R&W: Unread Shelf Project 2019 part 1!

Giving you all LOTS of challenges with books, aren't I? Sorry about that, I just keep finding them. :) Like the Book bingo, this will be a bit of an adaptation to make it work for a swap, and give you a chance to set a reading goal for yourself. This swap isn't partner specific, so you can start on it today and have it ready to go.

In wandering Instagram today, I came across #theunreadshelfproject2019 (I don't know how to share that, if you can tell me how, please do & I'll edit this!) I looked into it a bit, and it seems to be a monthly category or challenge to help you read through the books you have on your physical book shelves, or on your To Be Read list.

I like this idea! I love clearing through clutter, and while I don't have lots of books on my physical bookshelves - we move too often, so they get sorted quickly - I do have some that have been hanging around a bit too long. So, let's give this a try!

This swap will be a flat mail swap, and it will be International so all members can join in. IT will be lightweight to mail, so hopefully this isn't a problem. :) You'll have just one partner, but to share reading ideas and recommendations, check out the group forum for a thread if you want to list your TBR (To Be Read) books.

For this swap, make a list of the titles and authors of books you have on hand - print books on your shelf, ebooks hanging around on your Kindle, Nook, etc... and audio books in your library. For swap purposes, you can limit this list to 20 books.

Make a different list of books - titles and authors - that you don't have yet, but you want to read. Maybe it's a book you have on hold at the library, or it's coming out later this year. (If you're not yet a member of Good Reads, you might want to check it out. It's a convenient way to keep track of books, and see what's coming out.) For swap purposes, you can limit this list to 20 books.

So, now you have 2 different lists of books you want to read. You will then pick 3 books from the lists and pledge to read those 3 books before June 1st.

Send the 2 lists, and the 3 books (Titles & author) you pledge to read to your partner. The lists can be hand written or typed.

If you're not sure where to start with your lists, maybe these categories will help you out:

January - any unread book ▪️February - a book gifted to you ▪️March - the book that’s been on your shelf the longest ▪️April - the book you most recently acquired ▪️May - a book you bought because of the movie/TV/theater adaptation ▪️June - a book about travel or set in a country you’ve never been to ▪️July - a book from a series on your shelf ▪️August - a book voted for you to read by Bookstagram ▪️September - a book you can buddy read with someone ▪️October - a book that scares you, whether because of length, content, or actual horror level! ▪️November - a book from your favorite genre ▪️December - the shortest book on your shelf

I don't want to overwhelm anyone (even me!) with this challenge. I'm offering it as an option to try out, and for fun. So I'm going more gently here. :) Keep a look out for part 2! :)

If anyone would like to host this swap as an email swap, or if you would join if it were email, please let me know. I'll see what we can work out. :) And please feel free to check out the forum, and share your lists!

Please send me a PM with any questions about the swap