One reason I was hesitant to clean up and put all my books on one shelf? I didn’t want to lose sight of the books I’d already started.
I usually “read” multiple books in parallel. It’s not that I’m constantly jumping, but if I have a few options, that makes it more likely I’ll pick up some book whenever I feel like reading. I might not be in the mood for a biography, but maybe a classic will do? I mostly read nonfiction in the mornings and fiction at night. And so on.
Before my cleaning event, I was “reading” 12 books with a pile of five more for writing research sitting on our couch. Once I took an honest look, however, I had to admit: These were books I barely started or read halfway and then abandoned years ago. It’s not that I was never going to finish them—but I would have to try again. Restart properly, since I’d lost all context to begin with.
One book I leafed through and decided I wasn’t going to read all of it. I had read the parts relevant to me, and that was okay. So I reviewed it on Goodreads and closed that chapter. As for the rest? They would remain just as accessible to me on my shelf than scattered around the house in plain view. Fewer triggers to continue reading them, perhaps, but if I hadn’t done so in years, maybe that wasn’t a bad sign. Instead, I’d now simply have to be more deliberate about picking them back up.
Right now, I’m only reading one book, and it’s nice. It feels different. Focused. I’m sure I’ll add more titles into the mix before long. But it was a good lesson to learn: It’s okay to re-shelve books you’ve started.
