The Dusty Bookshelf discussion

I was just curious what everyone is counting as dusty. I was looking at book I've read so far this year and trying to decide whether they are "dusty" or not. How long would you say they'd have been on the shelf? 3 months? 6 months? a year?

I know there's no specific rule on what makes it dusty or not, I was just curious what others were using as their mark point.

That's actually a really good question.

Um for me it's a lot of the the older books that I have had for a while that I know I should read but put off for the library books. :D

But I'll probably count some that have been on my 2-reads for a long time. :D

I think "dusty" is going to be different for everyone, and kind of an arbitrary line. I have a friend I'm trying desperately to get her to join this group, and she keeps hollering at me that she has no dusty books. LOL

I think whatever has been on your list the longest totally qualifies. If you have nothing that's been on your shelves, or on your tbr virtual list, for longer than a month, then so be it. Month-long books are the dustiest. ;)

My 2 cents there. :D

I'm counting anything that I've had since before the start of the year, but especially anything I've had for years.

I know that some others are including books that they haven't owned, but have wanted to read for a long time. Those count as being on the virtual dusty bookshelf in their heads (we all have those, too, don't we?). I personally have so many, many books already that I haven't gotten to yet, so I'm using this for motivation to read some of those, rather than buying new books for the challenge.

Any way you want to interpret it is fine, I think!

Basically I'm counting anything I own (book or ebook) and then anything that has been on my TBR (virtual) for a year or more. This will encourage me to read either stuff I already own or stuff I've been meaning to read for a really long time vs. the stuff that just came out or was just added to the list.

I was just gonna read things that I keep thinking "I should really read that" and I know I won't unless making the firm decision to. Since my Goodreads account is new so I can't go by that:P

Mostly the books I consider dusty are any I was/am excited to read... yet I'm still procrastinating. For example, I've been meaning to read LOTR since I finished the Hobbit in fourth grade - I'm now about to graduate and still haven't read it. Meanwhile another book on my list has only been released for a few weeks now - but I find it's collecting dust already! (Though having a bookshelf next to a gerbil cage certainly helps speed up the dust process...)

What an awesome discussion topic! I am counting books that I bought and haven't read that I've had on my shelf for over a year. My goal is to get to buying ebooks most of the time so I have room on my bookshelf for my absolute favorites or signed books. I am always reading the newest books and without a goal or challenge, I would neglect and never read my books that I own!

OKay, having 5,600+ physical books in the house, alot of them are dusty. lol I just picked 5 I've owned for at least more than a year, some longer than that, that I've been meaning to get to but for whatever reason havn't yet.

I counted any book that I own but haven't read. Some of those I've had for just a few months and others I've had for a few years. I think it just depends on what you really want to count, and for me, something to focus on to stop buying new books, hahah.

Oh Thalia - I'm on that sort of challenge right now too! It's definitely money saving.

For me, 'dusty' books are the ones I've had (eBook form too) for at least a year. Now, as some of those on my eBook were those 'free downloads' that I got for Xmas 2010 when I first had my eBook, they all fell into the category right after christmas - gee thanks Sony :S

I've added anything I haven't read that's been on my bookshelf for a year (many more years in some cases).

My tbr pile is 150+ books and that's just the books I own. I have several wishlists on amazon, too. So for this challenge I just picked 40 books of the ones I owned and were bought before 2012. Some of those books I just bought in 2011, some I've had for years.

I have a List...used to be on Excel. . . but with Goodreads I've transfered them! My Dusty books are one's I've wanted to read (whether I own them physically or on my kindle) and haven't gotten around to it. I have many more than this challenge...but honestly I picked what I thought would pose me the most challange...I figured if I told someone else I was gonna read it, I would have to follow through...so while I have over 600 on my TBR list that I've wanted to read for more than a year (some MUCH more than that!)...I picked the 20 that I thought would give me the biggest challenge...IF I get through those, I've got plenty more to add!...but I'm forcing myself to get through those before I add any more to THIS list! :)

In one of the groups I participate in on shelfari.com we have an interesting game going on.

To make your "gameboard" you make a list of books from your TBR list and number them 1-100 (you can repeat an individual book to make your gameboard, but no more than 4 times). You then roll 2 dice (you can use http://www.random.org/dice/?num=2) and whatever you land on is the book you read. The person who rolls OFF the board first (AND writes a review on each book read) wins.

I have no hope of winning but it's forcing me to get to some books I've been meaning to read.

