I was browsing Pinterest when I saw a post on how the Bookish Linguist planned to cut her TBR list into half this year. It was a very cool post (if you’re looking for tips definitely check it out), but it also led me to a question:
Should TBR lists be achievable?
At last count, I have at least seven TBR lists – one on Amazon (maybe more since different stores have different lists), one on Book Depository, one on Goodreads, THREE in Google Keep (organised by topic), and one in Overdrive.
In my mind, these lists serve pretty different functions. The Google Keep lists are for physical visits to the libraries or if I’m focusing on a particular direction in my reading. Overdrive is for ebooks that I want to borrow. Amazon and Book Depository would be for books that I want to buy. Goodreads… is really more of an impulse thing. I should probably decide what to do with it.
There are books on those lists that have been around for years. Some day, I might get rid of it, but in general, I keep these books on the lists for reading inspiration. Occasionally, I’d get into the mood to read something, but don’t know much more than the genre. In these instances, long TBR lists help because it’s easy for me to scroll through them and find one that calls to me. It’s sort of like a managed serendipity – instead of using the entire Overdrive catalogue or all the books in the library, I use a smaller pool of books to find one that I want to read.
I suppose these unachievable lists would be a problem is I wanted to get to TBR zero, a la ‘inbox zero’ (this is a daily thing I do). But the thing is, I don’t really feel the urge to read all the books on my list. I want to read them, but I don’t need to finish the list – it’s a weird difference, but it’s one that makes the length of the list a non-issue for me. The time I feel like I must finish reading certain books is if I’ve bought or borrowed them, or if I’m reading them for a presentation or have some other sort of deadline.
What about you? Do you use a TBR list as a general catchall for books that catch your interest (but don’t compel you to buy or borrow a copy right away)? Or is your TBR list something that you feel you need to get to zero ASAP and adding new books is something that gives you stress? Or do you use the TBR list in some other way that I have never thought of?
Let me know! I’m curious about how other readers think!
Thanks for linking my post — I’m glad it led you to have a think about TBRs. I consider my TBR (the one I reference in my post) to consist of only the physical books I own that I haven’t read. In that way, it is something I want to get close to 0 (never zero itself as it would be so sad to have no physical books to read) but if I don’t read them I will run out of space to continue buying more! All other books that I would like to read, have seen elsewhere or are on my ‘radar’ form my wish list. Those I have no intention of reducing, and have no urge to read ASAP; they are simply useful for when I want to treat myself or give relatives ideas for Christmas! This is an interesting post and a fun discussion!
Ahhh in that case I’m the same as you! I want to finish all the physical books I own, but the other TBR Lists are strictly no pressure.
Thanks again for your post!
What an interesting post! I definitely feel like my ongoing TBR list is not one that I’m ever going to completely finish, and I kind of like that. It’s strangely comforting knowing that I’ll never run out of books I’m excited to read <3
Yes! Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever finish my TBR list, but having so many books to read means I can always find something to suit me (:
Interesting food for thought about reading lists! I don’t actually have a long TBR list. I do have a short one (3-4 books) that I usually read within a month or two. So I go step by step, one month at a time 🙂
That’s interesting! A month by month list sounds achievable – kind of like the monthly reading plan posts I see around the blogosphere? Thanks for sharing!
Yes, it’s similar to a monthly reading plan, with a lot of flexibility 🙂
Hi Eustacia–I read The NY Times Book Review every Sunday and I usually find a book or two that interests me and it goes on the TBR list. However, I have no time schedule for getting to this list. When I was going to the gym regularly, I put on earbuds and listened to books on Audible, often selections from my TBR list, but not always. Instead of listening to the radio when I drive, I also listen to Audible or just roll down the window and listen to my car rolling down the road. Same goes for working in the garden: earbuds on and story running. TBR list helps, but it isn’t a priority.
Thanks for sharing about your TBR list! I’ve heard really good things about audiobooks but for some reason, I can’t really get into them. I love podcasts though!
I use my TBR list just to keep track of books I think I might be interested in. There are hundreds of books on my list and, sometimes, I go back to weed out ones I am no longer interested in–mainly because I don’t want it to be overwhelming when I go look for inspiration. I have no set timeline, however, for the list, so the amount of books on it doesn’t really matter. Sometimes I tell a person I will read a book, and I mean it. It just might be five years from now. I put it on the list. One day I will probably go back to it.
I find this works pretty well for me. One day I wasn’t sure what to read, so I randomly picked Keeper of the Lost Cities off the list. I had probably put it on the list when it was first published and, by that point, it was probably four or five books into the series. Now that series is one of my favorites.
