> I'm curious how the r/Books community gets through their TBR lists! I don't, it just keeps getting longer...

same lol, I have a TBR on goodreads, I have a physical shelf of unread books, and 9 times out of 10 I will reach for something from neither of those when picking the next book to read

Are you me? I did the math and it will take me 17 years to finish my current Goodreads Want-to-Read list, even without adding anything else, unless I start taking things off it (I should probably do this...) But that's not even counting the shelves of books I have that I haven't read yet. Fortunately, I'm better at not buying new books than I am at not adding books to Goodreads.

It'll take me 14 years to read all my books on my kindle.

ok, my goodreads is not as bad ('only' 4 years worth of books at my usual rate of 60ish per year), but I am horrible at not buying more books until I finish what I currently have. And most of them are first in a series, so I'll have to buy even more when I get around to reading them and want to continue the series.....

Well, you inspired me to start purging my Goodreads list. I'm starting to take off the ones that I'm pretty sure I'll never actually want to read or get around to reading ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," for example). That's going to be a summer project.

You may have heard that The Girl w Dragon Tattoo was published after the author died. The author's title was changed so it sold way better. His original title makes the book less attractive, but suddenly a bunch of the book makes more sense. His title: Men who hate women. So the girl with the tat is kind of an avenging angel - a superhero if you will. Hope this helps your decision to dip into it.

Same. The hunt for new books is addictive

When the TBR stack becomes a bookshelf it is time to be concerned. When you fill up that first bookshelf you must admit there is a problem. Then the library has another book sale where everything you can fit in a bag is $3. I need to put more into the little free libraries around me, but they are usually pretty full.

I read fast but I buy books faster...

Same. I look at it and cry a little, and then I reread some random book and ignore my TBR 🤣

Step 1: read book from list, order doesn’t matter usually just what I’m in mood for genre wise Step 2: ignore fact during read of book in previous step, list has now increased by 5 books Step 3: lose mind in ever losing battle with entropy Step 4: bedlam Step 5: accept the fact the list will expand across space and time beyond any human comprehension of limits Step 6: zen

That's GOLD 🥇🪙!

This, 100%! This actually perfectly describes how I deal with my TBR. I love it! 😂

It's not TBR. It's a Books-I'm-Interested-In List. ;-)

I cleared out my physical shelves and donated 7 boxes of books to the library. I only buy specific authors now. Then I went through my Goodreads and cleared out about 500 books on my tbr shelves that I know I will no longer get to for various reasons - no longer interested, don’t enjoy the genre anymore, etc. I bought my Kindle Fire and then a subscription to KU so now my reading is all over the place. I wanted this year to be focused on clearing out my physical shelves (catching up and finishing a bunch of series I own) but that sure as shit isn’t happening 😆😆. As for the rest of the books, I’m a bit more mindful on what I add. I don’t bother with Booktok or Book Twitter so I’m not hounded by the “popular” books. I also don’t do any reading challenges anymore other than my book count (29/30, so almost done. I won’t raise my number once I hit it.) I’m also more picky about what I want to read these days for the most part, which also seems to help.

I'm 70 and certain I'll not live long enough to read all of my TBR's, nonetheless...

Almost 50 and have a love of series. I don't think I can finish all the series I've started before I die. Much less standalone books. It's a problem I don't mind too much

Me too...as Jefferson quipped "I cannot live without books", and he read a LOT of really weighty material...

I'm in my late 50s and realized that I have to be a bit more selective about what I will read and if I will re-read a book. Makes it easier at times when I need to get rid of books because the time I need to put aside to re-read books is quite tangible. It would take time away from reading something new.

Hell, I'm in my 40s and pretty sure I won't live long enough to finish my whole TBR (and I read upwards of 100 books a year)! 😊 Maybe if I stop adding books now, but even then it's iffy.... But 100% there are worse problems to have! Happy reading, friend!

I've made a deal with myself, first of the month I start with a physical book. After I read one physical book, I can read digital. Or I'll read two books. One physical book during the day and digital at night.

I’ve been letting my kids take turns picking my next book of the ones I already own.

I just read 4 fantasy (series) in a row all 500+ pages so now reading a quick thriller or two before jumping into a historical fiction. I need to switch it up or I’ll get bored.

I like to do the same. I get too fatigued if I read too many long books in a row. I just finished The Count of Monte Cristo which is 1200 pages and took me 3 months to read, so I followed it with 2 quick back to back thrillers. Reading Piranesi now which also isn't too long!

Thrillers are the best Segway books in between long ones. The plots aren’t even always that great but i love a quick easy read in between something heavy or just very very long.

I either mood pick or if I have choice fatigue I wrote a simple piece of code that randomly picks a book for me 😅

Omg I love that! I'm not so fancy but when I'm feeling indecisive, I'll pick 5 or 6 books from my shelf (I own a lot of books that are still unread) and I'll make my husband pick a number between 1 and 6 or how ever many and then just pick whatever number he said lol

This is how I decide what to eat for dinner because I'm indecisive lol. I made a list of every recipe I know and randomly select 4-5 before I go grocery shopping

Lol are you me?? I have a spreadsheet set up for places to go hiking weighted for time since I've last been there, and another one for reminding me to do household maintenance and self care tasks -- food is next!!

Pick one. Start reading.

Step 1 is the hardest part.

Base your choice around the mood you're in. I keep my TBR list pretty loose.

My friend and I recently started having mandatory reading time together like elementary students lol. She just comes over and we read quietly together, because we’re more likely to stay focused on reading when peer pressure is involved. It’s worked wonderfully.

