Kathy Hamilton Ah, the TBR list, also known as the “to be read” list. Beloved organisation system of bibliophiles or scourge of the reading race? You decide!
A little while ago I wrote this post, in praise of reading complicated books. It sparked an idea for a ‘thoughts on’ blog post series, where I will tackle interesting (to me and hopefully you!) bookish topics. Today we’re talking about TBR lists. Do you love them or loathe them? Or, like me, do you admire and fear them in equal measure?
In Praise of Reading Lists
Whether you love reading or not, reading lists come in handy. Heck, the blog is filled with them, lists of books set in different countries, books to read when you feel ill, etc. They help create a sense of achievability when faced with the pressure of finding one book to read among the masses available.
TBR lists are a category unto themselves though, don’t you think? I mean, they’re essentially a way to pretty up the fact you have a towering pile of books where your bedside table used to be and I’m all for that! We use them to make order out of the chaos of our own bookshelves. Or do we?
What Makes a Good TBR List Turn Bad?
let me take you back a little way. When I was maybe about 15, I ambitiously made a detailed 20-page TBR list of all the books I planned to read. In my mind, this was it, I’d never need to worry about finding a book again. I’d systematically work through this list of books starting from the 16th Century onwards. Simple!
Then, the next instalment of A Series of Unfortunate Events was published. “Oh No! How unfortunate.” I thought, “Well it won’t matter if I postpone my grand reading plans for this one book. I’ll get back to it straight away.”
Reader, she did not get back to the list.
In fact, writing this blog post is the first time I’ve even thought about that original TBR list in at least a decade! Part of me would love to find it again. If only to get a glimpse of what baby me thought counted as worth reading! Of course, creating such an ambitious TBR list was destined to fail. Not only because it was ambitious but because it locked my future reading into a single point in time. Without any consideration for new publications.
But the whole process definitely taught me something. It’s fun to make a TBR list, less fun to actually follow it.
Redeeming the TBR List
Of course, that’s not to say that TBR lists don’t ever work. When utilised the right way, they can be excellent at encouraging us to remember the books we wanted to read, but forgot when the next shiny thing came along. One way I use mine is to create a TBR pile of about 5 books which are separate from my bookshelf. Here I put the books that I’m interested in reading soon so that it’s a constant visual aid.
Casting my eyes back to the dim, distant, realms of January 2019, having a loose TBR list has also helped me achieved some of my reading goals. The most obvious one is to read the unread books on my shelf. I’ve definitely read books in 2019 that would have continued to languish on my shelf if I hadn’t reminded myself to read them. However, I’ve definitely completely disregarded it at times too. I read this tweet the other day that made me chuckle, but also sparked the idea for this blog post:
Book: there’s a hero Me: meh Book: he has a tragic past Me: go on Book: he’s… distant Me: does he have the emotional availability of a trashcan? Book: you betcha Me: *lifts to top of the TBR* I must meet him
— Meredith Ireland (@MeredithIreland) November 22, 2019
There will always be new books we want to read. However, there will never be enough time to read them all! Curating a TBR list helps cut through the wave of FOMO readers feel when they think about this. But something that’s equally good? Breaking the rules, disregarding the list and reading that book that’s calling to us immediately.
TBR List: The Verdict
Ultimately, I know myself well enough to say that rigid TBR lists don’t work for me. I’m an intuitive reader and I like to be guided by whether to book feels right for the moment. I don’t love the idea of setting something in stone and making rules for a fun hobby. BUT I don’t think the TBR list doesn’t have a valid place in the life of a reader.
I’m intrigued though. Do any of you use a TBR list? And if so, how do you make them work for you?
