Well, the theme for this month’s #ShelfLove update is about asking to be allowed a book… and I’ve really taken that upon myself lately. Heh. So in that sense, I’m afraid I don’t deserve any books. But I have been making progress, particularly on ARCs, so if Captain Marvel: Stay Fly showed up, I’d have to welcome it.

• 25/51+ already owned books read (last one recorded: Valour & Vanity, 12/05)
• Spent: £21 out of ~£30 budget (budget is 10% of my income) for January
• Spent: £20 out of ~£25 budget for February
• Spent: £22 out of ~£25 budget for March
• Spent: £15 out of ~£16 budget for April
• Spent: £30 out of ~£30 budget for May

Oops. Ouch.

Here’s my more general progress on resolutions:

• No books impulse-bought (despite my sprees, it’s all been books I’ve wanted a while)
• Read every day
• Bed before midnight (nearly every night now)
• Up before ten every day (generally eight AM now!)
• Only bought one book from a series at a time
• Posted to the blog every day
• Commented on at least one other blog every day
• Tithed 10% in January, February, March, April & May
• Done 45.5 hours volunteering total
• Reading/reviewing books from NG/etc (54% ratio)

So, yeah. Clearly, it’s only 14th May and I’m maxed on my budget, and I am going to die of withdrawal. Or something.

The time seems to be flying by, and apparently it’s time for another monthly update on this. This one’s easy for me, since I’ve been reporting my progress each month anyway. So here goes:

• 16/51+ already owned books read (last one recorded: Tropic of Serpents, 17/04)
• Spent: £21 out of ~£30 budget (budget is 10% of my income) for January
• Spent: £20 out of ~£25 budget for February
• Spent: £22 out of ~£25 budget for March
• Spent: £15 out of ~£16 budget for April

Of course, my sister has helped by wildly indulging me — she’s bought me a couple of books, lately, including the £11.99 copy of Ms Marvel: Generation Why that I wanted, and the even more expensive Angela Carter’s Book of Fairy Tales. I also had Mum pay me for some secretarial work in book vouchers. So, um. I’m cheating, a little, but in terms of my actual written down budget, I’m sticking to it. Even when it’s difficult, like this month. I’m not earning much at all, and it scares me a little.

Here’s my more general progress on resolutions:

• No books impulse-bought
• Read every day
• Bed before midnight… mostly
• Up before ten every day
• Only bought one book from a series at a time
• Posted to the blog every day
• Commented on at least one other blog every day
• Tithed 10% in January, February, March and April
• Done 32 hours volunteering total
• Reading/reviewing books from NG/etc… making some slow progress

I’m actually using a challenge on HabitRPG now to keep me accountable. There’s a big gem prize available if I lose by not reading enough by December 31st, so hopefully I’m going to do it. But it’s looking doubtful: I started with 54 books to read before I got to 80% ratio on Netgalley, and now it’s 55 thanks to some requests. Oops.

But I have been catching up with some ARCs, and I can only hope I get my skates on before December 31st.

Yes, my puns are terrible, I know. This month’s prompt from the #ShelfLove challenge is about free books: where do you get them from?

• Libraries, including their ebook services.
• Netgalley.
• Edelweiss.
• Bookbridgr.
• EbookSoda send me suggestions.
• Project Gutenberg, Feedbooks, etc.

I have a feeling that I had a brilliant idea for this list and then forgot it. Ah well: I can always add it later. And now to the general update!

• 8/51+ already owned books read
• Spent: £21 out of ~£30 budget (budget is 10% of my income) for January
• Spent: £20 out of ~£25 budget for February
• Spent: £12 out of ~£25 budget for March

As for my other resolutions:

• No books impulse-bought (two marginal; they weren’t on my list, but I was aware of and interested in them before, and I used a voucher)
• Read every day
• Bed before midnight… mostly
• Up before ten every day (now basically up before eight every day and not entirely happy about it)
• Only bought one book from a series at a time
• Posted to the blog every day
• Commented on at least one other blog every day
• Tithed 10% in January, February and March.
• Done 27 hours volunteering total
• Reading/reviewing books from NG/etc… making some slow progress

I now have a couple of challenges and stuff set up on HabitRPG to keep me accountable, too. If I don’t get to 80% feedback on Netgalley by December 31st 2015, I pay an eight gem forfeit to a random person who joined the challenge. (You can find it in the Short-Term Accountability Guild if you’re a HabitRPG fan like me!)