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I'm planning to try to sort out my TBR list, as at the moment it has quite a lot of books that realistically I'm never going to get to, while there are others I do want to read but haven't got round to adding.

This had me wondering what's on everyone else's TBR, and how you go about organising it? I'll post a bit more about mine later!

I have lots of unread books that i downloaded as freebies when I first got my kindle. I've started to sort them out and list the ones that I think I will actually try to read.

I also have a few partly completed series that I want
to try and finish. In some cases I am waiting for the next book to be in a kindle sale instead of way out of my price range.


The trouble is that I keep finding new books and new series to read. It is a good job that I am a fast reader.

One lot of recently downloaded books that I want to get started on are the Bobby Owen ones that I downloaded last year
I just need to sort them into reading order, and probably add the missing ones to my wish list (which is probably nearly as long as the revised TBR will be)

Right now my TBR list is the physical pile of books on my desk, the next lot are in order on my Kindle. I did a bit of an organise yesterday, usually I decide what I'm going to read after the book I'm currently reading but there are a couple of (short) books I want to pass on to my dad on Monday and I need to get them read.

Jay-me (Janet) wrote: "One lot of recently downloaded books that I want to get started on are the Bobby Owen ones that I downloaded last year"

Snap! I've read the first couple in the series and want to go on - most of those which were given away are much later on, though, so it's a question of whether to download all the ones in between before getting to the later entries!

Jay-me, I also know what you mean about watching out for Kindle sales, and also for books to become available at libraries...

Learnin Curve wrote: "I did a bit of an organise yesterday, usually I decide what I'm going to read after the book I'm currently reading but..."

Sounds like a busy reading weekend for you! I've just been trying to do some organising too, but have realised there aren't actually many books I want to take off the TBR list - however there are quite a lot I want to add on, including a number which are on my Kindle.

I have a ŷ������ shelf called 'Books to Read Next,' which includes book clubs reads for the next month, plus any review books that I need to read next (NetGalley, etc) so that I have the books I really need to read within a deadline at the front.

I enjoyed the first Booby Owen which was nominated here but didn't win and went on to buy more . That was why I said in another thread it would be good if we could read some of the second books from authors we have had as group reads.
I think the problem is we all seem to have so many other books we want to read, but there are only 24 hours in the day

I added a shelf called "Waiting-on-shelf". These are all books from my TBR list that are physically in my house waiting for me.

I have a spreadsheet (and I need to add all the Patricia Wentworths to it!)

I remember myself as an unwary innocent joining GR & thinking I could keep my "to-read" shelf to 30 books! Ha! Even though I go through & pruned the shelf regularly I still found it hard to find my books. So now I have a local library, area libraries, own & kindle shelves. For the most part the own & kindle shelves are books I have acquired after having them on one of my other to read shelves (although I have so many on my kindle now it might be a thought to put them on my to read kindle shelf so I can find things!)

I also have a physical to read shelf with my physical books I want to read - other than my Georgette Heyer's. They have their own bookcase!

The book I most want to read is The Tigress of Forlì: The Life of Caterina Sforza To put it mildly she sounds an amazing woman who has had relatively little written about her.

I have a list of "To Read-Fiction" and a list of "To Read-Nonfiction". Each list runs to 30 pages typed. They are both organized alphabetically. On the shelves, the fiction is arranged alphabetically by author. The non-fiction is organized by year of publication.

The actual TBR piles themselves get pulled as needed. Current series now, for example, are Poirot and Sherlock Holmes. Also finishing up a suburban cozy series by Lee Harris. Then I usually have some historical fiction going---which right now consists of US colonial, and Ancient Greece. So I go through my "library" and pull books that fit those profiles. Since GR, I now have a GRTBR pile!

Non-fiction---I read from the oldest pile first, but from the memoir pile as the spirit moves me, and the political pile as my constitution can handle it. So at any given time, I have one or two mysteries going, a classic, an historical fiction, a popular science and/or political and/or memoir. Sometimes also a history.
It sounds like a lot, but is actually quite organized.

Oh yeah---the Kindle books are in their proper place in the typed list with a purple K next to them so I can find them. My books on KIndle are in collections I created on the Kindle.

Aren't you sorry you asked!?

I do not put a book on my TBR shelf unless I have it. I have over 1,000 paper books in a room here that are waiting to be read and we have well over 2,000 paper books in the loft in boxes. That excludes children's books that my sons didn't take with them when they moved out and reference books. I have an extremely long list of books for my kindle. A lot of which are the free ones that you tend to get when you find out there are free ones and you are click-happy. Some of which have been really good but some are not. I have 330 books waiting TBR on kindle that I have paid for.
If I were to sort these books it would take an awfully long time which would leave me less time for reading them, so I just plough on and mostly enjoy.

Too many to mention. In my last two residences, I had 1-2 closets devoted to my unread books. Currently, 98% (that's a guess) of the books on the shelves are unread or partially read. There is at least one that I have been reading since the '70s. It is a big book but I don't think I have picked it up in quite a while. This doesn't even cover the unread Kindle books.

