I always start the draft for these monthly book purchase updates at the beginning of the month. It gives me a chance to look back over the previous month and encourage myself to do better.

I already feel that I’ve spent too much money on books this month – Sad, aren’t I? :)

I’m going to have to try harder. But I’m nervous about April because it is my birth month. I always find a way to indulge myself in April…

01-May-2014 Update: Yaaaay! I managed not to go over my $20 budget!!! :-D

Book: Wind Gone Mad
Author: L. Ron Hubbard
Cost: $2.99
Format: Paperback
Date Purchased: 02-Apr-2014
Notes: Shits & Giggles, plus that cover! O_o

Book: The Phoenix Endangered (The Enduring Flame #2)
Author: Mercedes Lackey, James Mallory
Cost: $4.50
Format: Hardback
Date Purchased: 02-Apr-2014
Notes: Second in a series

Book: Magic’s Pawn (The Last Herald Mage #1)
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Cost: $3.00
Format: MMPB
Date Purchased: 02-Apr-2014
Notes: Replacement for ruined copy

Book: The Felig Chronicles (The Felig Chronicles #1)
Author: P.J. Dean
Cost: $4.99
Format: ePub Ebook
Date Purchased: 04-Apr-2014
Notes: First in a series. Putting my money where my mouth is, POC characters and NTM author

April 2014 Totals:
Total Books Purchased: 4
Total Amount Spent: $15.48
Malazan Books Purchased: 0
(M) Amount Spent: $0
(O) Amount Spent: $15.48
Potential Sales Abandoned: 0
Money Saved (Lost Sales): $0.00
April Budget Available (not including Malazan purchases): $4.52

Welp, February was a total bust – I went over my budget by $50+!

I hope that I’ll exhibit more impulse control throughout March. *fingers crossed*

I’ve decided (11-Mar-2014) that it would be in my best interest to just allow all purchases of the Malazan series. My OCD will not be ok until I own the first 10 books…at least. So while I will count the Malazan purchases in the total amount spent in a month, I will NOT count the Malazan purchases towards my monthly $20 per month book budget limit. Cause I’ve already busted that bubble.

I have given some consideration into upping my book budget by $10.00 a month in order to get a handle on going overbudget. But…that’s almost like cheating (or Fed. Gov’t style math). The truth is – I need to get a handle on my spending by not buying so many books! :( So, I have decided to give it another month at $20.00.

 
 
Book: Reaper’s Gale
Author: Steven Erikson
Cost: $15.54
Format: Hardback
Date Purchased: 03-Mar-2014
Notes: 7th in series (5/10)
 
 
Book: The Rook (The Checquy Files #1)
Author: Daniel O’Malley
Cost: $7.82
Format: Hardback
Date Purchased: 09-Mar-2014
Notes: It’s been on the wishlist for some time… First in a series
 
 
Book: The Wizard Of Oz
Author: L. Frank Baum
Cost: $3.54
Format: Hardback
Date Purchased: 08-Mar-2014
Notes: For April buddy read

 
 
Book: The Witches Trilogy (Discworld #3, 6, 12)
Author: Terry Pratchett
Cost: $7.53
Format: Hardback Omnibus
Date Purchased: 21-Mar-2014
Notes: DiscWorld Collection
 
 
Book: Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead
Author: Sheryl Sandberg
Cost: $6.49
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Purchased: 27-Mar-2014
Notes: Gift
 
 
Book: Illusion
Author: Paula Volsky
Cost: $1.00
Format: Hardback
Date Purchased: 31-Mar-2014
Notes: I’ve been looking for this book forever!
 
 
Book: The Handmaid’s Tale
Author: Margaret Atwood
Cost: $1.00
Format: Hardback
Date Purchased: 31-Mar-2014
Notes:
 
 
Book: Solstice Wood (Winter Rose, #2)
Author: Patricia A. McKillip
Cost: $1.00
Format: Hardback
Date Purchased: 31-Mar-2014
Notes:
 
 
Book: Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (Dirk Gently #1)
Author: Douglas Adams
Cost: $1.00
Format: Hardback
Date Purchased: 31-Mar-2014
Notes: First in a series
 
 
Book: Cally’s War (Posleen War: Cally’s War #1)
Author: John Ringo & Julie Cochrane
Cost: $1.00
Format: Hardback
Date Purchased: 31-Mar-2014
Notes: First in a series
 
 
Book: Honor Of The Clan (Posleen War: Cally’s War #3)
Author: John Ringo & Julie Cochrane
Cost: $1.00
Format: Hardback
Date Purchased: 31-Mar-2014
Notes: 3rd in a series
 
 

March 2014 Totals:
Total Books Purchased: 11
Total Amount Spent: $46.92
Malazan Books Purchased: 1
(M) Amount Spent: $15.54
(O) Amount Spent: $31.38
Potential Sales Abandoned: 0
Money Saved (Lost Sales): $0.00
March Budget Available (not including Malazan purchases): Over Budget! by -(11.38)

I am doing four reading challenges this year! That’s right. Four. Yes. I am a little obsessed with reading, lol. I’m doing these challenges in conjunction with two bookclubs and I’m rather excited about all of them.

 
The Challenges

1. Series Challenge: This challenge is the most complex and has the most rules. It’s geared to finishing up the millions of series that we’ve all seemed to have started. You know, since no author seems to be able to write standalones anymore. *rolls eyes* This challenge is scored but I’ve not included the scoring guide here (it’s too complicated).

The Rules:

1. This is a reward based challenge, with points assigned for meeting certain goals. It is not meant to be a competition between participants. That is, you don’t have to cut each other over high scores. Your competition is yourself, and your own habits of series reading.

2. The goal is to complete one series book per month. Or two, or three. Each participant can set their own goal.

3. The reward for reaching this goal (besides knocking out series books) is a credit that you may use to start a new series. Say I reach my goal in February, then I can start a new series without a scoring penalty.

4. There is scoring, but as I said it’s a self tracking system. Yes, we’ll have an overall leader in points, but since everyone will be setting their own self-goals, the scores will mean different things to different people.

5. Points are cumulative.

2. Review Challenge: It is what it is, lol The goal is to review all the books read during 2014.

3. TBR Decimation Challenge: The goal of this challenge is to try to read as many books off of my TBR (to be read) list as possible. Considering that my TBR list has grown to the point that I have dubbed it “Mt. TBR” I think I have a pretty large selection to choose from.

4. Purchase Challenge: This will be the most difficult challenge for me in 2014. The goal of this challenge is to try to limit my book purchases to no more than $20 a month. This is going to hurt but it is what it is. I’m pretty lucky because I bought a ton of books at the end of December 2013 (that are still coming in) so I think January 2014 will be the easiest month for book purchase control for me.