I have lots of dusty bookshelves!

well i guess to me a "Dusty" book, well tendsto be dusty, somthing you were planing on reading but changed your mind and its been sitting there, just waiting, Or one of thos books you just bought cus you really wanted to read it but for some reason you didnt end up reading it and forgot about it. Though i also think a "dusty" book could be the well worn one that youve read a thousand times that after reading a ton of other books you always go back to it over the years no mater how old it is (if you get what i mean)

Haven Angel wrote: Though i also think a "dusty" book could be the well worn one that youve read a thousand times that after reading a ton of other books you always go back to it over the years no mater how old it is

Oh, Haven, I love that!

Dalynn wrote: "I think "dusty" is going to be different for everyone, and kind of an arbitrary line. I have a friend I'm trying desperately to get her to join this group, and she keeps hollering at me that she ha..."

Alright, alright...I joined already are you happy??? I still say I haven't got a dusty book, but for me I'm going to say if the book has been released at least 2 years ago (even if it's new to me) then it's a dusty book! :)

YAAAAAYYY!!! *another party*

Dalynn wrote: "Haven Angel wrote: Though i also think a "dusty" book could be the well worn one that youve read a thousand times that after reading a ton of other books you always go back to it over the years no ..."

Well said!

I will have to consider books that were recently added to my to-reads dusty books. Some of them I have had so long, I forgot I even owned them. Suddenly, I will see them in someone's reviews, or to-read list, and I think, "Hey! I have that book!" Of course, I have not read them, even though I have owned some of them for most of my 20's.

Dalynn wrote: "Haven Angel wrote: Though i also think a "dusty" book could be the well worn one that youve read a thousand times that after reading a ton of other books you always go back to it over the years no ..."

thanks :)

April wrote: "Dalynn wrote: "Haven Angel wrote: Though i also think a "dusty" book could be the well worn one that youve read a thousand times that after reading a ton of other books you always go back to it ove..."

thanks:)

I have two categories: first bought or started over 6 months ago; and 2-3 + years ago. (That one is a bit more fluid as some of the books bought in, say, 2010, feel old to me, and some don't.)

I don't really use these for anything except satisfaction at having read some of them finally, or for tutting at how many of them there are.

I don't include books which I am satisfied I abandoned because I really didn't like them, or books I no longer want to read.

Just finished a book I first bought in 2004 and never even started before. That's one of my oldest so far.

Jaynessa wrote: "Dalynn wrote: "I think "dusty" is going to be different for everyone, and kind of an arbitrary line. I have a friend I'm trying desperately to get her to join this group, and she keeps hollering at..."

Welcome to the group! :)

Dusty for me is something that's been on my to-be-read list (TBR) for more than a year. I just started reading a book a couple of days ago that I found available for ereader at the library, and that's been on my TBR since 2010, so it's gonna count!

Originally, it was just going to be books that I've wanted to read for a REALLY long time, like more than 10 years, but as it is, just about every book I have is dusty under my new guidelines. The dustiest book I have right now is Singularity which I was so excited about, I went out and bought it in hardcover, but I gave it to my husband to read first. Not only did I never get back to it, my HUSBAND never read it, either!

The only two non-dusty book I have in my sights are Garden Spells and Deadlocked,the new Sookie Stackhouse that hasn't been released yet.

For the purposes of the challenge I defined a 'dusty book' as one that I've owned for a least 7 years and must have been published at least 7 years ago. I made exception though, a book that was published only 5 years ago. This was because I've packed my books for a move and was working on memory.
I did this to ensure that some of my oldest books will be read. If I manage to get through the 20 I selected early enough, then I'll pick anything I've had for 2 or more years.

Well, first of all books which are on my shelf for like 5+ years.
Secondly, I follow Ruth's statement about books that you must read but still didn't do. Sometimes I buy book with the idea to read it immediately but then a year has passed and I still haven't read the book. So these books also count. An example isUit Vrije Wil - Waardig sterven op hoge leeftijd. (A Dutch book about euthanasia for 70+ people) and some books which are schoolrelated

I'm counting only books on my physical bookshelf, that I've been meaning to read but haven't. Most of them I just had to have, but when I finally got them I figured I'd get to them "later." A few I've had for years, some I got fairly recently. All of them were purchased before the beginning of the year though. I don't want to count my virtual TBR pile, because I own almost 100 books that I just haven't gotten around to yet.

I keep my tbr list(s) in excel (two separate spreadsheets), so they aren't in this database, and I never recorded what date I added them to the list. I DO know that the second spreadsheet began with books I was adding to the TBR effective Jan 1, 2011. So, for me, my "dusty" shelf is anything that was on my TBR before I started my second spreadsheet. I do not necessarily own all those books (though I own plenty of books I haven't read yet), but I've wanted to get to them for a while.

