the TBR pile that ate the world
June 25, 2018 6:55 AM   Subscribe

You know how a lot of people have 'Netflix syndrome' where they're drowning in recommendations and never get around to watching everything they intend to? That's me, but with books. Help me decide what to read / manage my recommendations and 'to be read' lists more effectively.

I have 'to be read' (TBR) lists on Goodreads, on my Amazon wishlist, as emails to myself, and on the Notes app on my phone. This is because I pick up recommendations from different places (on Goodreads, Amazon, as part of the book news emails that I subscribe to, as well as obviously real life conversations) and I usually just log them in the way that seems most convenient in that moment. Obviously this means my TBR list is widely scattered and I can never keep on top of it.

Also, these TBR lists mostly include new releases and lighter genre fiction. I'm always intending to read more classic, establishment literature when I have the headspace for it but I don't really keep a log of those authors in the same way.

This isn't altogether a bad thing, I mean, I do get a lot of reading done. But I buy or borrow new books when I have lots of unread books at home that I keep intending to read. Also, because I'm so slapdash about deciding what to read, I tend to go for lighter reads instead of committing to more serious, dense reads (I know there is no moral value attached to the kind of books one reads but I'd like my reading to be a 50/50 balance between light reading and heavier reading).

So my question is how do you guys keep on top of your TBR lists? Do you commit to not buying/borrowing new books till you finish every single book you currently have borrowed or purchased? How do you keep track of the books you intend to read?

I completely accept that this is a bit of a non-problem in the wider scheme of things but it'd be great to know how other bookish Mefites manage their reading.
posted by Ziggy500 to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (20 answers total) 24 users marked this as a favorite
 
I start reading a lot of things and then don't finish them. I used to feel like this was illegal but now that I am allowed to do this I actually read a lot more and sometimes I go back to books I've abandoned.
posted by Obscure Reference at 7:00 AM on June 25, 2018 [13 favorites]


Best answer: Disclaimer: I will never totally master my TBR list(s). I am coming to terms with this, and choosing to focus on how thrilling it is to always have MORE BOOKS!! to read.

However. One thing I've done recently is to move various TBR stacks to the same physical locations. For example, the bookcase next to the bed that used to be a mix of TBRs and already-reads is now for unread books. I mean, it's not all of my unread books (ha!), but I definitely find myself thinking, "What shall I read before bedtime?" and then I look over and it's like, here are 30 or 40 options; pick one, you ridiculous creature.

I'm also a Goodreads obsessive; I've used it since 2007 and that is Where The TBR Lists Live. But I've broken up my to-read shelf into two shelves, one for fiction, one for non-fiction. And I use quite a few other shelves so that I can remind myself that if I'm in the mood for [contemporary novels about complicated female friendships, nonfiction about world's fairs, mysteries involving cats, whatever], I've already given myself a bunch of ideas and they're waiting for me on their respective shelves.

I've tried not buying books. I was unsuccessful and it made me feel bad about something that I love, so now I'm just leaning into it. Using libraries more, buying secondhand more, but appreciating that books are My Thing.
posted by 2or3things at 7:16 AM on June 25, 2018 [7 favorites]


All the TBR books go to the list/app that works best for you. For me, that's Goodreads because it's on my phone and my phone comes with me to bookstores, libraries, etc. Once a week, I take all of the sticky notes, napkin scribbles, and other notes featuring books I want to read and enter it into Goodreads. It takes 10 minutes tops because I don't care about selecting the correct version.

I belong to 2 libraries -- one in the city I work and one in the town where I live. Once a month I max out my ebooks holds list at both libraries and I let the order that they become available dictate what I read next. That way, I don't have to choose between lighter and heavier reading.

When I don't have any books available (holds lists being what they are) is when I dive into the books I own and haven't read yet. I'll never get to "Inbox Zero" with the books I own or the TBR and I'm ok with that.

