In which rabbitprincess realizes that maybe she has a problem

G'day folks!

I've finally decided to take the plunge and join this group. In the past couple of months I've gone on some rather alarming book binges: the annual Friends of Library and Archives Canada used book sale always adds substantially to my shelves (I set a budget of $10, which I cheerfully exceeded this year), used bookstores and the friendly neighbourhood Chaptigolesbooks have seen me purchasing more often, and even the office managed to sucker me in with a book sale to support the workplace charity drive. Meanwhile, I keep borrowing books from the library instead of reading what I already own! (That's probably the biggest problem, not so much the excessive purchasing.)

Here's a breakdown of my TBR as of November 18, 2011:
- 102 books I own and have not read yet (one book has been on there for about four Christmases now...)
- 8 books I've borrowed from other people or the library
- 3 audiobooks on my computer that have gone un-listened-to for rather a long time because I really have to be in the right mood for an audiobook
- 13 books that I stopped reading for whatever reason but want to come back to someday (e.g. in the case of Bleak House, I borrowed it from the library but Dickens takes me forever to read so I just bought a copy secondhand instead). Note: some of these are not on LT because I do not own a copy.

Okay this may not actually be all that bad, but recently it certainly *felt* like I'd been going overboard in the book-buying dept.

For the rest of 2011 my goal will simply be no more impulse library borrows -- I just got a request in today and have holds on two more, so those will be the only books I get from the library until 2012. (DVDs are a different story.) Then in 2012 I will aim to have at least half of my books read from my shelves. And I will have a fun ticker for motivation. :)

ETA: Aaaaaand I could not resist creating a ticker already. Here it is. Do not open until January 1, 2012!

Welcome to the Challenge.

Thanks, DeltaQueen!

Managed to drop off a movie at the library this afternoon without borrowing anything else. Small achievement but every step helps!

Welcome aboard, and good luck!

Thanks, staffordcastle! I'm travelling at the end of this week (not for US Thanksgiving, another family event) so I will be sure to have all books-off-my-own-shelf for reading ;)

Whoops, added another one to the shelf... SS-GB, by Len Deighton. I went on a buy-three-get-the-fourth-free binge at Chapters. But on the plus side, SS-GB was the only book for ME. Two were Christmas presents and the other was bought on my grandma's behalf so I could get the deal.

And then I went and borrowed a bunch of Agatha Christies from my mum (in preparation for the last batch of David Suchet adaptations) as well as the first volume of Spike Milligan's war memoirs. I am rationalizing this by saying that they're all very thin paperbacks so they won't keep me away from own-shelf reads for too long ;)

Books read off the shelf in November 2011:

A Good Man, by Guy Vanderhaeghe
The Eagle Has Landed, by Jack Higgins
Elephants Can Remember, by Agatha Christie

Three out of eight books for the month ain't bad. This month I'll try to have shorter, snappier paperbacks as bus reads, so I can focus on borrowed books at home. I've got two books in particular I want to be able to read and bring back at Christmas to return them to their owners.

And speaking of Christmas, my parents asked for an updated list... I may need to ask for a new bookcase as well!

One of my coworkers was doing a book cull (he is much braver than I) so he set aside a few books for me... more material for the 2012 challenge ;)

- The Correct Guide to Letter Writing, by A Member of the Aristocracy -- I want to file this under "humour" because it is hilarious! Such specific letters. "From a Lady to a Gentleman to whom she is Engaged, and of whom she is Jealous"...a marriage proposal "From a Gentleman to a Lady to whom he has not been Introduced"..."From a Guardian, reproaching his Ward with Extravagance"... the list goes on. My edition was published in 1889 and is obviously not in LT.
- Spycatcher, by Peter Wright -- my coworker accidentally bought himself an extra copy at a used-book sale recently so he gave me the other one.
- Mussolini: His Part in My Downfall, by Spike Milligan -- I've borrowed the first volume of Milligan's war memoirs from my dad and will have to work my way forward to this one.
- The Interpreter's Handbook, by Jean Herbert (Université de Genève) (couldn't track down an ISBN or ASIN for this one) -- I always like reading about interpretation even though I would be an absolutely rubbish interpreter. I don't pay enough attention during conversations :P
- 2000 expressions françaises pratiques et utiles, by Camille H. Mailhot -- This looks to be a very useful book. It even includes exercises so you can practise your new expressions.

The guide to letter writing sounds marvelous!

Absolutely spiffing! For maximum enjoyment, read aloud in a goofy English accent.

Christmas has added the following books to my shelves (lots more fodder for the 2012 BOMBS challenge!):

Cop Killer, by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö
The Abominable Man, by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö

Assassination Vacation, by Sarah Vowell
Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen
South Riding, by Winifred Holtby (this one I've read already so I don't need to worry as much about it)
Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks, by John Curran
DK Eyewitness Travel Guide to London
Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance 1985-1995, by Michael Barclay (updated 2011 edition)
Air Farce: 40 Years of Flying by the Seat of Our Pants, by Roger Abbott and Don Ferguson (no touchstone; apparently I am the only person on LT with this work at the moment)

Books read off the shelf in December 2011:

Murder in Retrospect, by Agatha Christie
Murder on the Links, by Agatha Christie

Only two out of seven! Better luck next month; I've already taken back all of my library books so that I can focus on the ones I own. However I am experiencing a bit of library withdrawal; it looks very strange to log in to my library catalogue profile and see "Items Checked Out: 0".

I will also be adding four more books to the shelves thanks to a much-appreciated Chaptigolesbooks gift card:

The Pursued, by C.S. Forester (which I could have bought it in person when I was visiting my family for Christmas but didn't, because I wanted to use my gift card, which was at my actual home. Naturally this means that the shipping timeframe has changed from "2-4 days" to "1-2 weeks".)
Empire: The Novel of Imperial Rome, by Steven Saylor (saw while browsing in the same store where I saw The Pursued)
Rilla of Ingleside, by L.M. Montgomery (apparently neither my mum nor my grandma owns this. Of course, this means I have to borrow Rainbow Valley first, and that is not an own-shelf read, but I am always willing to make exceptions :P)
That is All, by John Hodgman (gotta catch 'em all; I have Areas of My Expertise and More Information Than You Require)