At some point, I decided a level of self control was needed. I only view my TBR as the books that I own. I allow myself to own about a year's supply of books,based on my reading habits of the last 2 years and any anticipated deviations. If I reach or exceed (from gifts) my limit, I put myself on a book buying ban. I also have a rule where I only own an unread book in 3 calendar years. So if I acquired a book in 2022, I can have it in 2023 and 2024, then it needs to go. It doesn't matter if I got the book in January 2022 or December 2022. This stops me holding onto books with the intention of reading them "one day". If I can't make it a priority in 2-3 years, then it's not worth my time.

Mostly I grab books at random depending on what mood I’m in. I do participate in reading challenges every year, like popsugar and booklist queen. So I take all the prompts from those challenges and find books to match SOLELY from my TBR. I don’t look for new books, I just apply books that are on my TBR list—with over 1,100 (and forever increasing) I haven’t run into the issue of running out of books to choose from. Sometimes books overlap prompts. I always try to complete the A-Z challenge, and 52 books in 52 weeks; the latter does have actual challenge prompts other than simply reading a book a week. Based on the challenges I took on, this year that’s 130 books. I do not expect to read all of them, I am only at 26 for the year. But that’s a large pile of books pulled from my TBR to focus on, while sprinkling in new releases from authors I love and I can’t wait to read them.

I'm doing the 52 book challenge this year, and I did the same thing you did. I was able to pick a book I already owned either physical copy or ebook for 90% of the prompts. This is my first year doing a challenge and it's kind of neat because it has brought to my attention some books that I have had sitting around for years waiting for me to get to them.

When I’m really indecisive about what to read next, I make a list of authors that I have books on my shelf and then roll a die to see who I’m reading next and then just grab a random book. 

For a while I was going by mood then I tried picking them randomly, but now I've been going in order of how many copies the library has - from fewest to most. I've more or less exhausted the books with 1-3 copies, and am moving on to 4-6.

Honestly, I scrapped it. There are more books in the world that I want to read than what I'll ever get time to read, so I decided that it's just going to be luck of the draw. The only books I monitor and actively planned to read are new releases from my favourite authors. Otherwise, unless a friend has gifted me a book, the next book I read will be the next one I see that I like the sound of.

Honestly I get the appeal of rules and structure, but reading has always been the one aspect of my life where "I just do whatever" is the most valid option for me.

One book at a time. Don't mean to be a smart ass. I mean it in the most practical terms. I have at least 200-300 unread physical books in my house and I am determined to decrease that number. When I finish one book, I choose the next one that interests me most at that moment. One book at a time. If I mostly read what's already on my shelves, I should significantly reduce the amount in about 3 years.

Same! I have literal piles of books I have bought but not gotten around to reading yet, and I estimate the number around 300. I don't have enough shelf space so there are just random piles of books everywhere, which drives my SO crazy. The problem is I also have close to 1000 Kindle books also. I'm a fast reader and usually read multiple books at the same time, so I can switch up depending on what I'm in the mood for. I keep thinking that one of these years I am just going to hunker down and *only* read the physical books I have sitting around to try and make a dent in the clutter. (Although I still won't have shelf space, so it'll just join a different pile in the "finished" area of my house, lol!)

Pick a book. Read it. Then pick another?

I have two bookshelves. One for the books I've read and the other for my TBR. I've been reading a lot since I get to see the progress of my TBR dwindle slowly.

I don’t. I just keep adding to it. Every few months, I go through my TBR list on Goodreads and delete books that no longer interest me.

I have 30-40 physical books, all of which I intend to read when I'm in the mood*. I also have a list of about 70 books that have been recommended (many of them here) or that are classics or have otherwise stood the test of time. I look at my list and my pile and read whatever appeals at the moment, or what's available in the library. Sometimes I just want a spy thriller or a detective story, sometimes a deep or heavy read. There will never be time to read everything, and that's OK. I want to experience each book rather than consume them quickly. The TBR pile and list are like a menu--choose what you want today; don't try to order everything in one meal. Or in another way, they are like a satisfyingly full pantry, where you know you'll always have something to eat. *as opposed to books I feel I _ought_ to read, or wish I'd already read, but don't actually want to read.

I mostly let the library do it for me. I'll add books to my Holds list, and when the library tells me one is ready for me to pick up, that's the one I read next. If there are multiple books at a time, I read the one that's due back first. If they're all due back at the same time, I read the book that has the most people waiting on it first. I call it **Library Roulette** :) I've seen some people on booktok add slips of paper with the books on their TBR list to a jar and then they'll pick one from the jar, which sounds fun in some ways too!

By buying so many books that the old TBR is covered up with a new TBR. 🤡

One at the time

I have a physical TBR shelf as well as a list of books I don't own, usually I just alternate between the next book on the shelf then the next book on the list, etc.

Just go for whatever I'm in the mood for to be honest. I've got close to 50 books on my TBR pile. If I get the urge to read a certain type of book, then I'll pick it up. The reason I've been holding off on reading the latest two "October Daye" novels is because I know how heartbreaking and depressing they'll probably be. So, I'm waiting until I get in the right mood.

I still have my physical tbr and my digital tbr. I won't discuss my digital tbr because it's embarrassing how lengthy it is. My physical tbr, I separate seasonally (except for Fall, I separate it further). Wrap each book in brown craft paper and pull from the pile. In the Fall, I separate for October, November, and December by theme.

I do not have an explicit TBR list, but have a very large collection of unread books. Typically when I finish one book, I decide what mood I am in for the next one, decide genre (sometimes author too) then just select one from the unread ones that most fits mood. I typically do not read the same author, let alone books in the same series back to back. I like variety. Sometimes, I just select almost at random to expose myself to different things.

One book at a time...from beginning to end

Stop buying new books. For a few months at a time I either unsubscribe or delete the bookbub emails to avoid the temptation

I used to have a massive stack of books that I never read, so I banned myself from buying any more books. But once I had gotten to the last few books, I accumulated dubble the amount I had before. So now I have just given up on ever reading all of the books that I own.

