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It’s that time of year again to dig through my bookshelves and decide what books to keep and what books to donate. For years, I’ve hung on to books that I wanted to read but haven’t actually read.

I challenge myself to read books I’ve been given, or have been sitting on my shelf, by choosing 12 books – one per month – for the year. Can I read more? Sure! But I choose 12 books off the shelf that I’ve not read then commit to reading those books in one year.

Sounds easy: 12 books, 12 months in a year, 1 book a month?

It is. Totally doable.

So I jumped in to join: In April! I was fashionably late to the party, and I’m so happy I joined. Simply making the commitment to read more just for myself enabled me to carve out time to read for myself nearly daily. It’s helped me start new habits as I begin this new chapter of my life.

Now I invite you to join in!

You? Yes You!

Simply go to your bookshelves, e-readers, a friend, or family bookshelf and choose 12 books you already own. Snap an image, draw a picture, make a list, and commit to reading those books in 2017!

I would love to see what you’re reading and hear how you liked your choices. What made you choose the book? Where did you get it? Can you even remember why those books are there? If you blog, Tweet, or Instagram, ping back to this post with your list. A sort of friendly-to-yourself to do with what you have and allow yourself to be a bit grace and space in completing it!

What is Recylced Reads 2017?

The gist: Read what you have on your shelf. If you’ve read it all, then swap books with friends, enjoy a trip to the library to find a dozen you’d like to read, or classics you may have missed along the way, and read away.

The rules: There really are no rules — it’s all about giving yourself the grace and space to take the time for you. I enjoy reading, so naturally, this is a challenge I could embrace.

My dozen are books for 2017:

• The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
• The Pearl by John Steinbeck
• The Sword and the Stone by T.H.White
• Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
• King Arthur and his Knights complied and arranged by Elizabeth Lodor Merchant {book link similar}
• The Night Trilogy by Elie Wiesel
• Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
• Homegrown: Adventures in Parenting Off the Beaten Path by Ben Hewitt
• Lassie Come-Home by Eric Knight
• Rising Strong by Brene Brown

Give yourself the grace and space to take the time for you. I enjoy reading, so naturally, this is a challenge I could embrace.

However…

The other books I didn’t quite fit into last year’s list, but may try to read in 2017:

Thanks to Prabhat, of Dancing with Mosquitoes, for introducing me to, and encouraging me, to do join the 2016 Recycled Book Reading Challenge!

What books on your shelf are waiting to be read?

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