Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Questions to discuss:

1. How do you choose what books to add to your TBR list?

2. How do you choose which book to read next?

2. I wish I knew the answer

I've got a rather long TBR list I keep on an excel spreadsheet, so anytime someone recommends a book to me, I just add it there. I try to keep track of who told me about the book (to thank them or know not to take recommendations from them, depending!) and then I rank them based Amazon/B&N/Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ to the better books get sorted to the top. Yes, it's complicated, but I've been doing it for so long, now, it's just what I do.

Sorry you asked? ;-)

1. With all of the wonderful book bloggers around, I know which of them have my taste in reading, so quite often, the books that go into my TBR and to-buy list are books that I've seen good ratings for from those bloggers and reviewers. Other times, the general buzz will do it.

2. I get a lot of books for review, so my process of which to read next goes something like this:

ARC's - if the release date is within a week or two and I haven't read it yet, it's next
Review (ARC's and others) - by received date
Personal - I joined some reading challenges that helped me prioritize this reading by listing books in advance that I want to read this year

...and sometimes, I just have a book in my shelf that keeps yelling at me to read it, so I do :)

I try to alternate my reading between personal books and review books .. one review, one personal, but sometimes there will be a batch of review books whose release date is coming up or that I've had for longer than 8 weeks, so I'll read review books quite a bit more often.

And sometimes, I'll have read 3 or 4 bleh books in a row, and I'll just pull one out that I know I'm going to like to get back that "I love reading" feeling.

Yikes, 2 bleh books in a row is enough of a bummer for me. I make sure I have a few books around that I am primed for, just in case. Sometimes anticipation is a consolation. But your reading experience Julie must be impacted mightly by the fact that its also a job.

and you put it well, regarding those pesky books that keep nagging 'read me next'. Its often wise to pay attention, but what do you do when they all call at once

I have a huge massive gargantuan mammoth TBR list. It started out as a list in a Word doc, then I transferred it to a Google spreadsheet, and now I have it cataloged on a site similar to GR (but with a better shelving system).

So, how do I choose which of those TBRs to read? Right now, I'm mostly being led by Reading Challenges I'm participating in. This is good because it eliminates the need to decide, but it is not good because it limits the choices (which is contradictory and makes no sense :)). When I'm not doing challenges, I'm basically just led by mood and read whatever sounds good at the moment.

what I dont understand about the process you are describing, YRO, is how, once youve determined from your spreadsheet that you want to read any book next, how do you carry on from there? Either you have a huge library of your own,or you are extremely organized and know way ahead so you can acquire it.

One thing I truely do not love is being left hanging, and so I try to avoid that desperate search for the book I need to be reading now. Maybe I am lazy after all, and can't bear too much suspense, for I much prefer having my books to hand and choosing from the bedside pile rather than, as it has happened only recently, going to obsessive lengths to get a book I was hot to read.

This is especially true for series. I won't start vol 1 until I have them all lined up. Happens with philosophers too, got to read their early work first.

Mood plays into it, and as Julie mentioned above, books do have a way of yelling at us and placing themselves in our face so to speak. Proximity is key for me.

That said, I just now finished a very good book and find the book I had picked to read next, I have read before. I wasnt planning on actually beginning it yet, it was just the introductory rituals, and I probly forget enough to benefit from re-reading, but,
theres a dozen other books I have waiting, and if I remember correctly, this book Im considering reading again, was a bit finiky.

Oh decisions. So hard to avoid.

I'm ridiculously organized. :) For the challenges I'm participating in, I made lists in advance of books that would fulfill the requirements for the challenge. All other TBRs are in lists sorted by genre. I then use those lists to create a list at the beginning of each month of what I plan to read. Once I know the books for the month, I either pull them from my shelves and put them in a designated area, or order them from the library, or purchase them. And occasionally I'll get a little wild and ignore all that organization and read a book from my shelves that just sounds wonderful at that moment.