Happy reading!
posted by kimberussell at 7:19 AM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]


I'd like my reading to be a 50/50 balance between light reading and heavier reading.

I do this by having two times when I read: bedtime reading which is lighter and usually just to get myself into a "Go to bed!" mindset and morning reading which is a lot more dense/think/whatever. I found a few years back that unless I made time for reading I just wouldn't really do it at all so that's been my plan. I also keep track of my reading so I can look back and see what I've been reading and see if things need adjusting. I like mystery genre fiction, the type you can get in the library, which means I wound up reading a lot of white male authors. This was tweakable once I noticed it, so I did.

And like Obscure Reference, I sometimes start a book I don't finish. Which is nice because then it means I'll start more books, not see them as so much of a commitment. I'm a "give it 50 pages" reader.

And as far as the queue: I get books from a few places but really the ones that get all the way into my house I mostly get from the library or from AskMe suggestions (and I go get ebooks), so I try to avoid endless lists but get books in person and with a time limit which encourages me to read them (not everyone feels this way so ymmv and my libraries don't have fines which helps this sort of thing). I think one of the big things is thinking about what your goals are and trying to work towards those: reduce piles? get to more different types of books? reduce your TBR lists?
posted by jessamyn at 7:22 AM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]


I for sure keep a "next" stack. We recently redid our living room from the floors up, and it gave me the opportunity to touch almost every book we own when I re-shelved them (and organized them - dear lord, what a rush) in brand new bookshelves. There is ONE spot on those shelves where I've collected "bought it, haven't read it yet, really want to".
posted by ersatzkat at 7:43 AM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]


I... don't manage my TBR pile, for the most part. I have 1,200, maybe 1,300 books in the house, and about 40% of them remain unread. If I have a specific reading project ("this year I'm reading books on architecture") I might keep those all together on one shelf, but otherwise when I'm done a book and I need to choose another I just browse the shelves until I find something that piques my interest. I used to keep a stack of unread books that was organized in the order that I wanted to read them in, but that started to feel too much like getting through those books was a job instead of a pleasure, so I decided to go full-on laissez faire, and it's been working out for me a lot better. Ditto reading one book at a time, all the way to the end until it's done before picking up another. For a long time I read multiple books at once, and I still sometimes cheat and read two or more books simultaneously, but I find the more I do that the less pleasure I get from any given book.
posted by Fish Sauce at 7:48 AM on June 25, 2018


I have a whole "for your consideration" bookshelf which is only for unread books. Not only does it keep them together for handy reference, it allows me to look at them after a while and prune the ones that no longer feel necessary to read. You can do the same on Goodreads or with another tracking system. (The pruning is KEY. Admittedly, it is easier to commit to when you have a tiny apartment and one book in = one book out.)
posted by praemunire at 8:01 AM on June 25, 2018 [2 favorites]


I keep a list on goodreads but there are a lot of books I know I want to read that also live only in my head. I've been a voracious reader all my life, and the last year or so am really trying to let go of all the complicated rules and lists I keep in my head about this stuff, because the truth is: you are going to die with thousands of unread books you were meaning to get around to, and so will I. When I'm on my deathbed, will I regret not sitting down and devoting the time to get through Don Quixote? Unlikely.

Mainly these days I read what I feel like reading at that moment, and if I'm not feeling something but I'm not willing to give up on it forever, I leave it on the goodreads list (or add it, if it wasn't already there), which gives me a reassuring feeling I won't forget about it, and then move on to something else. Time spent on something you don't enjoy is wasted time.
posted by something something at 8:34 AM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]


I try to keep more than one book going at once, so when I want to branch out on genres, I make sure one is fun and one is heavier. I also make my Goodreads TBR list the ultimate and final TBR list. I don't put a book on there until I own it, though! If I want to read something that I don't own, it goes on my Wishlist shelf. Goodreads lets you customize your exclusive shelves, so I added several.

