Let’s Talk Bookish – Overwhelming TBRs

Aria @ Book Nook Bits will be the new host for Let’s Talk Bookish! If you aren’t following her yet, good check out her blog and give her a follow!

September 2: Do You Ever Get Overwhelmed by Your TBR (to-be-read) Pile? (Jillian @ Jillian the Bookish Butterfly)

Prompts: How do you keep track of the books you want to read? Do you have a lot of books on your TBR? Is there any order/organization within all the books you want to read? Does your TBR ever feel overwhelming?

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Welcome back to another week of LTB here at DTRH everyone! Happy September to you all. First topic of this month is about TBRs which I think we know is always a relevant topic. I know my methods of dealing with my TBR are ever-growing and ever-changing. Can’t wait to hear what the rest of you do too!

I feel like this is one of those things where you either have a set method, or you don’t and go back and forth on multiple things. I’m sure one of the most common methods is to have some sort of online list, whether it be on goodreads or your own personal document(s). I think I have a combination of things going on, falling into that second category. Scatterings of recommendations and other online equivalents of scrap pieces of paper lying around. Perhaps it’s me not being organized, but on the other hand, even if I have a TBR, I really don’t follow it that strictly.

If I wanted to, I could have a list and start sorting by priority, but I think for me at least, reading is always about the mood. I could have a list and sort it today, and want to change it tomorrow. I feel similarly with my list of to-do tasks per day too. I will usually have them written out, and I do a mini prioritization of their importance vs. urgency, but in the end I will just usually do what I feel like doing and just be happy with that. I think the same comes with books. Library books that are due soon will usually get some priority, but if I don’t want to read it at the time…I could always borrow it again some other time. Does anyone else also do this, and flex your TBR as it suits your fancy?

I think most of us in this community will have large TBRs, which isn’t surprising at all. With all the information we get through ads, but also many suggestions through all our bookish friends, it’s not surprising that we only have an ever-growing list of TBRs! As responsibilities pile up (i.e. reading speed slows down), this only exacerbates the problem. I will always have something To Be Read, but like I said before, that can be anywhere in the future. I think it’s probably more important to know what you want to read, here and now, and to just always keep reading!

Honestly, TBRs are a little bit overwhelming. It almost reads (ha) as a to do list, rather than a wish list. I definitely urge everyone who might be feeling a bit pressured by the looming list to remember it is really more of a tracker of books you are excited to read (excited!), and not a list of things you must do by a deadline. While there is an urgency factor in it, it’s important to keep in mind why you have the TBR! If it’s really overwhelming, just remember, many books can stay on your TBR list almost indefinitely, I’m sure you’ll all get around to it when you feel like it, so don’t sweat it. Happy reading everyone!

How do you all feel about your TBRs, and how do you manage them? Let me know in the comments below!

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