Now that I have over a thousand posts under my belt, what next?

How about over a thousand books?

The picture above is a filtered version of my classroom library that I had to bring home (I gave away close to five hundred of them). Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, schools are not allowing us to bring in our own furniture into the classroom in order create enough space for distancing desks.

Thus, I created space in my home for the foreseeable future. So, why not make the best out of a situation?

That’s why I present:

Operation: ROL (Read Out Library)

While I’ve read a good chunk of the books on those shelves, each one I brought in was done by recommendation or interest. At some point, I would like to read all of them.

I also have a ton of books on my Kindle that are unread, but again, I really want to read at some point.

Why not make that some point right now?

The plan is to catalogue each book in a simple database and check them off as I read them. To stay disciplined, I’m going to have to avoid buying new ones impulsively.

Understanding there’s always going to be something new and interesting each year, I’m setting a hard cap at only being able to purchase five.

This is going to be an exciting long-term challenge and given the variety of titles I have, I don’t anticipate I’ll get bored with what’s available.

Once the database is curated, I’ll make a section on my website to keep track of my progress and offer reviews along the way.

The timeframe of this challenge is tough to call. My current pace is 80-100 books a year, sometimes less.

Given that I am a full-time teacher with various other projects on the go, it might take a bit longer. However, my pace seems to increase the older my kids get, so who knows?

One thing is for certain:

At the end of this challenge, I will confidently be able to say that I fully enjoyed what I already have…

And read a lot of damn good books.