed already, there are workarounds and ways to make a book buying ban a little less scary. I’m excited to dive into my bookshelf and uncover the hidden gems, rediscover favourite authors, and finally get around to the not-so-new books that have been sat there for years. I can use the library to avoid missing out on any big releases, and it’ll be refreshing to stroll around the bookstore and simply admire the covers, flip through pages and make a note of what I’d like to read at a later date (once I’ve run out of books to read at home first!).I feel like I’m heading into 2022 with the right attitude and game plan, and here’s hoping I can bring down my number of unread books in the new year!</article></body>

My reading goal for the new year is to explore the books I already own

I counted all the books I own (both physical and digital copies), and I’ve discovered — much to my horror — that I have just under 400 unread books. 400 stories not yet explored, characters to meet, worlds I haven’t had the chance to get lost in.

I can’t resist leaving a bookstore without an exciting pile of new reads in my arms, and with the influence of BookTok, Bookstagram, and endless brilliant articles and reviews on the latest new releases, it’s hard not to want to pick up the latest bestseller or favourite. But 2022 will be the year I focus on the books I already own.

Currently, I’m buying books at a faster rate than I can read them. In fact, I’m getting through fewer books than I used to. I’m not even sure if I’ll reach my reading goal this year! Of course, life, work, and a pandemic (!) can influence these things too, but I’m hoping that by treasuring the books I already own, I’ll fall more in love with reading again.

I’ve also found that time and time again, a new favourite has been on my bookshelf all along. Take Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See, or Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch — both of which had been sat collecting dust in my house for the last 6 or so years, but both were 5-star reads and favourites I’d like to keep in my personal library forever. After turning the final pages, I felt bad they’d been waiting to be read for so long. It’s like when you were a child, and you abandoned a toy (the one you were once so excited to receive or buy) in favour of a newer, shinier model — didn’t you feel a little guilty?

I want 2022 to be the year I discover even more favourites on my shelf. With almost 400 books unread, you would think that there should be something in the collection for me to read, no matter the mood. I’ve got exciting books such as In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado, The Earthsea Quartet by Ursula K. Le Guin, and Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami on my shelf. I should be pretty set for books next year. But I have plans in case I stray and get tempted by something beyond my own library!

How will I resist the bookshop? I won’t. It’s my happy place, an environment of comfort and joy, and one I couldn’t possibly tear myself away from for a whole year. You’ll still find me browsing the shelves and adding books upon books to my TBR list, but I (hopefully) won’t be walking out of there each time with an additional dent in my bank account.

Missing out on new releases is another factor to consider. However, unread books on my shelf were once new releases, too, and they weren’t read immediately. It’s likely anything new I’d buy would share the same fate. I’ll use the library for anything I can’t possibly wait for or give my Mum’s bookshelf a raid if she’s been shopping lately. Of course, there’s also my birthday and Christmas to consider, which I’ll be using as a method of securing the hottest new reads.

I’m allowing myself one exception to the ban — series. If I already own the first book in the series, or I’m a few books in, then I won’t restrict myself from getting the next in the saga. That would be some kind of torture, surely? However, I’ll only be buying these if I know I’m going to read them immediately. No more purchases left to sit on my shelf — untouched and unread.

I want to add that there’s nothing wrong with buying lots of books. These are purchases that bring us joy, and that’s something to never feel guilty about. Plus, it’s important to support your local bookstores and libraries! So yes, I might not succeed in buying zero books all year long — I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on myself, but I want to switch my mindset into being more thoughtful with my bookish purchases.

As discussed already, there are workarounds and ways to make a book buying ban a little less scary. I’m excited to dive into my bookshelf and uncover the hidden gems, rediscover favourite authors, and finally get around to the not-so-new books that have been sat there for years. I can use the library to avoid missing out on any big releases, and it’ll be refreshing to stroll around the bookstore and simply admire the covers, flip through pages and make a note of what I’d like to read at a later date (once I’ve run out of books to read at home first!).

I feel like I’m heading into 2022 with the right attitude and game plan, and here’s hoping I can bring down my number of unread books in the new year!