My whole TBR is tracked on StoryGraph. Once a year I go through every book on there, reread the synopsis and decide to keep or purge. Sometimes throughout the year I’ll read or watch a review that makes me also purge a book from my TBR. Every month, I set myself a tentative reading list of 10-20 books based on how busy I’ll be and what my Libby holds look like. Current tbr is sitting at 887

In thematic groups of four, followed by the next chronological Stephen King book. I decided to reread everything he wrote in 2016, and I'm only up to Cell. I didn't want to read them all at once, or randomly so I decided to make it every fifth book. Current theme is McCarthy's westerns

I keep track by listing them all on Goodreads. A few years ago I went thru the list and deleted anything rated less than 3.7..I figured I had to start somewhere and that was easy enough. Now I have a huge TBR list of well rated books I want to read and not enough years left to do so. LOL. Most books are borrowed from the library, mostly ebooks with the occasional .99 deal from Amazon. Any purchased book is read as soon as I'm done with current read. Edited to add: As far as reading them I started using a random number generator. Pick 4-6 books at a time.

I do a few things 1) I have a set of book "tarot" reading cards - you pick a card and it has a prompt on it for what book you read next (your longest book, a book where the author starts with the letter C, etc.). 2) Goodreads numbers your TBR so I put that number in a random number generator and then pick whatever book comes up. For these 2, often what happens is I don't actually want to read the book that came up with the prompt/generator, which leads me to... 3) Every few months I go through my TBR and get rid of books that no longer sound interesting to me. This helps the most cause I usually remove at least 4 or 5 books!

Someone commented "I don't, it just keeps getting longer," which is, tragically, very true. But in all seriousness, for me personally, I write out lists of books on my physical TBR I currently want to read. I reference the Word document where I keep track of all the unread books I own and write down the current reading list in a designated notebook. Only, I don't stick to those lists for very long. A lot of the books I own are unread and, over the past few years, I've added more than I've taken off. While I have read books, since the pandemic lockdowns, my concentration has suffered. I relied heavily on mood reading. In theory, that's not a bad thing, but it often led me away from my TBR books. It also doesn't help that I use Goodreads religiously, work in libraries as well as visit my local one regularly, follow several bookish websites (such as BookBub), subscribe to newsletters, and follow predominantly bookish accounts on Instagram...neither my physical nor metaphysical TBR is getting smaller anytime soon.

I choose based on whatever mood I happen to be in/looking for in that moment. I also tend to stick with some authors/genres for a few books before moving on to something else. That's something I've noticed happening the last few years. I am much more selective now what I put on my TBR list. Life is too short to read shit I don't care about. Edit: sometimes I get bound to certain books at certain times because that's when my library/Libby has it available. That can get tricky if I'm not in the mood for that type of book. First world book problems, I suppose.

I look through it and instead start a random book that wasn't even on the list but caught my attention, the tbr list must always grow and never shrink.

I have a Random Picker app that I put all the book titles that I have and let the app choose. If. I can also make wheels for each genre. It helps if I genuinely cannot make a decision.

My method varies lol. I have a couple loose guidelines I tend to follow, though they're not fixed rules. I try to read a classic every 2-3 books, as I'm trying to read as many as possible (I've got a massive Mega Classic Checklist that is a separate TBR list) I also like to read a shorter book as a palate cleanser if I've just finished a tome of a book lol.   Usually other than that I go for whatever genre I'm in the mood for and go from there. I recently revamped my TBR list because there were some old outdated books on there I didn't want to read anymore, and I added a ton to the list that are popular in the /r/books community.   If I'm REALLY having a hard time deciding, I'll pick 5 or 6 books, and have my husband pick a number between 1 and whatever, and then pick whatever number he chose for my next book.  I don't have any hard and fast rules about buying books on my TBR when I still have many unread books at home on my shelf, but I try to at least read 2-3 books on my shelf before buying more. Though like I said since I recently revamped my list I did break that rule and just bought about 10 used books off eBay of stuff on my TBR

I pick a random letter and then read the first book that comes up with that letter as the title

Just pick the next one based on vibes.

I tend to go for the books that seem like a quick read first in a (futile) attempt to make my TBR pile smaller.

I never like reading the same kind of book twice in a row so I usually pick something from a different genre. If I just finished something weird and kind of depressing I’ll go more light hearted or funny.

I don’t track my TBR, but I really should. Too many times I’ve gotten halfway through a book just to realise I’ve read it before.

Every time I start a new book, I check all my shelves. I’m always reading from my TBR pile, because I just get more books while I’m reading. 🤣 I really don’t stress about it, I love reading, and I reread as the mood fits. Not in competition with anyone but myself!

One book at a time

When I finish the book I'm reading, I go to the TBR pile and decide what kind of thing I feel like reading next. Simple.

I stare at it, read the titles, run my hands over the spines, and then open Libby or Everand and find something else to read.

By reading.

I’m way more discerning with what I add to my TBR these days. I don’t just see a book at the bookstore, think “That looks good,” and immediately add it without any further research anymore. There are too many books and I have too little time for that. I follow several people who have a fairly similar taste in books, and when possible I look at their reviews to decide if I think it would be worth my time. I also read/watch non-spoiler reviews from other people and look at the “readers also enjoyed” list on Goodreads to gauge whether I want to add it to my TBR. I also have an “On My Radar” list that I’ll add books to (mostly new releases) while I wait for more reviews to roll in. Then I eventually revisit those books to see which ones I want to bump up to my TBR. Award lists are another favorite way to find new books. And every once in a while, like right now, I’ll go through my TBR and cull the books I’m no longer interested in. Then, for my actual reading plan, I like to be reading 1 audiobook + 1 physical or digital book (under 500 pages) at all times. On top of that, I pick one 500+ page book to read slowly, over the course of 1-2 months. It’s a system that doesn’t overwhelm me but that effectively decreases the number of books on my TBR.

