If there is one thing that makes a great book even better, it is when
it has a cover that we love! The cover design is what catches the eye
as we browse through a bookstore shelf or check out the Amazon or
Goodreads recommendations. The right cover makes me look closer at a
book, to read the blurb and maybe make a purchase. A poor cover might
mean I never look at the blurb at all.
NB: I don't follow or leave comments on blogs run by
Google Plus, or DISQUS as I refuse to join something just to leave
comments, and I won't allow them to follow new people, update my
profile or post tweets 'on my behalf'. I won't comment on any blog that makes me sign in using another account.
This Week!
I saw these gorgeous new bookcovers on Sherry's blog , and loved them! I liked the sound of the plot and downloaded the first book to my ereader.
As another year draws closer to ending, I'm looking closely at my TBR and what the plan is to tackle it. I've done a post about how I intend to do that but it made me take a close look at the TBR itself as it looks on Goodreads. My TBR is books that I either own a paperback or hardback copy of or have a digital copy already on my ereaders. Everything I want to get remains on my wishlist. Here are my stats:
WHEN BOOKS WERE ADDED TO MY TBR AND HOW MANY THERE ARE
2010-28
2011-52
2012-44
2013-42
2014-34
2015-92
2016-264
2017-204
2018-448
TBR rough total-1208
Firstly I'm shocked at how many books I purchased in some form this year if that is just the unread number. Yes some were free and cheap but the sheer number of them is shocking! This makes the book ban plan a bit more important in reducing these numbers! I'm also quite horrified about the number of unread books that have been on my TBR since back in 2010-2014. That is WAY too many and I need to make some of these books and series a priority next year.
The other thing that worries me is that not all of my books are catalogued on Goodreads yet so I'm thinking that there is maybe another 50 or even more to add to the 2016-2018 numbers. That is a mixture of sequels, new books and those I'm saving up for the weekend posts through the winter where I won't be buying anything so I have something to share with you every week! During the winter I'll get everything uploaded to Goodreads so I can see the true number of books that I have. *trembles*
Now, here's a rough rundown on the genres and how many I have to read in each. Some may have been counted twice in different genres so as I said these are rough numbers. You can see the areas of concern right away!
fantasy-29
SF/dyst-49
horror- 329
apocalypse-314
thrillers-90
political-43
royal-18
NFiction-96
tudors-62
historical-8
UFantasy-173
I expected high totals for horror and apocalypse as I have a ton of horror books on my shelves and a lot of apocalypse series to read. I also have a lot of urban fantasy series to catch up with so yes, I expected those three categories to be way out in front. I'm a bit shocked by the non fiction total which doesn't include my political and tudor NF, so that needs to be tackled quickly. I actually thought I had more tudor books than thrillers but of course that was before I checked the ereaders! Looks like I have plenty to get on with next year. I am planning to keep a careful eye on what I buy and read in a regular post or start adding it to my weekend roundup again. I haven't decided yet.
What is lurking on your tbrs? What genres are you targeting next year?
Yes when I wrote the title I did get singing nuns in my head! I admit it! I've been trying to find ways to deal with my tbr for who knows how long now and the pile keeps getting bigger, not smaller. It doesn't take a genius to work out that you need this very complex equation for a solution.
Buy Less + Read More = Lower TBR + More Bookshelf Space
Yeah it's as easy as that huh! Well, Chuckles has decided to tackle the first part of the equation. As of next Monday, after the last of my Black Friday sales purchases have arrived, there is going to be a book ban. I will not be permitted to buy any paperbacks until after New Year *clutches desk for support*. Yes, 5 weeks of a book ban! I can accept free books of course and no Kindle books at all. *sweats* It's the only way to get started on dealing with this chaotic tbr.
In the New Year I'm already considering other ways to keep it under better control. Maybe read 10 before I can buy a new one? Mini bans where I can't buy anything until I get a bag of books out to the charity shop? A two week book ban every month? Have you guys tried something like this to curb the buying or have you been doomed to failure?
Next is the Read More, which can be easier said than done for us when a big hairy reading slump comes along (above), or you are working overtime or a relative is sick or you have visitors, kids, pets to deal with etc. However, I don't have any of those distractions as my dad is house trained so I need to try and read as much as I can next year. I'm not going to do monthly targets for my reading as I always set too high a target and feel like I've failed when I don't reach it. Targets will be more relaxed from now on.
