I've had a dummy run, starting at the beginning of the school year in September, just so it didn't seem too daunting! But so far I'm embracing it. I buy a lot of books generally and just thought we'd got so many in the house. I do read the vast majority of what I buy, but I do have books I haven't read, and my husband and teenage kids have some great books I would love to read.
So over the past 3 months I have definitely decreased my bedside pile. I am currently reading A Christmas Carol which dh reads every December but I never have. It's quite a joy to browse our book cases and spot things I haven't read and think this is the year I'll get round to it! Or to reread old favourites.
And I've just been made redundant so tightening the book buying belt is even more important.
Anyone fancy giving it a go?
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A year of no book buying. Anyone care to join me?
Parisbanana · 18/12/2016 20:24
Ooh I'm really pleased some of you are up for this! Nearly 4 months done for me which included a very peculiar visit to Hay on Wye where I didn't buy a single book 
though I think dh may have done so and they will probably find their way into my Christmas presents! But I never asked for them so it doesn't count right?! And for the first time in as long as I can remember I haven't asked pil for a book token for Christmas...
So I propose I start a thread in the new year and we can chat about the finds from our bookshelves, the cold sweats, the withdrawal symptoms, the redundant Waterstones loyalty cards, and offer support 
Takes me back to quitting smoking!
So encouraged by this thread I counted the unread books on my kindle that I can see and there's about 86. dp isn't impressed
I was feeling slightly ill at the thought of not buying any books, but then someone suggested alternating new/old so I will do that instead. (Blood pressure starts to come down... )
Eek. I do need to do this though. I have a full shelf of unread books plus some of DH's and DS's I'd like to read and far too many on my Kindle.
I did the Good Reads Book Challenge this year and am almost at my 50 books. Will repeat it this year but with books I already own. Am in a book club so might have to buy those though.
Is it cheating to quickly buy a few on kindle that I've been wanting to read but haven't got yet? There are three I can think of. 
No chance. I buy books to read, read them, then look for something new. I think I can probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of unread books I have in the house.
I think it depends what type of reader you are, some people do hoard and buy as soon as they're recommended stuff. I never seem to have enough books 'lined up' 
I like your ideas there, glitter. I fear that I'm setting myself up to failure if I have a self imposed complete ban on book buying for a year. I do need to make serious inroads into my the pile but also want the flexibility of introducing new books perhaps via the library more.
I do use the library often anyway, but find I have to order in books because it's so small and the stock isn't great there. And it costs only a few pence less to order a book in from the library than it would to buy it if it came up on 99p kindle deal. That's a tough call - support the library or own your own copy forever?
I think I will begin by making a list of what I want to start reading, from my own shelves and Kindle, and see where that journey takes me. I did sort of do that last year but with added purchases .
I haven't actually got a library card at all currently - partly because the nearest libraries either involve going through muggers' paradise creepy subways or past exceedingly dodgy pubs, and I couldn't figure out which I would be most likely to be able to reach in daylight hours. I should join one though.
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