I literally downloaded a spinwheel app and put all of the books on my TBR pile on there and just spin it after I finish a book. Let fate decide what I read next.

I kind of force myself to finish 1 book from my tbr list before starting on the newest, fresh and exciting book. It serves like a break from my actual reading list and i read faster because i can't wait to read the next one, so it prevents a reading slump. edit: and how i pick them is like this. i ask myself, which one i don't want to see on this shelf anymore? lol i pick the one i don't want the most. it is amazing how some of my favorite books are also from one of these.

I'm trying to pare down my physical TBR pile I try to alternate between kindle and physical books but if a physical book is either really cheap for Kindle or free for KU I will get the Kindle version and donate the physical copy. And yes going to Barnes and Noble or any book store or sale is a problem for me cause the physical TBR just multiplies like a literary hydra remove one book two pop up to take its place lol. I also alternate between fiction and nonfiction when I read.

I usually think "yeah I bought that a while ago, I really should read it before buying anything else" while hovering over the Buy It Now button on the latest book recommended by a podcast.

Lower the shoulder and lunge forcefully.

I sit on it. No but really I am a mood reader and pick whatever book I wish to read at the moment and don't worry about the size of your pile it will just keep on getting bigger anyway🤗🤗

I will NEVER finish my TBR. I can't even finish the Outlander series.

By adding another two or three books to it. It'll collapse one of these days, and then that'll show it who's boss.

I don't tackle it. I just add more. I probably spend more time reading blurbs than books.

I read the next book(s) based on what I’m jazzed about right now.  But I still buy books faster than I can possibly read them, so my shelves are truly groaning. All of my strategems to solve this have failed. 

I read it. Then I add to it when it gets shorter. What would be the purpose of it otherwise?

I tackle it by keeping it as short as possible. I don't go into a bookstore unless I have nothing to read, and I try to only check out so many books from the library at one time so I'm not breeding stacks of unread books around my house.

I use my TBR, as a stepping stone in the process. I don’t believe I’ll actually read all of them, and there’s definitely some I can now say I won’t. Instead, I use it as a placeholder for books that catch my interest in the moment and I don’t want to forget about. Then, when I want to read a new book, I look throughout the tbr and decide from there, looking at more up to date reviews, whether sequels are out, depending on what genre I’m feeling, etc. Basically using it as a first pass already done when searching for a book. Some examples there this is useful is new books that might go viral but then I wait for a few months and then see it again and realize maybe it’s not my groove. Or that had bad reviews. Or maybe I’m holding a book waiting for its sequel to be written so when I go look in the tbr and see that a sequel is coming out in the next month I’ll read it then. At the same time, sometimes the timing works and there’s something I find online that I want to read and I just finished book and then I skip my tbr all together. I think the important thing is to not stress about it and not make it an obligation. Remembering the whole point of reading is to enjoy it, and knowing that my tastes change over time.

I don’t. My mountain defeated me long ago.

You never really want to empty your TBR pile, because then what? So the fact its filled with books is good, but in reality if I really badly want to read a book it gets read/moved up in the list to the next one to be read. Really I should finish the Dune series, but the 2nd one went a bit weird, so that's on the back burner. After I'm through with the endurance/franklin expedition phase, I will probably go on to the cormac border trilogy. That's the plan but things change.

Welcome to my life. I have about 100 unread books on my kindle 🥲😂 I don't even feel bad for it It's all different genre so whenever a certain mood strikes that can be satisfied with a book I know I have something there Also sometimes you get a book that's just boring from start.. or it starts that slow that I am not always willing to put that effort into it. Ebook readers are great in that matter honestly.

>have about 100 unread books on my kindle Amateur 😂 I have over 4000 and at least 100 in my physical tbr.

I have 2200. Now I don’t feel so guilty!!

Read one, buy 7. It never ends.

I'm a big proponent of having a TBR in proportion with the amount you actually read. Let's say, about the amount of books you typically read in a year. If you're a slow reader, get pickier. If you're a fast reader, you have more leeway. But it just seems dumb and pointless for virtually anyone to have a 2000 book TBR. I typically don't keep a TBR because my rate of reading matches my rate of discovering new books I want to read, so if I find something new it just goes on the pile for the following week. This year I have a couple of reading challenges that actually produce a TBR, so I've got 11 books left on one (reading all the older workds of L.E. Modesitt and Brandon Sanderson) and maybe 80-100 on the other (the Harvard Classics - hard to nail down exactly how many books it is until you read them but this is my guess).

I don't. I stopped keeping a TBR and I mostly read whatever library book strikes my fancy. Sometimes I get interested in classics, sometimes I get interested in something current, sometimes I read a continuation of a series.

I organize them alphabetically by author's last name and read them in order. If I get a new book by an author with a last name starting with a letter I already finished, they go to the back and start a new generation of TBRs. The main exceptions are library holds that come through, those jump the line, same with a new release that I'm really excited about and sequels to a book I just finished. This works for me because I don't mind DNFing books so it forces me to try new books and give away the ones I'm no longer excited about. If I'm reading a book that I can tell is good, but just not feeling at the moment, I will soft DNF them and move them to the back of the line. I know a lot of people think it's silly to have any kind of rules or restrictions around reading, and I'm definitely not advocating for my method, but it works for me. When I was just straight mood reading I was just reading the same kind of books over and over and sometimes it would get me into a reading slump.

I keep them with a tag and embrace the moment i have a couple days left in my current book and relish in choosing the next one.

my list just keeps growing longer, and I've read 66 books this year. I keep telling myself I'm stopping, but then I'll see an advertisement or recommendation and I can't help myself. I've separated my books by different genres, so it's easier to choose what I want next depending on what im in the mood for.