Kinkajou wrote: "All I can say is - WOW! I wish I were that organized. At the moment there are 16 books stack to either side of me on my desk, topped with various piles of papers and, fittingly, prescription bottles :)"

LOL

Yeah, you can say to me, "What will you be reading on July 19?" and I can tell you...and most likely be accurate. I don't think this is healthy or normal behavior. :)

If you have an opportunity lookup the Dilbert cartoon for 9th June

:-)

My method is totally haphazard except for my monthly book club and a couple of online group reads. I definitely WANT to have a plan, though. I'll let you know what it is when I figure it out!

Kinkajou wrote: "Her Royal Orangeness wrote: "I'm ridiculously organized. :) For the challenges I'm participating in, I made lists in advance of books that would fulfill the requirements /..."

wish we had a like button, or better yet an agree or not, here...I was going WOW reading HRO's remarks, just gaping at the thought of all that extraordinary diligence, quite staggered actually, trying to picture it, when I scrolled down and read K's reaction.

RO my dear, you should get a medal.
And I love that you feel free to chuck your plan for a special book when you feel like it.

Can you say a few things about these challenges. Sounds way more complicated than I assummed. I figured that books were assigned and/or you had a timeline to read them, like a race.

I did look up the Dilbert cartoon. What was it about again?

Magdelanye wrote: "Can you say a few things about these challenges. Sounds way more complicated than I assummed. I figured that books were assigned and/or you had a timeline to read them, like a race."

Reading challenges take place on blogs and on book forums. First, someone (the "challenge host") comes up with a topic (like books set in a particular geographic region or books of a certain genre). They then set levels of participation (meaning you can choose to read 1 book, or 5 books, or 20 books, or in the case of geographic regions, something like one book for each of the 50 states) and a deadline date (anything from 1 week to 1 year).

Readers sign-up for the challenge and then post updates at the hosting blog or in the forum topic. Bloggers who host challenges often offer prizes (free books, gift certificates, etc.) as an incentive to complete the challenge.

Most challenges do not require participants to list their books in advance. All you have to do is say, "I want to try this!" I think most people just read, and hope that some of their books will fulfill the requirements for the challenges they've signed up for. However, I (being ridiculously organized and painfully competitive) made detailed lists for each of the challenges I'm participating in to insure completion.

is dedicated to listing challenges that are taking place around the blogosphere. Take a look at that for some examples of what I've tried to explain.

that link didnt work and when I google there are many that begin thus but none only those 2 words

Hrm...the link works for me. Well, here it is without the fancy html:

Next Day :
Who is Dilbert ? !

I am finding that I drift into a natural (unnatural as it is probably a conditioning) pattern of adding to my TBR pile from - the current authors whose books I read when they come out, each month's read from 1 group, filling the gap in my reading knowledge by asking GR friends for recommendations. From reviews of GR members whose reviews I instinctively 'trust'.
Am I product of my genetics or my environment ?

Thanks for the invite to the group!

My method for choosing what to read next usually involves staring at my bookshelf for about an hour, and picking up and flipping through various titles until I find one that can keep my interest for more than 30 seconds. I'm more inclined to read books I check out from the library than the books I own, even though I keep buying books to add to my shelf. They lose their appeal once I can keep them forever. =p

Sometimes my book selections depend on ARC copies, up-coming challenges and book tours I join. Mostly they depend on my mood and topic of interest at the time.

Kinkajou wrote: "Welcome, Lillafiore!

I'm more inclined to read books I check out from the library than the books I own, even though I keep buying books to add to my shelf. They lose their appeal once I can keep..."

I ALSO do the same thing. I hesitate to admit this, but I bought 24 (yes, 24 in 2 trips) books at the Used Book Sale at the library a few months ago and I haven't read ONE of them yet! I WILL get to them, but they just don't seem to be a priority...

I'm more inclined to read books I check out from the library than the books I own, even though I keep buying books to add to my shelf. They lose their appea..."

This is interesting, not only that we neglect our own books in favor of our library books, but we all seem to feel slightly embarrassed about it.

Me thinks that it has something to do with library time limits and library fines. Plus, a book on our shelves has a fairly fixed place in our lives. The books we get from the library are guests who get priority attention.

