*Update: Since I didn’t quite manage to get this one read in February, but I know some others did, I’m extending it to be our March Book Club Selection. Please use this extra time to to join in!

Our selection for February, The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg is the last of  your choices from the  poll we had back in September to help us pick some great reads. We felt this one was fitting for this month, so please join us in reading and discussing The Lonely Hearts Club!

Here’s a bit about the book from Amazon:

After a devastating betrayal by the boy she thought she was destined to be with forever, Penny Bloom swears off guys and quietly starts the Lonely Hearts Club. To her surprise, many of her girlfriends are also sick of high-school guys and want to join. The club grows and becomes an influential social force as members meet every Saturday night, go to dances together, and support one another in their academic and extracurricular pursuits. But conflict arises when the school administration fears the group is getting too powerful and “making the boys feel bad,” and Penny finds herself torn between her no-boy pledge and the courteous advances of one of the nicest guys she knows.

This one really suits my mood for this month, I look forward to discussing it with you at the end of February!

We’re one month into the new year and I think I’m doing pretty good on my Frugal Reader Challenge. I’ve bought only one book so far this year, and it was our bookclub selection for January, so it wasn’t even an impulse purchase. I used gift cards for the majority of the cost, but the cards I had with me came up a bit short so I ended up having to spend $3.25. Which is not so bad, but then I actually made that back (see below).

This challenge is not only to save money, but also to reduce the book pile. I’ve succeeded on this front in two ways. First, I read three books off the TBR pile – two of which had been on the shelf for over a year! And I’m now reading my fourth. Second, I did my first big purge and took 15 books to the used book store, and set 5 books aside to give to friends. The Book Market only ended up taking six of the books, but I did get $4.20 so I am now ahead in the savings dept! Yay me. I then took the remaining books to the library, which takes used books as donations and re-sells them in their own used book store. There were a few books from the TBR pile among the donations, so after 3 weeks here’s where I’m at:

• TBR pile down 6 books!
• 1 new book acquired.
• 20 books off the shelf.
• 0$ spent.

My bookshelf space is likely to be reduced by about half, so I still have a long way to go, but so far so good. How are you doing on your reading goals this year?