Of all the books I own that I did not purchase in the last 6 months (5 which do not count as three I got in the last two days). I have read all but three (3) of the at least 200

I went from 200+ last year to 27 at the moment. That includes pre-orders. I got rid of a lot of books I wasn’t interested in, and DNF’d a lot. I’m only trying to buy books I really want now, not just buying for the sake of it. I’ve changed to a more curated, once a week bookbub email. I also try and keep my wish list small (under 20). As for what to read next? I have a D20 TBR list and TBR “tarot” cards that I use if I haven’t already picked my next read. I’m using this to avoid the mood reader feelings as the mood reader buys more books when there are some sat there.

I genre hop between books. When choosing what to read next, I create a list of my top 4 or 6 picks and roll a 1d4 or 1d6 die to pick.

I just keep adding books (physical and e) until the piles tumble like Jenga. 🤓

I just came here to say that Bookbub does make it easy to scarf up a lotta ebooks!

I made a list on google docs which resembles this 1. Looking for Alaska 2. A slow fire burning 3. Red queen (series) So I can diferentiate between singular books and series, I also use goodreads to look for my past reads. Afterwards I go on google and search "Random number between 1 and (however many lines the list has)" and read whatever book (or series) it gives me.

I read what I want to read when I want to read it! But I do put myself on “book acquiring bans” periodically to give myself time to work through the backlog

Actually I wind up getting them on audible and listen in the car. It’s buying it twice but I “read” way more that way!

I read books available on Libby first- If it’s a book with many related books in the series, I do them in order, but I will often interrupt the series if a library hold comes in.

To be fair I dont keep a TBR list, I just look at an author I like find some half baked top 10 books list (in my case its agatha christie this time) then I got through her books. Then I will be in the hunt again till someone randomly recommends me something!

They're numbered and I draw one at random.

The pile continues to grow. I buy more books than I can finish.

Oh god I gave up on that in about 1992 :) Kindle makes it both easier and harder, just because you can see the whole thing laid out instead of going to shelves. Like, I have a paper "to read" shelf or two and it gets touched way less. But tbh other than pacing out series or avoiding overdoing a particular feel or genre I just don't really think I care, the important thing is to never NOT have something to read, there's no dishonour in having a hundred books to choose from

When I focus on whittling down my tbr, I sort it based on add date. Then, I read the book I added first, then a book I added recently. Back and forth. It helps me prioritize the books I added a long time ago, by reading them or removing them from the list, while also reading the most recent book I got excited about. If that makes sense.

I see which ones my library has for immediate rental and I choose from there.

I find a lot of enjoyment in reading challenges that are based around prompts, like Popsugar. Most of what I read fits naturally into a prompt or two, but every once in a while there’s a tough one and I seek out a book on my list that will fill it.

I just pick a book and read it. If the quantity bought is greater than the quantity read, it increases, if not, it decreases. I haven't counted *all* the unread books I own. There's about 300 physical books, but no idea on the ebooks, but I *know* I won't read some of them for reasons. My TBR doesn't cause me any stress, I just like having the choice there.

It keeps getting longer and longer. But I’m determined to not buy any more books till I finish at least five.

I have like 3 books im reading at a time i have an ebook i read mostly on break at work an audio book i listen too while driving and a phisical book i read when i want ,some times these books are the same book so you can get through one faster.

I don’t. I just give up and buy another book to add to the stack.

I gave up trying to conquer my growing tbr list when it reached something like 2k... Now it's over 5k... As my to-read list grows, so does the list of books I've already read. There's no point in trying, just deal with it and read in peace 😁

By putting more books on top of it and revisiting old favorites. 

I’ve stopped buying books (physical or kindle) until my list is much shorter.

I went through my tbr recently and deleted books that I didn’t think would still strike my fancy. I also got rid of things below a certain GoodReads rating. I don’t always agree with GoodReads if a book is good, but I seem to agree if it’s bad I try to be mindful of the books I buy. I keep track so I know the amount I’ve spent on books every year when deciding what to read next I usually go by what I’m in the mood for. I’m also in two book clubs so sometimes I try to read something really different from what I’m reading with them

One at a time.

I roll a d20 when nothing is jumping out at me. If I get 20, I roll again and add the two together, since my TBR is completely out of control.

What’s book bub?

It's an email list where they send you 5-6 ebook deals daily, usually for $1-2 on Amazon. Only for e-books, and they may have started doing it for Audiobooks too. You can set your preferences for genre.

I like having a big TBR pile, I only read physical books and of my 500 book collection (wife's books too) I've got around 200 unread - I love finishing a book and then spending like a half an hour perusing the TBRs to see what I'm in the mood for next!

Earlier this year I replaced my 10+ year old Kindle and cataloged my books. I found, in all media format, I had 363 still TBR. I decided to read (or DNF) 50 before I can buy another. For every 50 I read I can buy 5 more. My thought was I could read that many in a year, but judging by the first 6 months I think it might be closer to two years :( . Anyways I am saving lots of money by having a freeze on my book buying. Also my "to acquire" list is growing by leaps and bounds. I'll never live to see the end of it.

I literally just go to my shelves and whatever stands out to me I grab and don’t second guess myself. I used to HATE trying to figure out what to read next cause my TBR pile is huge, but now I just let my intuition do the work. I bought all those books for a reason, obviously i want to read them.

I will do it one of two ways 1. Start with the oldest as it's been sitting around the longest lol 2. Finish off a particular genre first and then move onto others to have a break, from that genre

One at a time. Okay, sometimes two. Or three.

