I blame
Phyllis Rose. She wrote
The Shelf: From LEQ to LES: Adventures in Extreme Reading which led me to grab my very own shelf at my local library.
My method of choosing my shelf was pretty quick and simple--Isabelle randomly spewed out a few numbers which led me to the shelf housing books about spiders, undersea creatures, shells and snails!! Squeal!!
I have been reading through my shelf for awhile now and have loved the journey. I also have sensed the calling of the other shelves around mine. "What about me? Pick me! Pick me!" So, I decided to read one book from each shelf in the library. WHAT?! Yes, it's crazy! Yes, it will take me forever! Yes, I wish I had a neat name for this adventure and maybe that will come later. For now, I am calling it Library Roulette.
Isabelle patiently walked around with me while I mapped out the library shelves. Friends and family gave me random numbers between 1 and 66. I assigned these numbers to the map. It sounds muddy as I explain it, but it makes sense to me and takes me to where I am supposed to be going. So, there is a map and rules. Let the fun begin!
- Counting is from left to right, top to bottom.
- This is my favorite-- if the book I land on is one I can't possibly even handle reading, I can move to the end of the shelf and do a "reverse count" but, I HAVE to keep that book.
- No Harlequin books, ever. period.
- I have to give the book a chance by reading at least 3-4 chapters.
- If I have to ditch a book, Isabelle will give me a random number and I will grab that book instead.
UPDATE: I ditched the counting method because it wasn't as fun and quirky-random as I hoped. Now, I just pick a book that catches my attention. I do try to pick books that take me out of my comfort zone. If I can't pick one then I use the counting technique.
