The Picky Pledge

Yesterday, I shared my 2014 reading stats with all of you. There were some stats that pleased me tremendously, and some that made me want to hide under a blanket with shame. But overall, the stats gave me a new perspective on my reading and book buying habits. With fresh resolve, I'm determined to change the status quo this year - and this is part of how I intend to do so.

I'm tremendously thrilled to bring you an in-depth post detailing everything there is to know about The Picky Pledge. This pledge is a joint venture with Hannah of So Obsessed With, inspired by a discussion we had about how much we wanted to be more intentional about what books we chose to read in 2015 (whether for review or not). While being accountability partners is a personal choice, we thought it would be fun to share what we're doing with all of you.

We, Alexa and Hannah, hereby pledge to return to the reading days of old - to browse the backlist, to revisit old favorites and to remember that it’s not ALL about acquiring more books to read. With this pledge, we commit to reading a limited number of review books this year, to being more selective about what books we buy and to holding each other accountable when bright and shiny things tempt us to stray from this course. And now, by the power vested in us, we declare 2015: “The Year of The Picky Pledge.”

MY GOAL: 60 REVIEW BOOKS

1. Any review book published in 2015 counts in the overall total - no matter when or how it was acquired. 
2. When given the opportunity to read something for review, we must consult with one another before: 
• accepting a publicist/publisher review request. 
• hitting the “Request” button. 
• borrowing an ARC with the intention to read for review prior to the book’s publication.* 
3. Review books procured at an event, such as BEA, will only count if you read the book. 
4. If you do not finish a review book, you may remove it from your overall total. 
5. Exceptions can be made for books in a series if we have already reached the review book limit. 

* Exceptions may apply, and borrowed ARCs will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

If you end up at GO: Get excited, because you are totally buying this book! It looks like you'll be reading it in a decent amount of time, and not letting it languish forever in your TBR. Plus, let's face it, you can't let a good deal or something from a favorite slip out of your hands! You deserve this book, and it deserves a spot on your shelves. Now, go on, grab your card or cash and get to buying this book, pronto!

If you end up at STOP: Now, now, now, hold your horses. Take a deep breath and repeat after me, "Don't buy this book." It's not like you will never get the chance to buy it again. And if you want to read it? Well, you could always opt to borrow it from the library or from a friend. Put your wallet away, let your cards relax and go take some time to dig through your TBR. There's definitely something in there that will satiate your reading thirst, I guarantee it.

And there you have it, folks, what The Picky Pledge is all about. I had so much fun brainstorming this with Hannah. I hope you enjoyed it, and perhaps you'll even feel a little inspired to make a pledge of your own this year! We'll both have pages on our blogs dedicated to keeping track of our progress, so feel free to drop by and see how we've been doing at any point this year. Let us know what you this of The Picky Pledge in the comments!