For being the shortest month of the year, February was a very long month … 28 days that will forever be known as BLOB Month!
It turns out that I AM A BIG LOSER (OF BOOKS), but not The Biggest Loser (of Books)! That title belongs to Nicole at Linus’ Blanket - congrats, Nicole! Our final scores are online; some of the competitors are overachievers 
, but we were all in the negative numbers, so we were all losers (that is, winners, as we had a net loss of points over the month).
How did I do? Comfortably just above the middle, with -118 points at the end of the month. Remember, we lost points for each book we gave away (73 books), but gained points for each book we acquired. I gained points for one planned purchse (at a book signing), six pitches that I accepted (3 in the last week of the month, when my resistance was weakened), and one that I won in a giveaway.
One of my goals was to donate/share enough books that I would make space on the bookcases to get the stacks of books off the floor. I didn’t quite get there, but I have moved dozens of them, and neatened and organized the stacks that remain.
I knew I had a problem when I was checking my fiction shelves and squeezed one more book in … the shelf broke! Talk about the straw that broke the camel’s back!
There lie the victims of this tragedy; it’s as if they attempted to stay alphabetized as they came crashing to the floor – O’Connor, Ogawa, Parkhurst … and Oates, my beloved Oates.
Tragically, High Lonesome suffered a broken spine and crushed shoulders (corners). I’m especially saddened, as this was a signed copy I picked up at a reading in 2006.
When my kids’ books come unglued or have pages torn, I send them to the ‘book hospital’ where Dr. Mom repairs them with state-of-the-art surgical equipment – Scotch tape, Elmer’s school glue, and rubber bands. After the injuries set for 24 hours, they’re good as new.
I’m not sure such archaic methods will cure my High Lonesome. Any suggestions?
And, yes, I’ve learned my lessons:
- Don’t overstuff the bookcase
- Be judicious in adding books to my home library
- Be generous in sharing books that I don’t plan to read (or re-read)
I’m a #BLOB loser, and proud of it!
Congratulations on doing so well with BLOB! I wish I knew where to have your book repaired – maybe your local library knows someone?
Great summary post!! And I’m still sobbing over your Oates book.
But like you said, anyone in negative numbers was a winner — and that’s all of us. The best fun is still to come: Victory gathering at BEA.
Congratulations on your BLOB success!
I am so sorry to hear about the injury of a beloved book. I hope you are able to find a literary hospital or clinic sometime soon and the book is back to its old self in no time.
You did great! BLOB was hard but so much fun and it was worth it since it changed the way I buy books.
I’m with Kathy: your local library should know where you can go to have your book repaired.
I think a broken bookcase should’ve been worth major points (in a bad way) for the BLOB game. Poor books…look at them, they’re staring reproachfully at you.
I am very very impressed by your final count. -118 is nothing to scoff at. I’m doing a modified and perpetual BLOB (posted about it here) and I am still very much in the positives.
All you guys did well, and it was fun hearing about your trials and tribulations. Cleaning off my shelves is my next big project, or I may suffer a similar fate as you. I repair books in our school library, but it doesn’t extend beyond book glue and rubber bands. I hope you can find some expert advice!
I hope you learned your lesson, young lady
Congrats on being a BLOB!
Wish I had some advice about the book, but I feel your pain. I overstuffed one of my shelves awhile back and came home from work to find a major collapse. I was so frustrated, but hubby stepped in and straightened everything up, thank goodness.
Ive had a shelf crack.
Congrats .. I think. I kept getting confused what was good in this challenge!
Congratulations. I have noted your tips and will be taking some of them to heart. I seriously need to take stock and loose some books.
Sorry to hear about your broken book, but glad that you were able to earn so many points with the book losses. Maybe you can take the book to the library and have it repaired. At the very least, they may be able to tell you who could fix it for you.
Ok, first off, I’m reading my first Joyce Carol Oates right now (The Gravedigger’s Daughter) and every time I finish a section I feel that I may just go jump off a cliff. The depressing circumstances of that novel are killing me. If you love her, I’m holding our hope, but seriously. This is brutal.
For your special book repair, if you’re in good graces with your kids’ school librarian, and if you were to say, trade them some volunteer time or some cookies perhaps, for a little repair job, they might be able to help you out.
I never, ever, ever give away books! They are part of my past, my present and my future. Every spine has a story to tell apart from what’s inside. Every book has its own smell, it’s own memories. I could never part with any of them. So you see, I would be the worst Blob ever! Nice blog.
Oh no. The shelf broke…Anna’s had that issue. I haven’t yet, but maybe soon if I don’t watch myself. Thanks for sharing with us your progress. Keep up the good work
Thanks for the accolades, everyone! I definitely have learned some lessons during February … and they seem to be carrying over on a modified scale.
And thanks, too, for the tips on getting that book fixed. It’s on my to-do list, but in the meantime, it’s back in the bookcase on a nice sturdy shelf!