Library books are, by nature, more pompous and demanding. They think they're so special with their mylar wrappings and secret code stickers. Much more difficult to ignore than the comfy friendly books hanging out on the shelves in your home. :D

In fact I do not use the library any more.
There are a couple of reasons for this.
one day, shortly after I had moved back to the city and before my books were back from storage, I found myself surrounded by a circle of books I had made out of library books. 50 books, the legal limit. I had a wonderful time sorting them by subject and putting them in the order that I wanted to read. ( Adorno was one of the authors I was exploring, the books were mainly philosophy,theology, modern and science fiction)

What I overlooked was that fact that I was mixing up the due dates (for it took me a while to gather them all together, perhaps 7 or 8 visits). I hated having to return a book before I was ready to relinquish it, and it was a lot of bother trying to keep track of due dates. I did have print outs, I was overwhelmed with printouts. But by the time that particular reading cycle was exhausted, you can imagine,a hefty fine had accumulated.

Another reason is that one day a bedbug crawled out of a library book I had just gotten.

But the bottom line is,libraries are my weakness, like some people with candy or booze. I dimly realize I have enough, more than I can manage, but I cant control myself (what if I can never find that book again?)
Before my last extensive trip I returned all my library books.

I understand the library compulsion issue, I seem to read these twice as fast, even though I can extend the borrowing online.

Oooh - a bedbug! Don't know if I'll ever feel quite the same about library books. That's probably not enough to stop me, however. I LOVE the atmosphere of the library, and knowing I have the power to take home ANY book in that big, wonderful place!

Was it a bedbug? Or a bookworm? ;)

One of the Gardens at the Chelsea flower show used books as the foundation of a 'bug home' this year, so it's spreading !

Sponsored by Royal Bank of Canada I think - any takers M ??

I have to limit my time at the library to 1x a week and have less than 10 items on my card. Its so easy to walk out with armloads of books, dvds, and magazine without realizing that there is no way to get through them all in the 3 week limit, even with renewing the books.

The sad part is that I'm a librarian and work at the public library, so I'm am routinely tempted to walk out each day with a stack of books in my arms. I do frequent the Friends of th Library bookstore though. Books for 50 cents to a dollar!

Magdelanye wrote: "Yikes, 2 bleh books in a row is enough of a bummer for me. I make sure I have a few books around that I am primed for, just in case. Sometimes anticipation is a consolation. But your reading experi..."

I have far too many books that I'd love to pull out and read all in a row, but I have to ignore them far too often :)

Her Royal Orangeness wrote: "Library books are, by nature, more pompous and demanding. They think they're so special with their mylar wrappings and secret code stickers. Much more difficult to ignore than the comfy friendly bo..."

Why isn't there a "Like" button?

Julie wrote: "Why isn't there a "Like" button?"

:)

Her Royal Orangeness wrote: "Julie wrote: "Why isn't there a "Like" button?"

:)" It seems groups dont get a like button.

I sure liked coming home to read and laugh a bit over all the comments.

Maybe we can figure out our own sign.
RO, is that your suggesstion above?
:)

Magdelanye wrote: "RO, is that your suggesstion above?"

I don't think Julie meant "Why isn't there a like button?" as a serious inquiry into the lack of functions in groups. :)

I assume she meant if there *was* the option to "like," she would have "liked" my message that she quoted. So, to express appreciation that she liked my message enough to want to "like" it, I smiled. That's what the :) was for.

HRO wrote'
I assume she meant if there *was* the option to "like," she would have "liked" my message that she quoted....
Exactly. And you will notice how often throughtout this thread this sentiment has been expressed. So I checked it out and it seems that indeed the option to like is not available to groups. I am going to follow this up on GR feedback site.

HRO continued her explanation:
So, to express appreciation that she liked my message enough to want to "like" it, I smiled. That's what the :) was for.

I have noticed that symbol in your messages before but only now just got it...a true shift in gestalt. :) I really like it, that by tilting my head just slightly my brain tilts rnough to see beyond the merely linear.

A smile signifies agreement, and agreement is ultimately what we are conveying with "like".

How about this for a simple procedure: when we like a particular comment and agree with it, and want to acknowledge how apt and well put, we simply hit the reply button and smile :) further comments may or may not be necessary.

