Hello my bookish friends, I’m back with a little discussion post. I was thinking about this recently, I do TBRs and then I don’t stick to them. I get annoyed and then I don’t enjoy reading them. It’s only really yesterday when I was talking to Steph from Booklovereaders that I feel I need to change how I read. I need a balance not only in life but also in my book choosing.
Are you a TBR Lister?
A TBR is a ‘To be Read’ list or pile. Sometimes these can help readers and bloggers as we have so many books to read. So here are what I think are the pros and cons of a TBR.
Positives of a TBR
- Organisation of your books
- Sets a personal challenge
- Get all the ARCs read in good time
- Helps you pick from a smaller pile than your overwhelmed TBR
- A TBR could be 1 or loads of books
Negatives of a TBR
- Pressure to read those books
- New books would come out and disturb your TBR
- Forcing yourself to read
- What about the books you’ve had for ages
Or a you a Mood Reader?
Mood Readers are as they come.
Positives
- Read what you want
- What you fancy.
- Read those books you’ve been meaning to read for ages.
- Enjoy it
- No pressure
Negatives
- May not read all the ARCs you get sent
- Feel guilty for the above
So my answer to this: Balance!
I guess since being a book blogger I’ve always been a TBR Lister, or at least I think I am. I think it’s that excitement of reading all the ARCs coming out or a series you finally said ‘I’m going to read it this month.’ It gets a bit emotionally overwhelming, both from disappointment of books you haven’t succeeded in reading, the pressure of it and forgetting those that have been on your TBR for ages.
A prime example was my previous book Sanctuary, it isn’t finished yet I’ve paused it. I started the book in my summer holidays, I had the time and relaxation to read it. I then started work and didn’t really touch as I wasn’t in the mood and tired. I’ve now started a book I couldn’t wait for and absolutely loving it.
So I’m taking a leaf out of Steph’s book and I’m going to read what I fancy with a few books for blog tours in the middle. A balance and hopefully I’ll read more and enjoy more of my reading.
Are you a TBR Lister or Mood Reader or a combination of the both? Let me know.
I can be a mix of both, but I’m much more of a mood reader. I make ‘possibility piles’ with books that I think I’ll want to read in a month, but most of the time I do stray from it 😂Great post!
I’m SUCH a mood reader at heart! If I didn’t feel that personal pressure to complete stuff on deadline, then I would be reading a lot more freely. But there are months where I do have to structure my reading to met deadlines and that’s hard sometimes lol
I rely very much on my TBR list. Not a mood reader at all lol
Combination! I like doing TBRs, especially when I theme them, but I definitely don’t strictly stick with them
I’m glad you are doing this! It definitely got me down doing a TBR! I much prefer mood reading 🥰
Defo a mood reader! I have to be in the right mood for a book😂
I’m 100% a mood reader! This month I tried choosing a TBR and so far I’ve only started (and not finished) one of the books on that list. The problem with being a mood reader (for me) is that I get excited about certain books that are buzzy or that my friends are reading, and I neglect my TBR forever.
Hmmm, I am definitely a bit of both, but I assumed I was a lister until I read this post.
– Emma 🙂
I’m a big mood reader, so I never even bother to make a TBR. The only time I can stick to a TBR is October, when I’m in a spooky mood and so will read spooky books that I pick out ahead of time.
I feel like I am a mix of both. Generally speaking, if I pick out a pile of books to read I stick to them. However, every now and then I will just feel like reading a different book and ignore my TBR until I read it. Alternatively, if I book I ordered arrives, then I will shift that one into my TBR immediately because I can’t wait to read it.
I am a combination. I will set up a TBR and try to get at lease half of the books on it read in the time I planned, then I go off script and read whatever I fancy. It works for me. If I try to follow a TBR all the time, I get stressed out.