the tbr book tag

Hello, everybody, and welcome back to Quote, Unquote!

One of the things at which I have been steadily chipping away lately is my TBR pile. Since starting to use Goodreads to track my reading, it has been easier than ever to add a book to my TBR, and the pile has grown larger and larger as a result.

I’m working on bringing it down, but until then, I found this fun tag on Kristin Kraves Books’ website and decided to give it a shot!

how do you keep track of your TBR pile?

I use Goodreads now, and have since the beginning of the year! I used to just keep a list in my Notion, but Goodreads is so much more intuitive and easy (and fun). I also have a huge physical TBR pile of books that I own but have never read, and it’s just kind of…spread out all over my bookshelves like some sort of monster that’s taken over my life.

is your TBR mostly print or e-book?

This is where you’re going to laugh at me, because it’s both. My excessively organized nature has struck once again.

You see, once I determined that I had to get my TBR under control, I pulled every single book from my shelves that I hadn’t read. I then scanned them all into Goodreads and put them on a separate shelf labelled “physical-tbr”. Then I created four new bookshelves and organized every book in my TBR depending on where I could find them for free: physically at my local library, or on the two services they have available, Hoopla or Libby–or unavailable at all of them, meaning I’m just going to have to buy them eventually.

Now, when I’m out and about and finish my book, I can just look at my hyper-organized Goodreads TBR and see which ones are immediately available on mobile.

how do you determine which book from your TBR to read next?

Most of the time I just pick it at random. Sometimes I’ll choose based off how I’ll be reading it–physical or ebook–but it’s usually purely based off vibes. Completely arbitrary. There is no rhyme or reason to my decision-making process. In fact, I don’t think I even have a decision-making process, just a bunch of monkeys in my brain.

a book that’s been on your TBR the longest

I received A Wolf Called Romeo as a Christmas or birthday present (can’t remember which one) probably over five years ago, and I still have not read it. I’m not sure why, exactly–I love animal biographies, and this totally would have been up my alley when I got it. But alas, it has sat nearly unopened on my shelves for years. Soon that will change…I hope.

a book that you recently added to your TBR

I added Carley Fortune’s Every Summer After to my TBR recently, removed it because I reread the blurb and wondered if I would actually like it, and then felt guilty and put it back. It looks fun and summery, and I’ll probably give it a shot just because.

a book on your TBR simply because it has a beautiful cover

I’m a sucker for yellow books, so Elba Iris Perez’s The Things We Didn’t Know caught my eye immediately. They say not to judge a book by its cover, but I’m totally doing that for this one. I mean, isn’t it beautiful? The vintage vibes and all the yellow…I’m excited for this one.

a book on your TBR that you never actually plan on reading

I watched the three-part movie series for Ayn Rand’s classic Atlas Shrugged, and I enjoyed the message (although the movies were of…well…questionable quality). I would like to read the book someday, but at a whopping 1,168 pages, I’m not sure if it’s going to hold my attention for that long. I would definitely like to read it–I’m just not sure if I’m going to be able to get through it.

an unpublished book on your TBR that you’re excited for

My writing instructor Kara Swanson is publishing the first book of her newest duology, Ignite, in August, and I am so excited! I mean, look at that cover. Isn’t it gorgeous? Kara’s books have never let me down, and I have high hopes for Ignite.

a book on your TBR that basically everybody has read except you

Somehow it has taken me eighteen years of my life to even think about reading The Lord of the Rings. I read The Hobbit for school a couple of years ago, but it didn’t interest me enough to continue reading The Lord of the Rings. However, I’ve been successfully peer-pressured into it at this point and plan to read the trilogy sometime this year.

a book on your TBR that everyone recommends to you

I’m excited for Nadine Brandes’ Wishtress, having read rave reviews from many friends whose bookish opinions I trust. I received it for Christmas this past year, and I’m excited to see what it’s all about! Normally, I’m not a huge fantasy reader, but recent forays into the genre have been rewarding, so I’m hopeful for this one.

a book on your TBR that you’re dying to read

I’ve been saying I need to read The Summer I Turned Pretty for probably around a year now and still have not gotten into it. I think that it’s one of those books I need to own before I read it, and buying a copy has not necessarily been in the budget. I hope to check this book out by the summer, and if I still haven’t, I’ll probably end up just borrowing it from the library.

the number of books on your Goodreads TBR

At the moment, my Goodreads TBR only has 49 books on it! I’m pretty sure I started with around 70 books, so I consider that good progress. However, that doesn’t count all the books that I’ve taken screenshots and pictures of on my phone–so I’d estimate another 20 or 30 books from that.

final thoughts

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and that it’s inspired you to knock out your own TBR! How many books do you have on your list? Don’t worry, this is a judgment-free zone.

Thank you so much for reading, and I’ll see you next Wednesday!