Ebooks have made my TBR unwieldy, to say the least. I have made another exclusive shelf called Reference for books that I own but am not planning to read cover to cover. Guidebooks, cookbooks and other instructional books go on that shelf. I think the idea of one serious TBR and one lighter one is worth a try.
posted by soelo at 9:13 AM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]


I use Goodreads for this religiously-- now I have the app on my phone, I can add stuff to my TBR shelves literally as soon as I see it. No more jotting things down on a napkin when I'm out in public which I then immediately lose and spending ages trying to recall the title or author!

The real saving grace, for me, has been organizing my Goodreads shelves extensively by genre. I have probably 10 or so "to read" shelves all carefully sorted into different categories -- even to the extent of breaking up the non-fiction into different areas. This helps me a lot with choice paralysis; I almost never know exactly what I want to read but I do usually know what type of book I want to read or a broad subject category, so if I'm feeling like historical non-fiction I can go in and look at a list of just those TBRs. Then I cross-reference that list of desired books with my local library catalogue, go to the library with a list of between 5 - 10 books that I might want to read right now, and usually come away with 1 - 3 new reads. The system sounds complicated but it really isn't, and I enjoy my process kind of the same way I enjoy picking something off a really sumptuous menu.

Goodreads also helps me track what I have read which is great for things like, Oh I loved [this book] that [this author] wrote and now they have a new release out! And it lets you set reading goals for the year, which I like; I've never felt too beholden to them, but it often gives me a bit of a nudge that, Oh yeah, I haven't read anything new in a while, why not pick something up?
posted by WidgetAlley at 9:13 AM on June 25, 2018


My To Read lists are based on reading various book sections, like the NYTimes Book Review, as well as personal recommendations, GoodReads, MeFi, etc. I don't treat it like a To Do list, because my time is not infinite and my interests change. I do once in a while review it and will realize that there's a memoir I really wanted to read, or some novel, and prioritize that. It's okay to not read stuff. Interesting, intelligent people keep writing fascinating articles and books. The best thing about paying attention to what's going on with books is that occasionally there are books that are pretty important, and go beyond Pretty Good to Must Read. My literary tastes have changed, and I am far more willing these days to set a book aside if it doesn't engage me, or if I feel it doesn't have enough to say. My library uses Cloud Reader, and I can connect and choose a book, read 10 or so pages, and return it if it doesn't satisfy. I have been trying to read some important non-fiction, a broad term, I know.

Are you lacking a focus for reading, a group to share books with? A good book group can help, but they are non-trivial to find.
posted by theora55 at 9:18 AM on June 25, 2018


My system is.. um, it works great when I keep up with it, and I'm currently a bit behind. I have a multistep process, because the actual question of 'what do I want to read now' often depends on upcoming projects, mood, and genre desires, so having a single list doesn't work well.

1) Send books I want to read to Instapaper (usually by hitting the button in a browser). Usually this is the Amazon page, but sometimes it's a detailed review or an author site or something. Things which are 'oh, yes, I want to buy this' get pre-ordered.

2) Sort items in Instapaper into a few broad general folders, one of which is 'to read' (I have one for things to watch/listen to, recipes, links for my fortnightly newsletter thing, and so on.)

3) Take the links from the 'to read' folder and process them into Pinboard, where I can tag them for genre, setting, or project (depending on why I want to read them). This is the part I'm behind on, though it actually goes fairly fast if I sit down with a movie and sort things and don't get distracted. Everything gets a to.read tag, so I can find all the books I might want to read in one place. Then when I'm looking for new books, I can go browse the lists and see what I want.