Luckily it is 25 miles to the nearest Barnes & Noble.

Jan C wrote: "Too many to mention. In my last two residences, I had 1-2 closets devoted to my unread books. Currently, 98% (that's a guess) of the books on the shelves are unread or partially read. There is at l..."

Oh that reminds me! I have an in-hibernation shelf for a book I've been reading since 2015. Nothing wrong with the book - it's just I'm reading on my computer & I hate that!

Carol ♔Type, Oh Queen!�� wrote: "Jan C wrote: "Too many to mention. In my last two residences, I had 1-2 closets devoted to my unread books. Currently, 98% (that's a guess) of the books on the shelves are unread or partially read...."

Wow! I think on the computer is the one place that I don't read. On the phone, on the kindle, on the tablet, but no computer.

My dad used to print out e-books from the computer in the early days.

Funnily enough, the Amazon jungle is beginning to regrow (and new trees absorb 11 times the amount of carbon as old trees) as the invention of the email, internet, paperless offices, and ebooks has dramatically reduced the need for paper. This has caused the wood prices in Canada and North America to plummet which has resulted in buying from illegal loggers pointless as there is no profit to be gained anymore.

I read a book on my old PC & that was fine (maybe the squarish screen?) But yeah, not enjoyable on a lap top. I read Whose Body? that way too.

Jan C wrote: "TLuckily it is 25 miles to the nearest Barnes & Noble. "

Haha! My nearest bookshop is a lot closer, so I have to resist :)

Looking at all these great comments, I am clearly an amateur in the whole arena of TBR lists! I will try to organise mine a bit better and follow some of these suggestions.

I read on my kindle, kindle fire, iPad and laptop depending on where I am and what is fully charged. I also have a paperback book in the bathroom ( at the moment it is Beauvallet which is a new Georgette Heyer for me)

I am slowly organising lists by year, splitting paid and free kindle books. I only get to visit second hand bookshops occasionally and haven't used the local library for some years (opening hours not convenient :( ) so most of my TBR list is on the kindle. Paperbacks are mostly re-reads of old favourites.

I'm finding some books that will fit my Reading around Britain Challenge that have been on my kindle for a while.

I stopped using the Want to Read shelf here on ŷ������ to track my TBR list when the home page was redesigned.

Judy wrote: "Looking at all these great comments, I am clearly an amateur in the whole arena of TBR lists! I will try to organise mine a bit better and follow some of these suggestions."

So am I, Judy. I got some great ideas from the members here. My tbr has no rhyme nor reason!!

I have now reached the age where I don't feel that have as much time as I used to so I give each new book between 25 - 50 pages. If I am not hooked. I stop reading and move onto the next book.

TBR for this year, I am leaning toward women authors, memoirists and histories. Of course, that does not account for all the lovely teases I get from this great group. Currently on a Peter Lovesey kick, so what do I know?

Daniele, I used to be someone who would read on to the end no matter what, but now I'm also feeling that I can't force myself to read something which I'm not enjoying! I just gave up on one book after 120 pages or so because I was finding it hard to pick it up once I'd put it down.

I am the lucky 1% and my reading speed averages 1000-1200 wpm with over 85% comprehension* so a book has to be truly terrible or bad and long for me to give up on it. If it's short I skim to the last chapter and If it's a long book then I look at the Wikipedia page for it.

*I used to have a hell of a job convincing teachers that I had read a whole book without skimming or finished reading what they had given me.

How lucky you are. If I start a book , I feel compelled to finish it. If I am not liking it I just carry on reading and try to get it over and done with as quickly as I can. I truly wish I could just leave them without feeling guilty. There are only two books I have ever given up on, one being Lord of the rings, which I know is loved by so many people.
This is probably why I hardly ever re-read a book, as there are so many out there to read

I have also that feeling of guilty if I don't finish a book. When the reading got heavy, I alternate between books. That's the reason for reading so many books at the same time.

I'm with you, Marcus. I usually read one history and one mystery at the same time so that I don't get bogged down in heavy reading for days at a time.

Reading a book that I don't enjoy is like knitting with cheap yarn, when I am finished all I have is a fur ball.

A while back I was reading about Jack London and he said that life is too short to waste any of it on a book you don't really want to read, there are enough good books out there that you do want to read. Ever since then I haven't felt any guilt at all at casting books aside after I have given it a fair shot (at least 50 pp).

I put down one book after reading 800+ pp and having less than 100 to go. I just didn't like the way the book was going. This writer had taken 20 years to write the book, may be they should have spent a little time editing.

If I don't finish a book it is very rare. However, I have abandoned some books and generally do so quite quickly.

I have abandoned a few books but like Marcus I will dip into a book, take a bread and read something else, come back to it and hopefully finish it - this year I am determined to chip away at my TBR pile/file!

That is my aim too Hilary. Especially the paper ones, to make some actual space.

Jill wrote: "That is my aim too Hilary. Especially the paper ones, to make some actual space."

Oooh yes! Actually I am finding holding a physical book is getting too hard (sobs) but amazing how many books can fit on a kindle!