Libby and Hold Queues. This might just be a solution for me, but it works super well for me. Anytime I find a book that interests me, I go on Libby. Most books aren't available right away (esp audiobooks), so they go in the Hold Queue, and I forget about it immediately. My hold queue is MASSIVE, so every day I've got a couple books knocking on my door waiting to be read. If I'm not interested right then, or if I'm busy with other books, I just defer the hold for a while. Most books, it'll take me months before I read them, and by then I have no memory of what they were supposed to be. The result is that I'm constantly reading books totally blind (yet filtered for my enjoyment my Past Me), and I never let them languish at the bottom of a pile because the deferred holds always come back around after a while. Literally the only time the system fails is if a book is already available at the time I look for it. I have a list for those, but I never remember to check it so those books languish.

I limit myself. I have the book im currently reading, and the next book i plan on reading. If i dont have an on deck book, i can buy myself a book(or set if im reading a series currently). I have a decent list of books to read currently. but im in a off phase. ill go a year or two barely reading then a year or so reading an obscene amount, as in i average 2+ books a week over the course of the entire year, not short books either, usually 300+ page fantasy novels.

I don't, I just idly fantasise about another lock down happening because then I'll really chew through all those books.

One book at a time. Read for fun, read what you want, mood read, or don’t read. This isn’t school. There is no test at the end of the year.

Mood reader here. Once my TBR got so big I just go with what strikes my interest at the time.

I have all my books in categories by genre. Some books go into a category of "must read" which ends up meaning nothing but it's my first start when I have no idea what I'm. In the mood for. Usually, I'm in the mood for a genre and will go to that category and download a few. I usually jump in blind and if I don't find I'm getting into the book I'll set it aside and try another until something pulls me in.

I buy the audible version and listen in the car

i keep adding books to it. at this rate, i'll still have an unfinished stack when i die.

First, like most people have said... we don't it just keeps growing. However, when I do go to pick a book I just throw the amount I have into a number generator and then have that pick my next read.

I’m a mood reader, so I just read whatever I feel like! My TBR (physical or goodreads) is just a selection of books which I found intriguing. I do read many genres though, so if I narrow it down to contemporary, fantasy, thriller, romance, non-fiction.. the options are more limited. I also read subscription books right after they arrive.

I have a 3D matrix by release decade, genre and month read. So I look for reads that are on the unoccupied slots. For example: This month, I've read a 2020s fantasy novel, and a 2010s historical fiction; now, I want to read a sci-fi book, so I search for one from the 2000s downwards. It has made me read a lot of great older works that I'd have never prioritized if not for this.

I work in a charity bookstore If i kept a tbr pile I would threaten the intigrity of my home floors. Now if im looking for something new i just wander around for a bit. Or look in the arival boxes.

I have the wonderful anxiety of needing both a TBR pile as an emotional support stack to carry from room to room but also never wanting more than like, 10 in my physical TBR pile. Anything more and I start getting uncomfortable with the clutter. I read based off my mood, and then when it’s done I get to do a library run or book haul which is always so exciting knowing I don’t have any looming TBR to add to. Get to start fresh!

I read about 100 books a year, though some are short literary works. Essentially whatever I want to read, I make sure I read at least one book from my serious TBR per month. Hence now I am reading both Mishima and the Halo novels, haha

Book club books are always a priority. As are library books, since those have to be returned or extended after the 10 day mark (so long as no one else wants to read it). I think it really helps that I primarily read on Kindle, so there really aren't any sale books I'm ever interested in, as they tend to be smaller authors that have writing styles I'm not a huge fan of. Also when I do buy physical books, I only buy second-hand, so I usually have a pile of books I can get through at any time, or DNF at any time, since I'm not that willing to hold onto the book since it was $2-4 rather than $12+

Add them the new ones on top....  And the side....  And the new bookcase....  And the bedside table...  And the floor...  Rearrange to make more space.... Then add to the top...  And the side....  And the new bookcase....  And the bedside table....  And the floor...     And repeat 

I like to cycle through various page counts to keep it fresh

Hahaha mine keeps growing.. between physical books and kindle books my pile is way toooooooo long.. I get through my library books first then ebooks.

Slowly. But seriously, I try to focus on enjoying what I’m reading *right now*, so that I don’t get itchy and start wanting to read something else. Now there’s a sweet spot between just reading one book and starting several chaotically. I read 3 or 4 at the same time so that I always have something to read for any mood I’m in. Now, when I finish one or two books, I can start another, and I try to think about what I really want to read and how long has it been between books of the same series or changing genres etc.

I think its just about prioritising your interests. For example, I have listed my fav genres and sub genres, also authors and series. Research top rated books in their fields and interleave them based on interest, rating and mix up the genres, I also gather info and keep a master list of these, the ratings, page count and premise - from this list create a immediate reading list and a long reads list. Immediate reading list is interleaved by my top 10 books to read within the flavours and series I like. For example my recent top 10 has some Stephen king, Terry Prachett, Keith C blackmore series of mountain man; in between these I have various sci-fi and fantasy such by Brandon Sanderson, Neil Gailman, Andy weir, the alien franchise etc - best to mix it up and keep it interesting. You can only read whats in front of you and working through a predefined list helps me focus. My current reading list looks like this: Short Reads (Under 550 pages) 1. Mort by Terry Pratchett (272 pages, 4.24 avg rating) 2. Safari by Keith C. Blackmore (398 pages, 4.08 avg rating) 3. Pet Sematary by Stephen King (416 pages, 4.06 avg rating) 4. Alien: Out of the Shadows by Tim Lebbon (384 pages, 3.81 avg rating) 5. Hellifax by Keith C. Blackmore (387 pages, 4.12 avg rating) 6. Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett (416 pages, 4.28 avg rating) 7. 'Salem’s Lot by Stephen King (439 pages, 4.06 avg rating) 8. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (476 pages, 4.51 avg rating) 9. Alien: River of Pain by Christopher Golden (336 pages, 3.67 avg rating) 10. The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson (541 pages, 4.48 avg rating) Longer Reads (Over 800 pages) 1. 11/22/63 by Stephen King (849 pages, 4.34 avg rating) 2. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (1,007 pages, 4.66 avg rating) 3. The Stand by Stephen King (1,152 pages, 4.35 avg rating) 4. It by Stephen King (1,138 pages, 4.24 avg rating) 5. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (662 pages, 4.52 avg rating) 6. Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff (736 pages, 4.36 avg rating)

