Books

Wow. 16 books. Those were the days.

I own an estimated 2000 TBR. And still they keep creeping in...

I generally just grab whatever I'm in the mood for.

Fewer than a dozen of these I consider keepable. Reference. Collectible.

I don’t organize it. I page through my kindle library til I find something that appeals to me at that moment. Figuring out a thing to read has never been a problem for me!

I have an order, but it's kinda random, and if I feel like reading one more than another I will.

The order is more for when I don't know which book to pick next but I want to read something.

I don’t care about TBR anymore. There are way too many. So I have hundreds of books in lists that WBNTR, would be nice to read. But I know I will never read them all, so I stopped thinking about it.

By originally date published, oldest to newest

Wait....we're suppose to organize them!? 🤣

i have a 'read next' list. which is no more than 10 books that are loaded on my tablet and ready to be read at a moment's notice.

i have a general TBR list which is a bit over 600, which i check when my 'read next' list needs to be refilled.

and i also have a subsection in the TBR list 'complete' for series that are done and i don't have to wait for sequels to.

I have too many. They're organised roughly by fiction and non fiction though, as I tend to read one of each at a time, so it's easy to see what's what.

I have two complementary systems:

1. An ever-growing list of books I want to read on Goodreads. In the past it grew faster than I went through it; this year I've been pretty good about reading books from the list, so it's hovered around 200 books all year.

2. Piles of unread books left haphazardly around the house. I get around to reading some of them eventually.

I only barely organise mine and that's stretching the definition of the word tbh. I have hundreds of unread books and I'm a huge mood reader so I've never ever managed to stick to a plan or system. the only thing I really do is loosely keeping track of upcoming sequels and such because I'm trying to kick the habit of buying a series when I haven't even read the first book. so I have a little mental pile of "try to read these asap maybe" and that's pretty much it.

I don't usually keep a TBR, but I have one right now because I have a number of books I want to finish before year-end, and my strategy is simply not reading anything that's not on that list unless or until everything is finished. I expect it to take me pretty much right up to December 31st or a couple of days before.

I will say, I see the massive TBRs people have on Goodreads and it just seems pointless and stupid. I don't see what value a 1000+ book TBR has if you only read 20 books a year.

If you are someone who enjoys buying books, a complete ban will likely fail. If you are someone who prefers to read 1 book at a time, this will likely not be fun. If you are someone who hates to have a deadline to read a book, this will likely feel more like school or work than a fun leisure activity.

One of my goals this year was to finish the last 25 books that moved with me a few years ago. I read an average of 12 books per month (I'm retired so I have lots of time to read), but I actually listen to more books than I read in print and I have other reading goals. So I gave myself the year to read the 25, so that's only 2 per month. I also joined a challenge to help me choose what to read next. I love participating in challenges, so I found one that is specific to TBR lists.

My suggestion to you is to think about what is most important to you when it comes to reading. Create a plan and review it regularly and adjust as necessary. If you love buying books and don't think you'll be able to not buy while you're working your way through your currently owned and unread, maybe allow yourself a new book after you read 3 owned books. You may also want to try to read more than 1 book at a time to see if it works for you.

I do enjoy reading multiple books at a time, but I do it for specific reasons. I usually have a print, ebook, and audiobook going at all times. They have to be very different genres and I read each format at a different pace. I can listen to an average length audiobook in 2 days, ebook in about a week, but print can take me more than 2 weeks. That may also be because most of my print books are nonfiction which just takes me longer to digest the material than a fictional mystery.

I remember when I first started my Kindle reading experiences I had 300 books at one point and was freaked out thinking I had too many. My TBR list is broken into two categories. The first category is what I called "up next", this is for the books that I really want to read and are putting it above all the others. And then the next is the plain TBR list which is books that are most likely to be the next in a series of books I've already gotten into. The best way to tackle it simply just pick a book and read it. Reading should not be considered a chore, you should never feel anxiety over your TBR list. If you're reading actual books, consider putting them on your bookcase without the spines showing and do a "mystery book". If you pull a random book out of your shelf not even knowing what it is, and open it to the first page without even looking at the title and just start reading, there is an actual game in that. Guessing what book you're reading. It's kind of hard to do on a kindle, but being able to pull a book off a shelf opening it up to the first page and not knowing what it is is very exciting. Only do it with books that you really certain you want to read.