Books I already own go on the phone (which is how I do all my reading that is not in the bathtub), where I have a tbr - fiction, tbr - non-fiction, and a 'next read'. The last is my current 20-25 books that are highest on my list, so I can find a mix of genre/degree of focus required/etc. without browsing really long lists. Every month or three I go through and re-curate that.
posted by modernhypatia at 9:44 AM on June 25, 2018


I organize my Goodreads TBR list into multiple lists. I have one that's for things I will definitely read, like I'm even willing to buy the book. Then a list for things that I really want to read, and even one for books I'm just never going to read, such as books I've already started and gave up on. (The last category is mostly because you can't unshelve a book after you've marked it Want to Read.) Naturally the ones I think I will definitely read tend to be heavier or more "important" and fun stuff tends to filter into a lower level list, but I will read from both. When I'm finished a book and looking for my next read, I usually look at my Goodreads list in order of lost recently added and go through it until I find one available at the library.
posted by tofu_crouton at 10:02 AM on June 25, 2018


I simply don't keep a TBR list anymore. I used to and it just gathered dust like anything. Now I just don't get a book unless it is the one that I am going to read next, and library reservations/interlibrary loans are the only TBR-ish thing left in my life -- and those are easy because there's a firm deadline by which I have to finish them (or decide to stop reading them).

It drives me absolutely up the wall if I don't have a book to read, so I make a routine of going to the library every Saturday for 1-3 books if I haven't one already -- at least one, and then however many others 1) interest me at the moment and 2) I think I can finish in a week, give or take a few days. That's where the reservations/ILL requests come in as far as TBRishness goes. I keep an eye on the library's on-order list and put a reservation on anything that catches my eye. If it's been half a year since something came out and the library hasn't ordered it, I put in a suggestion for it and/or set up an ILL request to get it from a different library system. Then, anything that arrives on request I can just prioritize as it comes in.

There are some things that libraries just don't have at all -- mostly in the area of ebook-only type things. I don't keep specific track of that, but I have a few favorite authors and if they put something out ebook-only I just buy and read it immediately. I have few enough favorites, let alone ones who do that kind of publishing, that this is perfectly feasible for me to do. It may not be feasible at all for someone else.
posted by inconstant at 10:21 AM on June 25, 2018 [2 favorites]


I used to use Amazon wishlists for this (not so much as a "buy this" thing, but more like "don't forget that this exists"), but these days Goodreads is my go-to; I do almsot all of my reading on my Kindle, so it's really handy to have something automatically get re-categorized from "To Read" to "Read" without my having to do anything. I also find it useful as a discovery tool, and it's fun to see what my friends are reading.

Any time I decide that I want to read something, it goes up on Goodreads—it's hugely important for me to have everything in one place. (You can subdivide by shelves, as others have noted above, but my to-read list is somewhat stable at ~100 books, so I keep everything on one To Read shelf.) If I'm reading a series, I usually only have the "next" book on my To Read shelf, rather than all of them; I'm not going to skip books or forget that there's another book in the series after whatever that "next" book is, so it helps reduce the visual clutter a bit.

The real game-changer for me, though, was the Available Goodreads extension (Chrome; GitHub)—you tell it what library catalogs you have access to, and it indicates right within Goodreads the number of copies and/or holds. I have access to two different library networks (regional and state), so it makes it super easy to figure out what's available where and how long I might be waiting, and it provides links directly to the catalog. Every so often, I go through my To Read shelf and place holds on some items with long-ish waiting lists, and whenever I find myself looking for a book between wait-list items, I can do a quick scan for stuff that's available immediately.

Philosophically, I try not to view my To Read shelf as a to-do list, but more as a list of things that sound intriguing or were recommended to me. I don't feel guilty about pruning books that are no longer of interest. I also try not to make it aspirational; instead, I limit it to things I actually expect to read. I mean, sure, I'd like to read (or to have read) Moby Dick or whatever, but the odds are pretty good that I won't, and if I ever change my mind, well... as with the series, I'm not going to forget it exists. (I do keep a separate spreadsheet of books I've ready because I'm a crazy person, and that includes a tab for "things I was going to read but won't"/"things someone gave me and I tossed"/"things I started but didn't finish." I basically never go to that tab to find something, but recording stuff there helps me let go of it—physically and/or mentally—so I can reserve my energy for things things that actually bring me pleasure.)