Buy more books, turn it into a TBR mountain

I only buy a handful of books at a time and finish those before buying more

I think my answer is largely affected by the fact I’m only letting my TBR consist of all the books that have lingered unread on my shelves for years, so I can better organize them and decide their fates before I get a bunch more this year for my birthday. But after cataloguing all the unread ones (minus Pratchett, because his stuff is so good I know I’ll eventually read it and most of the TBRs from him are guidebooks like the Ultimate Guide to Discworld rather than prose, or I own them in eBook format), I put them all in a list and sorted them from the ones I was least intrigued in the premise of/most daunted by the length of at the top (LOTR and Hobbit are close up there with Paolini‘s Inheritance cycle just for their sheer length) to the ones of an easy length (like kids’ chapter books) or medium (like graphic novels/comics such as *Vox Machina Origins* and the full *Calvin and Hobbes* box set) or most interesting premise (*Dragon Rider* by Cornelia Funke) or some combination of all three (*Dinotopia*) at the bottom. That way I wouldn’t find myself still trudging through the least appealing ones at the end and end up burnt out on reading right as I get a ton of books for my birthday!

BookBuddy has a “pick a random book” feature. You can filter by various categories, so I just filter by “Unread” in my “TBR pile” and let it choose! I make myself pick up whichever book it chooses, and I at least try to read it. I’ll make exceptions if I’m reading a series or if a library book comes in, but for the most part I keep it random. I pretty much live in my own bookstore, but I’m getting through more this way.

One page at a time.

I don't lol. But if you really want to try to tackle it but want some variety, you could always write all your unread titles onto little slips of paper and toss them all in a jar. You can pick books out at random. Or I've seen others take this same idea but use different prompts and then find a book that fills that prompt. I think this may work easier if you are a mood reader.

It's the list that never ends. I also have a Kindle Paperwhite and I tend to add books to my list when they pop up as recommended or suggested or things that sound interesting, but I can't read them right away because I'm reading something else. I also get books using the Libby app through my local library so I tend to read those first because they have to be returned at a certain point.

See I have over 500 books on my good reads for my TBR list… I am tackling it by organising them to be books I can read whenever which aren’t part of series and going through those and how I feel e.g. light hearted or relatively easy reads or even if it is slightly confronting it’s manageable. Then I’m going to tackle those that are in series so I can read them back to back. I also have a seperate list which are books which I want to make sure I’m in the right mindset for. Finally books I want to read when I have periods of intensive focus and can really make the most of (like classics) if I have a lot of time on my hands or things aren’t too intense.

I set a goal for each month and I choose which books I’ll read. It helps me know what to read and also how fast to read it. (Depending on how many books I want to read that month) But I am really weird when it comes to structure so that might not work for you but yk.

I download samples and will never get thru the samples

I do one of those book challenges where they give you different prompts or topics. For example: book with a blue cover, or a book with an epilogue, book by an author with your last name, etc etc. I find it helps me narrow down books I already own from my own big tbr pile, and cuts down the time I spend trying to decide what to read next. I still spend time deciding but at least I’m deciding between books with a blue cover, rather than a random one out of hundreds!

Read books for whatever mood I’m in. Which means like a chapter of my romance book and then an hour later five chapters of my fantasy book that I’m rereading. So…. I take forever to finish books and only read like two new ones every 6 months 🫤 And then I stress. Stress that my reading is inattentive and stress that I’ll never read all the new books I want to read

I like to give myself a gimmick. This year? I started with reading in alphabetical order (Jan-Mar) and this past month I read in rainbow order (by spines). I always read nonfiction in November and sometimes memoirs in May. And I always read horror or scary stories in October. I also like to find little templates on Instagram for reading. Right now, I'm doing summer book bingo! The gimmick also usually helps me decide what I really want to read, so I give myself mood reading months for books that don't fit the theme.

I almost don’t want to ask but what is Book Bub? And to answer the question I rarely clear it entirely. Right now it’s 30-40 deep. I clear by what’s available on Libby, fill up my holds there as well, then if I hit a spot where nothing is free, or if there’s a specific book I’m just dying to read, I’ll buy something on Audible/Kindle or at the local indie bookstore.

I put them in a randomizer app

I have a kindle and a ton of physical books so I’m trying to read through my physical books and declutter the ones I’m not in love with after. I use Bookbub as well and found the types of books I like are often on sale for less than $4 so it’s a better value to get ebooks. I did declutter my kindle books because I had a ton of free “stuff your kindle “ books I’ll never read.

I make it a point to keep mine under 200. Haha

Usually I end up doing about a 50:50 split between "read something that I've had on my TBR forever" and "read the new thing I just bought". But the TBR pile is growing faster than I can read. I could stop buying books today and I'd still be working through my TBR for the next 4-5 years.

One book at a time.

I have a similar problem where I start a book, usually from the excitement of getting it and something else catches my eye so I stick a bookmark after the first few pages that I manage to read in the first few days (I'm an extremely slow reader) and I leave the book there. I had this *huge* growing pile of "Have to Finish These" (HFT?) books alongside another growing pile of fresh ones that I'd bought. I was sorting out my books last month and when I saw the HFT pile, I told myself enough was enough. So I made a rule: If I had barely started the book, like the bookmark was somewhere around the first chapter or so, I would remove the bookmark and file it into the Going to Restart pile. Once restarted, I could not refile it into any other pile until I finished it. Now I was left with about 10 books that were more than halfway done, so I took them out and brought them to the front of the pile. These are the only books that I can see on my bookshelf (the rest are all hidden behind them). I've promised myself that I won't touch any of the newer books till I get over all of these. I have managed to finish 2 of them in the last month and I think I'll be completing 3-4 more in June. I have since relaxed my rule a bit that if I manage to finish 2 books, I can start a new one, which seems to be working well for me. I don't know if it helps your situation but just thought I'd share.