I separate my reading into work reading and pleasure reading. Work reading may not always be fun, but I treat it as a job and just do it. Pleasure reading is what I am in the mood for and I don't have set targets other than reading for at least an hour a day. I think setting book targets for the year kinda distracts from the point of reading, for me anyways, which is the enjoyment of the story, however long that takes me to finish.

But I'd say you are probably reading 3 books at a time, which is a little hefty if it is not for school or anything because you want to go out and buy more books, perhaps because you aren't that interested in reading the books you already have. Maybe just try reading consistently and enjoying one book at a time, there's no rush. You might even get through them faster that way.

Typically I only have one or two books waiting TBR, however, sometimes things to pile up. In this case I not only had a bunch of pre-orders release at the same time but I also found some good deal on ebay on books I'd been looking for for a while now. When things do start to pile up I also stop buying books (unless it's a good deal and I'll definitely read them later). I also read them first in, first out, unless they need to be read in a specific order.

I tend to read a mix of graphic novels and regular novels so I usually have one of each going at a time. My reward for finishing though is getting to read the next book or, if my TBR is empty, buying more books. :)

My TBR list is broken down into 3 categories; owned, library & to buy. I have in mind a shortlist of the next few books I intend to read, but this is flexible depending on mood & circumstances (e.g. priorty to bookclub, next in series & books borrowed from a friend or library). I read one book at a time.

The owned TBR shelf contains ~160 books sorted into sections; series, fiction, short stories, non-fiction (sorted by subject e.g. travel, biographies, art).

In a spreadsheet. I have 3 tabs; Jewish non-fiction, non-fiction, fiction. I also put in;

• Genre
• Title
• Author
• Notes
• Does the library have it/Do I own it?
• Publisher if from academic press so I can watch for sales

What is this “organize” of which you speak?

WTF is a TBR? I go buy a book. I read it. I find the next book I want to read, buy it, and read it. rinse and repeat. Life is too unpredictable to have a TBR list.

I don't. It's over 600 books long.

,laughs while looking at a tbr stored in a five foot tall bookcase

I have a queue, which is really messy little stacks separated out from the bookshelf in order of what to read next. I tend to read like a snake, large amounts over short periods of time, then nothing at all for awhile. I read on average 40-50 books a year of varying lengths, usually 300-1000 pages, but probably an average of 600 pages per book.

Rookie numbers

I try to keep my TBR under 10 (different to my wish list which is books I want to read but don't have yet). If it goes over 10 I feel like I am just collecting books for the sake of it, which is not my hobby - I like reading, and keep my TBR short to make the best use of my time.

I find if my TBR gets long, and I get impulsive, I am really just building a list of dnf books. Every time I get impulsive, I just don't enjoy a lot of them.

I currently have the Wool Trilogy, and two early Xmas gifts to read. I am a little apprehensive of those, but want to give them a good go before I have another 'easy read'.

I also read a lot, and read fast, so that helps too.

They just lay around in organized stacks

I separate the books by location. Some are on a chair, some are on shelves, some are on a desk, and others are on the floor.

Organize? What is this organize you speak of? Seriously, though, my husband has relegated me to one decorative box about twice the size of a shoe box for books in our bedroom (don’t worry, folks, he built four very nicely sized, floor-to-ceiling, built-in bookshelves for me in the living room). The box is where I put unread books (mostly, sometimes they end up on my nightstand too). Of course, I can very creatively stack them until they either fall over (I’ve had lots of Tetris practice) or reach the light switch (at which point my husband cries foul). This is, obviously, not counting all the unread books sitting on my Kindle (hundreds because of Prime First Reads and r/freebooks ). There’s also my Libby account where I may or may not have a list of books on hold waiting for my phone to ping that one is ready.

Truly, though, other than Libby books which I read right away because otherwise the hold and loan expire and I have to wait again, I tend to go wherever whim may take me. I am very much a mood reader and I read a bit from most genres (some genres more heavily than others, of course). When I’m looking for a book and don’t already have the next in mind, I peruse my TBR pile to see what catches my interest. If my TBR is getting a bit crazy, I look at what’s been there the longest to decide if it stays or goes without ever being read at all. I figure if I’ve passed it up enough times, its time is gone and it can fly away. I don’t tend to spend much on books (hello free libraries, Dollar Tree, and friends). If I’ve bought a book full price, it’s generally at the top of the pile and gets read quickly.