Why not carry on and indicate our disagreement with a frown :( ?

Do you think we could pull this off?

Kinkajou wrote: "Ice wrote: "I understand the library compulsion issue, I seem to read these twice as fast, even though I can extend the borrowing online."

Oh, yes, absolutely. Now that we can renew online it's w..."

:}

Lillafiore wrote: "I have to limit my time at the library to 1x a week and have less than 10 items on my card. Its so easy to walk out with armloads of books, dvds, and magazine without realizing that there is no way..."

:)

this comment arrived close to home as I work in a bookstore. I have to disipline myself to a limit I can buy and bring home.

Her Royal Orangeness wrote: "THIS BLOG is dedicated to listing challenges that are taking place around the blogosphere. Take a look at that for some examples of what I've tried to explain."

Does sound way more interesting than my preconception

What I enjoy about reading challenges is that I've discovered books I probably would not have otherwise. Two of my favorite books this year - The Art of Disappearing and Lark and Termite - I only found because I was looking for books set in particular states. Of course, there have been some rather awful books as well, but it was worth it for the discovery of a few treasures.

Nari (The Novel World) wrote: "I have to limit my time at the library to 1x a week and have less than 10 items on my card. Its so easy to walk out with armloads of books, dvds, and magazine without realizing that there is no way..."

certainly admire your disipline Nari.
My only solution is to stay away from libraries altogether. The hours I would lose there now go into actually reading.

I have been thinking about those reading challanges.
Half the challange I suppose is acqiring the book.

Process?

I see something, I want it, I get it if I can. I read it, if I get distracted I read something else. Usually if I like something I get back to it.

Not much process I regret to say.

Kinkajou wrote: "Ellie wrote: "Process?

I see something, I want it, I get it if I can. I read it, if I get distracted I read something else. Usually if I like something I get back to it.

Not much process I regret..."

In fact ladies you can't wriggle out of it that easy.
The course of action you describe IS your process.
It may be mainly impulsive but theres a wealth of knowledge (your mind and what it wants to know) as well as subliminal influences, recommendations on GR and from friends( and economics too probly) guiding your choices. The cover!

Your personal reading muse has something to do with it as well, serendipity and synchronicity. So your process is not quite as random and casual as you think.

Now Magdelanye, please let's not discuss my wriggling! *eyebrows raised high.

You're right of course. It's just that I think of "process" as somehow more, I don't know, "processy." Less impulsive darting like a maniacal butterfly and more sifting & pondering. More oozy and sequential.

But, as I said, you're right. It is what it is.

My process is for choosing what to read is, I think, that it's there. It could (literally) be the box the Advil came in lying on the passenger seat next to me in the car or the license plate in front of me or something loftier but basically it has appeared in front of me.

Sometimes, it has (by a process of which I am as yet unaware)come to the front of my mind. Like I was doing something a couple of weeks ago (don't remember what) & suddenly the thought Death and the Penguin popped into my head and thanks to the technology of Whispernet (a force for good and evil in my universe), I immediately downloaded it onto my Kindle & started reading it.

It's still a little hard for me to think of that as a "process" (as opposed to when I'm exploring a theme in my life or a new interest & search out works to read that resonate with either or am exploring an author or style of writing. Or of course in non-fiction: I'm reading works that explore popular icons that I'm drawn to such as Joss Whedon or Harry Potter (I wish there was anything on Mark Harmon from NCIS to elevate my crush on him!) & look at them from a cultural or philosophical or psychological point of view.

Or when I was exploring autism through the perspective of first-person narratives by people either on the spectrum or recounting their lived experience as someone close to someone on the spectrum. Or obsessed with Santa Fe or, another time, Thailand, & reading everything I could get my hands on by natives from or just about those places.

Two very different types of process.

Although this very long-winded personal narrative of my own reminded me that what I was actually thinking about when I decided to read Death and the Penguin was how I was craving something "light" to read but everything that I was reading that was labeled "light" was unsatisfying to me. So I thought maybe I was actually craving something not too dense but solid enough to give me a satisfied but not exhausted feeling at the end of the read.