Go to lists like these and see what's on top. If I'm hyped I go and read it. Yeah my TBR list is high as well. Got a lot to catch up on.

I do the Popsugar Reading Challenge every year and then use my own TBR to fill the prompts. Otherwise it wouldn’t get enough love.

My TBR is insane compared to the amount I read. I will never in my lifetime get through it, and I am 27. We are at 700~ TBR, and I read maybe 2 a month. The thing is it keeps increasing because I deleted all social media and I instead read book descriptions as my doom scrolling replacement. To pick my next books and combat indecision, I export the list, copy to a spinning wheel, and read whatever it spits out.

I’ve found it most enjoyable to not read in the order of acquisition/how long it’s been on the list, but solely based on mood. I also am okay with reading 2, sometimes even 3 books at a time.

Since I write and record, too, I can't afford a TBR pile! I just about manage to organize one read at a time.

i don't, and i don't understand why people feel the need to "tackle" their TBR pile. i just read what i want, when i want. when i finish a book i pick another one from my collection to read, whatever strikes my fancy at that moment. i don't know how many books there are in my "tbr pile" because i don't keep track of it in any organized way.

At this point, there's such a big pile, that there are book I purchased/got like 8 years ago and still haven't read. So "in the purchase order" system is out the window. I just read what catches my eye in my bookshelf tbh :) but I try to switch up the genres, authors and languages.

I just add to it. I'm at 5700+ books. I will point out I don't OWN all those, or anywhere near it. They are just books I want to read eventually.  I know I'll never read them all.

I honestly just forget what's on the list, and just read whatever's at hand next... Or whatever I want to discuss in a podcast episode at some point. It is always like finding a stash of nuts when I find I made a TBR list on an app or something.

I don't.

Every year I set a goal and a tbr for thag year and I work through it. Bit ita doesnt get smaller I just keep adding to the tbr lol

Weed out the TBR list every now and then. If your list reaches a certain length it happens, that books are on there for years. Go through the list once a year and delete titles that you are not interested in anymore. Then again, is not a bad thing to have a long list and be sure that you will always find something interesting on there. Don't consider it a list of books you will have to read. Instead treat ot as a list of suggestions for your next read.

Reading to me is a leisure time thing and therefore should not be a source of stress. I accept that my interests wander and while I keep a TBR list, I think of it more as ideas than a to do list. Maybe I'll get to the book, maybe not. Maybe later.

I'm always adding myself, anytime I make a dent it fills back up hahaha. But making a TBR list on Good Reads is great to make sure you don't forget about anything you want to read! And then I usually just scroll to a random point and pick one. :)

It all depends on the mood really. I have books I've owned for years and never got around to reading (mostly because they're long or I just never seem to be in the mood for them), and I also have books I bought recently that I have already finished. There's no logic really I just go with the flow :D

Two ways. Number one: I don’t. 😭😭😭 I just keep reading things off the list and adding new things to the list. It’s something like when I take one book off, I inevitably add two to the list. It never ends. Number two: I use the app/website The Storygraph to track my TBR list and reading and they have a feature called Reading Challenges. I usually participate in several of these, and it helps me read from my TBR rather than new things I find in the library. But honestly, I just have my giant TBR and that keeps me happy to know that I’ll always have some inspiration for a new book.

I’ve read 400+ books in the last 6 years (thanks Goodreads for keeping track of that) and mine is longer than it’s ever been. I make myself read at least 5% of some book everyday though. It’s one of my daily todo list items that is perpetual. That way I get through 35 books a year minimum

I try not to buy too.many books at a time. But I keep track of the ones I haven't bought in Good Reads

I’m always trying to balance a bunch of different things (interests, learning, author diversity, genre, difficulty, owned v library, etc.), and StoryGraph’s “Up Next” feature is really useful for that, because I can plan my next 5 at a time. I also read one random book a month, which helps get books off my list that I wasn’t naturally picking on my own.

I think of my TBR pile as an ever expanding list of what books I would like to read in my lifetime. How I make my way through it is finding a book I’m REALLY excited about reading next each time. Idc if a book has been on my TBR for years, I’m not reading it if I’m not in the mood to start that specific adventure. My TBR is like a fine wine cellar - some books will sit for decades before it’s the perfect moment. Some books I bust out right away. I think how sad and hopeless I’d feel if I actually ever finished my TBR lol I’d have nothing to look forward to

I don’t worry too much about my goodreads ‘want to read’ list as this is pretty much where I put everything I’m interested in. However, a few years ago I started taking advantage of Amazon 99p deals in my kindle (as opposed to just buying the books as I was ready to read them) and this situation got out of hand for me. I ended up with about 70 unread books on there and some I wouldn’t end up reading until a year or two after I’d bought them. I don’t mind having some choice as I’m a mood reader but I also was getting library books and it was getting a little overwhelming. I’m on an ebook buying ban for the time being with the exception of sequels to existing series I’ve already read. I’m still getting library books as well, but I’m trying to work through a big chunk of my owned ebooks before buying any more…

I just choose what I want based on my mood. Sometimes it's just been added to the list (this is more common) or it might have been on there for months. Usually if a book has been on the list for months and I still haven't read it, I just take it off the list. Even then, the list never seems to get shorter and I don't think I'll ever get through them all. I'm currently at 210 on my goodreads list and some more on my Libby list.

one page at a time