So I just devised an elaborate organization plan to help me get through my TBR cause i realized i own 16 (16!) Unread books. I put a book buying ban on myself till I’ve read every single one of these books. I’ll be reading 3 at the same time no more no less, all of these 3 books will be different vibes/genres from eachother and from the group of 3’s before them. Everytime i finish a group of 3’s i get starbucks or an energy drink as a reward. Will this scheme fail? Probably, idk how efficient reading 3 different books at the time is as opposed to one. How do y’all get through big TBRS?
If you are someone who enjoys buying books, a complete ban will likely fail. If you are someone who prefers to read 1 book at a time, this will likely not be fun. If you are someone who hates to have a deadline to read a book, this will likely feel more like school or work than a fun leisure activity.
One of my goals this year was to finish the last 25 books that moved with me a few years ago. I read an average of 12 books per month (I’m retired so I have lots of time to read), but I actually listen to more books than I read in print and I have other reading goals. So I gave myself the year to read the 25, so that’s only 2 per month. I also joined a challenge to help me choose what to read next. I love participating in challenges, so I found one that is specific to TBR lists.
My suggestion to you is to think about what is most important to you when it comes to reading. Create a plan and review it regularly and adjust as necessary. If you love buying books and don’t think you’ll be able to not buy while you’re working your way through your currently owned and unread, maybe allow yourself a new book after you read 3 owned books. You may also want to try to read more than 1 book at a time to see if it works for you.
I do enjoy reading multiple books at a time, but I do it for specific reasons. I usually have a print, ebook, and audiobook going at all times. They have to be very different genres and I read each format at a different pace. I can listen to an average length audiobook in 2 days, ebook in about a week, but print can take me more than 2 weeks. That may also be because most of my print books are nonfiction which just takes me longer to digest the material than a fictional mystery.