Did anyone actually read this entire post? It's longer than the book reviews I write! :D

Thank you for responding-I actually felt that writing my post was a kind of "process" in itself. It certainly made a number of things clearer to me.

I find this whole subject fascinating-thank you Magdelanye.

I agree (as usual!) with all you wrote Kinkajou. I put a lot of pressure on the choice or use of any word-sometimes a good thing, usually an interesting habit (to me at least-it's frequently annoying to others in my life!-how often have I heard "It's just a word!"), & sometimes paralyzing to my own more general "process."

It may be that I see both a similarity and a difference between "process" and "style" with process being more of a substratum. That may not be the right word (there I go again) but something that goes deeper than style or at any rate is less personality-bound & allows for greater growth than a habitual pattern of acting does.

Although it was interesting to me to realize in the process of writing the post that what had appeared random & impulsive (the decision to buy & read Death and the Penguin) was in fact only random on the surface & more thought, analysis, and choice-making had been involved than I had remembered. Not really subconscious, since I was able to recall the process even though it had been a series of
very rapid steps, but certainly not clearly recognized let alone articulated.

ooh-I love this kind of talk.

Also love popcorn & Milk Duds (or Reeses anything) + my inevitable Diet Coke.

I'm for a balance (at least theoretically; in actuality, I'm not known for moderation :#). Some consciously articulated process; balanced by lots of roaming.

On second thought, even my definition of "balance" isn't really moderate.

Have fun!

Kinkajou wrote: "Yes, balance. In all parts of life. Unfortunately, although it sounds easy it's not at all. T..."

the trick is (if I may butt in to this interesting discussion) to acheive a stable balance that does not need constant major adjustments and is not a rut. This means being less extreme and more mindful about our choices.That's what you were getting at K if I understand you.
It does not mean we can't indulge ourselves, but that we choose carefully our indulgences.

Magdelanye wrote: "what I dont understand about the process you are describing, YRO, is how, once youve determined from your spreadsheet that you want to read any book next, how do you carry on from there? Either you..."

I'm just now catching up on reading this ... sorry I didn't respond to your question, earlier!

I'm blessed with a public library system (just saying library to see if your hives spread! muwahaha!) which not only allows me to get online and request books, but delivers them to me, too! So, I start at the top of my list and ... read. If I can't find a book locally, I'll look for it on Amazon for a .01 or see if I can pick it up from you nice people at Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ.

Now, I have run into a problem of deciding which to read first - the library book or the book on my shelf - and I've had to resort to some sort of a system here, too. I alternate between library book (read by due date) and owned book (which I read by in order by page number! I get the satisfaction of reading books off of my shelf quickly, and am saving War and Peace for the retirement home.)

Yes, I think there's an obsessive compulsive gene in my DNA, but ... I still get to read, so I'm happy!

:-) kj

Kinkajou said>>So if we could apply that to reading, to stop at the exact moment we pull a book off the shelf and take another moment to analyze why we are making that choice it might lead to not only learn something more about our reading choices but ourselves as well.
and KJ admits that even with her super organized system (okay so I am a bit jealous)
that there comes a point where >>Now, I have run into a problem of deciding which to read first - the library book or the book on my shelf

is this the pivotal moment of the elusive choice point that you are both eluding to?

I remember well when I used the library and the tyranny of the due date!

At the critical moment just before I have made my committment, I want my choice to be spontaneously guided by my own deepest intuition. I am also under the influence of my muse, which points things out to me.

Y'all are welcome to copy me, and I'd be happy to share my kick-ass list, too. I've finished two books while you guys have been discussing this ... but I'll admit, one of them was really short. ;)

KJ said>>>Yes, I think there's an obsessive compulsive gene in my DNA, but ... I still get to read, so I'm happy!

at the end of the day, thats the most important thing.

yes, let us peek at your list.

Magdelanye wrote: "Kinkajou said>>So if we could apply that to reading, to stop at the exact moment we pull a book off the shelf and take another moment to analyze why we are making that choice it might lead to not ..."

Yes, I think it is that "pivotal point." And I, too, want to be guided by my deepest instincts at that point. It becomes a question of trusting myself, my unknown knowledge of myself, and my own experiences with reading.