As far as how many I read at a time, that varies as well. I generally have at least one book (physical or Kindle) and one audiobook going at the same time. I listen to the audiobook while walking and sometimes while driving. Audiobooks are strictly one at a time. Book books are sometimes one at a time, sometimes more. Occasionally, I have a book that I don’t want to leave the house like if a friend loaned it to me and I want to make sure it doesn’t get messed up. In that case, I might have a couple going so I can read something outside the house too. Sometimes, I need to have something that’ll fit in my pocket (Kindle) while I have other book(s) going elsewhere. I also technically have multiple books going all the time as I have a couple of books of short stories that I’ll pick up here and there and read one story either as a palate cleanser, waiting for another book to be available, or while I’m indecisive. I do try to make sure all the books I’m reading or listening to are different though to make it easier to keep the stories separate (it sucks when I mess this up). Right now, in addition to two short story books I’m slowly working through, I’m listening to Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain, and reading two books - The Hunger Games and American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America’s Jack the Ripper.

I mostly just place books I haven't read in random places around my apartment. Eventually I will pick it up to move it and go oh I should read this one. Once its read it gets placed randomly on either my book self or coffee table where it will live out it's days. Sometimes my next book is chosen by my cats when they decide to knock it off of something.

I use goodreads to keep track of my books. I currently own 2,816 books (about 200 are audibles or Kindle books). I work across the street from the library and have 15 checked out right now. I read 3-4 at a time. What I read just depends on my mood. I'm aware that I have a problem 😁 FYI, estate sales are a great place to get books cheap.

I own 250 books but I've read only perhaps 60- 65% of them. I purchase them faster than I can read them. I enjoy owning them. Them problem is sometimes I have WAY too many choices and can't decide what to read. I then re-read something that I really liked 10 years ago.

Oh you sweet summer child. I have almost 16 just of wheel of time books I haven’t read.

This has to be a joke /s

I don't organize. I have about 1000 unread books. The ones released this month and which I will read before the end of the year are on my kindle, the rest are in my library somewhere. At least once a quarter I go read a few but at this rate, I'm never getting through all of them.

Buying books and reading books are different hobbies for me! I don’t think my TBR has ever been only 16, even in childhood!

I have a list for regions of the world. I put the books based on where the author is from. I have lists for Asia, Africa, Central and north American, South America, Mexico (I'm Mexican), Oceania and Europe. I choose a book from every list to make a sort of round.

I would LOVE to have my TBR pile down to 16.

Reading 3 books at once is awesome. If I'm not in the mood for one of them I have 2 others to choose from, which means rather than skipping reading that day, I'm always reading.

But my TBR is just a shelf, where I pick up anything on a whim. No quotas allowed.

"What cover looks cool? What feels like it's not the same thing I've just read? I just read a tragedy, how bout a book about a crow?"

I don't organize it, I just pick from the proverbial pile and sometimes I pick something I've already read because I feel like it. I read for the enjoyment of it, not to complete a list.

I keep them somewhere on my bookshelf or somewhere in the library. Failing those, I will typically keep them at a used book store. Sometimes, though, I keep them at a new bookstore or online.

I track my library in obsidian. This includes books that I have read and I don’t own, like maybe from the library or kindle unlimited, as well as my TBR. But in my library TBR are books I don’t currently have access too or own a copy of. Like maybe a friend recommended it to me. Or I have a sample of through kindle.

The TBR is that boulder you’re never going to get to the top of the hill. Best not worry about it, just make sure the next book you read is a good one.

I have my main tbr which is 1000+ titles. Then I have my "ongoing series TBR" in which I track progress through various multi-volume series I'm reading.

I make multiple lists on paper. Some of it is pretty logical, like making a list for nonfiction and another for fiction. But the fiction subcategories are chaotic - I make lists for all kinds of things. The top books I want to first, mini lists divided into random little categories like "funny sci fi," long books to read when I have time over a holiday weekend, short/light/easy books for when I'm tired....there's overlap between the lists so it just ends up being a mess. But it's fun!