Bookish Existential Crisis Averted! (for now!)

Many thanks to all of you who listened to me bemoan my first world problem of not being able to organize my reading and getting my panties all in a wad over what to do.  The full post is here, but here are my final options I narrowed down:

1. Chuck everything out the non-literal window including my promise to not read library books until September 1st.  Re-integrate ALL my books from my TBR pile and visit the library.  Read a mish-mash of "new" books off my shelves and visit the library.  Go crazy.
2. Keep my current July TBR pile, but chuck the challenges.  Stay off the library books until August 1st.
3. Get rid of most of the challenges except for a few, stay off the library books until September 1st.
4. Put on my big girl panties, bite the bullet, and finish the challenges .... or at the very least keep going until the end of the year. 

I had 11 people comment and offer advice and although most of you recommended going with option #2, I decided that the J function of my INFJ personality would go with #2.  I have my current TBR pile, but with the option to chuck anything I don't want to read.  I'm chucking all the challenges excepting for the ones I'm good at completing (short stories, chunksters, etc...).  I'm planning a big ole library trip on August 1st and I have several books I'm ILLing at the time.

And now to the giveaway!  Catherine is the winner of the $10 giftcard to Thriftbooks.  Shoot me your email and I'll get to you!



I really do appreciate all the help.  I've tucked away several good ideas for managing myself next year (keeping in mind there will be a newborn and I'll be lucky to do any reading at all!).  Here is my favorite piece of advice:

 Zelma said.."I don't see why you can't have your cake and eat it too. :) First chuck all reading obligations out the window. Reading should never be this stressful and I see way too many bloggers get too wrapped up in the need to complete challenges. Don't formally join challenges, just write out and plan the lists as if you were joining them. You can have the fun of list-making and discussing challenges, but without the actual need to complete them. Read what you want. If they fit a hypothetical challenge - great. If not, no harm." 

 I love that idea.  I don't have to be all super-anal about everything.  I can make lists and plan without the official joining.  Brilliant.

Next on the list is to chuck the challenges listed over there >>>>>>>>>>>  but first I want to redesign a few bloggish things and add something pretty.  I don't want miles of white space!