I do still have a few wishlists left over from my pre-Goodreads days, but those are mostly for reference materials that I thought I might want at some point. Anything that's a read-front-to-back book lives on Goodreads.

I buy relatively few print books these days, trying to keep it to reference materials, old favorites, and poetry, because I find it less stressful to have less stuff. For everything else, I'm all about the libraries.
posted by cellar door at 2:13 PM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]


I keep a list but limit it to a certain number of books, like 25. Once I get to 25, if another title comes up that I want to add to the list, I have to choose one book to take off the list. So the list ends up being only books I'm really super interested in reading.
posted by Brain Sturgeon at 4:32 PM on June 25, 2018


First I start with a division that keeps things in order:

TBR list on Goodreads that functions as a mental catalog of "oh, that sounds interesting, and I might otherwise forget." That relieves the mental anxiety, provides a nice library browsing list, and helps people gift me 'surprises'.

Shelf, which is books I own but haven't read yet. I, uh, have a lot of those. But they aren't the same as the TBR pile because that way lies madness. It's the books I will read someday, and they are waiting for the right serendipity.

TBR, which is my actual pile of books to read. This has a maximum of SIX. Books outside that six go to the shelf, even if I am going to pick it up within the next few weeks. Those six are my current and next of the CR, AR, and BB system.

CR is my "challenge read". An important non-fiction, a classic novel, a library loan, a genre I have been lapsing from... It doesn't mean (or have to mean) challenge in the sense of hard - just, it's purposeful.

AR is my "any read". Which could also be a classic, or fluff, or fanfic, or important novel of our time... It's anything that sounds good at the time, because reading is about love as well as growth. It's usually the f/nf opposite of the CR but doesn't have to be.

BB is my big book. You know, those massive tomes that you're otherwise like "someday... But there is so much shorter stuff I could get to now, because I am way too intense about reading challenges and progress on my book spreadsheets." So I put that by my bed, and read from it as I fall asleep. I am making progress and will finish and look impressive but since I don't have to finish it before I start another book, no stress!


I also keep a booky bullet journal, so at the start of each month I will write down ideas for the month. Like, if you wanna finish the Shakespeare canon ya gotta get through those histories so let's do one this month as a CR, two for a stretch goal. It's June, so all my fiction is going to be delightful queer YA. That helps me construct my TBR pile in a thoughtful way and I return to it during the month, but I don't hold myself beholden to it.

This is probably somewhat absurd, but it's really helped me broaden my book horizons and knock out a lot of those "man, I want to read this, why haven't I" and not waste too much time on the internet. (Metafilter excluded, of course.)
posted by hapaxes.legomenon at 5:44 PM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]


The real game-changer for me, though, was the Available Goodreads extension (Chrome; GitHub)—you tell it what library catalogs you have access to, and it indicates right within Goodreads the number of copies and/or holds.

(trembles with glee!)
posted by kimberussell at 7:13 PM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: I really love the idea of spending a bit more time curating my Goodreads shelves so that when I'm the mood for, say, a gothic murder mystery or YA LGBT fiction I can quickly find some ideas. Thanks so much guys. Also, it's reassuring to learn that so many of you never reach the bottom of your TBR piles, both virtual and physical.

I best answered 2or3things' response because it gave me a new perspective on acquiring new books and not feeling too bad about it as long as I am buying second hand or borrowing from libraries :)
posted by Ziggy500 at 2:23 AM on June 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


Regarding "Available Goodreads," I should have noted that this specifically loops into Overdrive, so unfortunately it can't be used to find print copies. (This is clarified in the extension's documentation, but I don't want to get any future readers' hopes up unnecessarily if they're looking for a print-book solution.) But it's amazing for e-books and audiobooks!
posted by cellar door at 7:26 AM on June 26, 2018


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