Autumn wrote: "I will have to consider books that were recently added to my to-reads dusty books. Some of them I have had so long, I forgot I even owned them. Suddenly, I will see them in someone's reviews, or to..."

I have quite a few books that I've had so long, I forgot I even owned them. Probably how I ended up with two copies of Portrait of a Lady and still haven't read either one! LOL

Barbara wrote: "Autumn wrote: "I will have to consider books that were recently added to my to-reads dusty books. Some of them I have had so long, I forgot I even owned them. Suddenly, I will see them in someone's..."

I've only done that once - bought a book twice - and it was The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers. Thankfully, one was from a used book store, so it didn't cost me much money.

The fact that I own two of the same book would certainly motivate me to read it! I must really want to read it, right? So I did finally read it.

Ruth wrote: "Barbara wrote: "Autumn wrote: "I will have to consider books that were recently added to my to-reads dusty books. Some of them I have had so long, I forgot I even owned them. Suddenly, I will see t..."
I love that book!
I'm including in my count some big fat books that I own that ALWAYS get put aside because they are intimidating ~~I know that I will love them once I start but it's the getting started that's difficult!

My shelved books have all been read. I have several piles of unread books on tables in the living room/library. These are the books I intend to read next. I consider dusty those books that I keep putting at the bottom of the piles so have been there for a year or longer. These are mostly older books because I read the new ones right away.

Tracy wrote: "Ruth wrote: "Barbara wrote: "Autumn wrote: "I will have to consider books that were recently added to my to-reads dusty books. Some of them I have had so long, I forgot I even owned them. Suddenly,..."

hahahaha so true, but i encourage myself to read continuously, cos I know that once I stop for too long like a couple days or week or more weeks, I might not pick up a book for a long time :D

but yea goodreads help me keep the pace :P

Barbara wrote: "Autumn wrote: "I will have to consider books that were recently added to my to-reads dusty books. Some of them I have had so long, I forgot I even owned them. Suddenly, I will see them in someone's..."

I've done that with quite a few of my books, therefor ending up with two copies. Oh well, I like having two different editions anyway! I'm also considering my "Grungy" books, anything I have had for years.....and that's a lot!! And the date it was published!

My Goodreads account is also fairly new...so my dusty books are any that I own, since I cut myself off from buying any a while ago! I got to be a book collector instead of reader, so my dusty bookshelf is rather large. hehe

Beth wrote: "My Goodreads account is also fairly new...so my dusty books are any that I own, since I cut myself off from buying any a while ago! I got to be a book collector instead of reader, so my dusty book..."

I tend to buy books that I think will be good for me like old tomes and classics, but I find it really hard to motivate myself to actually read them. And the sad thing is, I usually really like them! I don't know what my problem is. LOL

Lol I finally had to admit, I like the look and idea of books...but the convenience of audiobooks and my kindle. I'm saving some money this way too. :) and I only have so much space...

I still snag collector editions and classics though! And children's books. Lots of em. Lol

I have only had my goodreads account for like a month. So what I consider dusty is the books I have been meaning to read for at least 3-4 months or longer. Working at my local library has made this list extremely long and it gets longer everyday.

Lol Kelly! I can only imagine! Thanks for telling me about GR. I'm such a bookworm now. ;)

Glad you like it Beth. Told you it would be addicting. BTW Thanks for finding this group I joined it cuz you were in it and I really like it!!

I'm glad! Being on GR has definitely got me reading more and I love this group for getting me to read those I've left sitting around too long! :)
The one I'm working on now is fun and on my LOST (Longest on Shelf To-be-read)...definitely dusty! Lol

lol this is on my long to read shelf to I loved the title and really like the boots on the front cover! I have really weird reasons for wanting to read books. lol : )

Not really. That's what grabbed me too! lol

To be honest...half the books I bother to pick out and read the flap...are because of the cover!

They really pull at ya! I just put down a book I wasn't loving, and the hero's picture on the front was not attractive, so I couldn't be pursuaded to continue. How sad is that?? lol Really, he was ugly and it put me off. Arrogant-looking, just like the character, so the book had to go! I can only take so much. haha

I have a book I just finished that I bought within the past month, so I didn't consider it dusty. Personally, I think anything that has been sitting on my shelf for 3 or 4 months+ is dusty. I have many books that I've had since last summer and early fall, so I have books that have been sitting around longer than that even, but anything bought/checked out from the library less than 2 months ago isn't dusty, unless you've been *wanting* to read it forever, of which there are also some of those for me :) Like another post mention, all arbitrary and personal opinion, but that's kind of my guide post :)