Thanks for sharing, Krysta! I’ve got books on the list for years too – and sometimes I really enjoy those the older books on the list.
I don’t really remove books, though, so I’m curious how you decide which to remove? I’m a mood reader so 80% of the time the book won’t call to me, which makes it hard for me to figure if the book needs to go or if it’s just not the right time to read it.
Sometimes I think I add books to my TBR in the moment because they look interesting. Then I later look back and think, “Hm. Cheese making could be a really fascinating read, but, if I am honest with myself, am I actually going to get around to reading this book on cheese? Probably not.” I guess I was inspired in the moment, but the inspiration doesn’t always hold up. 😀
Ahhh okay that makes sense! Thanks for elaborating!
I needed this post. I always have an ever growing TBR list(s). I’ve got physical books I’ve bought and want to get through, ebooks I’ve bought and want to get through, lists of books I’m interested in, etc. I’ve always had a narrow mind when it came to the TBR pile, that it all had to get to zero. There can be no other way. But I tend to go long periods of not reading books, but spend lots of time on non-fiction things. And so the list grows.
I really like this idea that it’s just a smaller catalogue for me. Or something akin to that. I’m gonna have to rethink this whole TBR thing so I can stop feeling bad about not hitting TBR zero.
To be honest, I think that it’s difficult for book lovers to hit TBR zero because there are so many great books! I’ve got about 10 books waiting for me to read them after the last book haul and I’m still adding ebooks (+ library books) to the TBR list!
I hope the idea of the TBR as a mini-catalogue helps you get over the guilt from not reaching TBR zero!
My TBR list is sort of like yours in that my time frame for finishing is … my lifetime. It’s unlike yours in that it only exists in my head.
I do find that books serendipitously come to my attention for reasons of their own. Many times a book has crossed my radar screen before, but for whatever reason the time just wasn’t right. When it finally does present itself to me with sufficient insistence and I pick it up and fall in love, it usually turns out to have been perfect timing and the book or author or whatever is about to become super relevant in my life.
I did not mean to personify books quite this much, but I think I’m going to double down and say that a book, once written, becomes a spiritual entity with a life of its own …
Wow, your memory has to be really good for you to be able to keep your TBR list in your head! I’m constantly forgetting about books I mean to read, which is why three lists exist on Google Keep – if it’s not written down ASAP, it doesn’t get read at all :p
I agree that books tend to take on a life of their own! It’s amazing, really!
It’s funny because I have been thinking about this a lot lately and I never get to a sort of conclusion. I have been reading consistently for somewhere between 7-8 years. Before this year, I would almost never set a TBR. If I did, I would not read the books in it but rather any other thing. Because of that I stopped doing it because there was no point and I just thought TBRs didn’t work for me. Then this year, out of nowhere, I decided to do one, I think for February or March. Magically, I read everything in it. From that moment I have made a monthly TBR and I have read what I had, at least 90% of it. It has been great because I create this kind of excitement to read the books in the list, I get this sense of “achievement” to tick it off, I finally read some books that I just have been putting off but what has worked the most for me is that I feel like I can intentionally diversify what I read. If I let my mood decide for me I will probably tend to be stuck between two or three genres and a few authors. That has been great and that last point is the reason I have been enjoying TBRs so much. HOWEVER, and sorry for the capitals. These past two months specially I have missed reading what my mood dictates and it has been quite an experience to try balancing my TBR and its benefits whilst not losing that “mood” thing.
So, now I feel like I’m in this new journey experimenting as a reader and it’s very interesting.
What you say about “completing” our TBRs is very interesting! I have my Goodreads TBR as a place to list all the books I eventually want to read and I definitely don’t have a set time for them. I try to keep it around 70 books because I feel overwhelmed if I have more 😅
Loved reading your perspective on this topic!
Thank you for sharing your perspective! So would you say that you had a monthly TBR (that you’d try to finish) and one on Goodreads (that you don’t mind not finishing)?
I think our reading journeys are always about experimentation! That’s what makes it fun (:
Exactly! My monthly TBR which I try to finish is about 7 to 10 books, depending on short stories and short books. My Goodreads one has all the ones I hope to read one day but no pressure to read them all at once and no pressure to add or delete books from it. That’s basically how I use my lists😊
Absolutely agreed! 🤓
I see! That sounds motivating – my problem is that I never know what I want to read in the month ahead :p Thanks for sharing!
This makes so much sense! I definitely use a tbr as a catch all for books that catch my interest and know I’ll never read them all. I just like to have options, so I don’t tend to slim it down, whether I’ll read them or not. I think it only gives me stress when it’s books I actually own- especially physical copies.
Same! If it’s not a physical book sitting in my house, the fact that it’s unread doesn’t bother me.