Clean Your Reader: A Wrap-Up (and For Me, Lessons Learned)

But first, an apology: I've been a terrible host of the CleanYourReader challenge. So much so that many of you probably don't even know it's been an ongoing thing that some readers (myself very much not included) have been participating in with all the diligence I'd hoped to inspire in myself.

The goal for Clean Your Reader was simple: Over a three-month time period (January to March), make an effort to finally, finally read all the e-books collecting dust on our e-readers. Some participants did a great job. I, on the other hand, read one e-book. One!


In the same three-month time period, I read 10 of my own damn books for Andi's concurring Read My Own Damn Books event, so it wasn't due to a lack of flexible reading time. Or even a lack of interest in the books I own digitally. It's just that when I think of sitting down to read, I don't think of my e-reader--and when I do think of it, I actively choose not to read on it.

There are two exceptions to this rule: digital galleys (I prefer paper for many reasons, but it is much, much easier to request and receive digital galleys) and reading when traveling (when I load my reader up with said digital galleys and/or e-books from the library or B&N sales). But outside of these two very specific reading experiences (both of which are notably driven by convenience, not preference) I don't actually like reading ebooks.

The moral of all of this is that I really, really need to stay away from ebook sales, and just own up to the fact that I prefer my books on paper. 

Though I myself failed utterly at my own challenge, I'd love to hear how things went for you if you were participating! Feel free to link up below:

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(A somewhat-related aside: I'm contemplating giving up on my rapidly dying, 6-year-old e-ink Nook in favor of the cheapest Amazon Kindle available, mostly because loading digital galleys onto a Kindle can be done via email instead of download, DRM check, and file transfer. Others who read copious amounts of review copies digitally, any words of wisdom on this?)