I'm looking at something like running a series catchup challenge all year where I start by picking three short series I want to complete then do it in my own time. After that I'll pick a few more series to tackle and so on until the year finishes. No stress, no panic, just getting through a few series throughout the year. Alongside that I'll be doing a paperback challenge. Again I'll pick a small number of books I really want to read across all my favourite genres, and get them read. Then I do another post with the next books I want to read and do that through the year. It means manageable targets and no panic about being behind on reading or a deadline to read it by, and space for mood reading. I'll do a similar ebook challenge through the year. This way I'm tackling all my favourite genres and reducing the tbr on each one without there being a set target in mind for book numbers.
I will also be doing the Goodreads Challenge as it provides that handy graphic to see at a glance everything you've read but I'll set the target low then change it higher if need be as the year goes on. I'll be doing short individual challenges like Barb's Puppy Love and if I see other challenges on other blogs that interest me I'll consider them too.
Now we get to More Bookshelf Space. Doing different genres every month will certainly help as my apocalypse, zombie, tudor, NF, politics, SF and thriller shelves are overflowing, meaning books are stacking up again on the floor. By reading a mix of genres each month I hope to free up shelf space for every genre in the first couple of months of the year. I'm starting this by continuing with SF reads in December along with some thrillers. Get a few of these read and to the charity shop and gaps will gradually appear on several shelves! That's the plan! It also means that none of my favourite genres will be neglected next year which means variety in the reading and the blog posts.
Do you have any plans to tackle the TBR next year?
Welcome to my Prepper Posts which aims to
help you be ready for any kind of short or long term disaster that might
come along, and showing you the importance of being ready and able to
help yourself when the authorities cannot assist you. I don't claim to
be an expert on these subjects but I'll tell you what I can and direct
you to prepper sites for further information if you are interested.
Prepping is for normal people, and I aim to give you common sense
reasons for thinking about how ready you are.
If any of you looked at the Black Friday annual shopping riots, you may have been amused or horrified at the way people were behaving, tearing TVs away from each other, fighting, stampeding etc. It wasn't a pretty sight. So lets look at that scenario in a slightly different way.
Imagine that a hurricane hit and you are without power and it could be a week or more before things are back to normal. If you are prepared for it, it is a minor issue and life goes on as normal. But what about the people who only have a day or two of food, wh0o shop as they need it or rely on takeaway food? When the power goes out the first thing they'll do is head to the local shops or supermarket to get more food. What happens when most people have the same idea and panic buying begins? There will be no more food deliveries to restock the shelves and the takeaways are closed. You are going to see people fighting each other for milk and bread, and anyone trying to buy a stock of each is never going to make it to their car in one piece. The last thing you want is to risk your health getting involved in that chaos when people get desperate and steal from each other in the car park outside.
FOOD STORAGE ESSENTIALS (depending on what your family likes to eat of course and this is not a complete list)
I suggest using links to prepper websites for info about how long you can store the items for (below list)
1) PASTA
2) RICE (white stores longer than brown)
3) OATS
4) BEANS
5) SUGAR
6) APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
7) HONEY
8) SALT
9) SPICES
10) TEA/COFFEE
11) COCONUT OIL (can replace butter, lard, margarine and stores longer)
12) POWDERED EGG/CHEESE/MILK
13) WHOLE GRAINS
14) TINNED VEGETABLES
15) TINNED OILY FISH
16) TINNED FRUIT
17) PEANUT BUTTER
18) MAPLE SYRUP
19) DRIED NOODLES
20) ALCOHOL
21) TINNED MEAT
22) JERKY
Worried about use by dates? Check this out for detail about eating after dates are up
https://www.theorganicprepper.com/expiration-dates-food/
Check out these articles on long term storage food options
https://www.foodstoragemoms.com/foods-that-last-forever/
http://readynutrition.com/resources/everything-you-want-and-need-to-know-about-long-term-canned-food-storage-plus-10-signs-to-look-for-when-its-spoiled_06082018/
https://homesteadsurvivalsite.com/foods-last-decades/
http://americanpreppersnetwork.com/2018/01/foods-longest-shelf-life-pantry-stockpiling-tips-need.html
http://americanpreppersnetwork.com/2018/01/foods-longest-shelf-life-pantry-stockpiling-tips-need.html
https://www.survivopedia.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-shelf-life-of-foods/
TOP PREPPER WEBSITES
https://wellnessmama.com/
http://readynutrition.com/
https://www.shtfpreparedness.com/
https://www.survivopedia.com/
https://www.prepperwebsite.com/
http://americanpreppersnetwork.com/
If you have a good stock of these staples in your home, you won't have to run the gauntlet of the supermarket in a short term crisis situation-and that will be good news for your whole family! Keep a full cupboard of food in addition to what is in your fridge and freezer and you'll be well set for whatever is coming!
