Let’s Talk Bookish: Tackling Your TBR

I’m back this Friday participating in another Let’s Talk Bookish post! It was created by Rukky @ Eternity Books and co-hosted with Dani @ The Literary Lion. However, in April of 2022, Aria @ Book Nook Bits took over! For this week, our topic is: Tackling Your TBR, suggested by Jillian @ Jillian the Bookish Butterfly!

Let’s discuss!

Tackling Your TBR

Here’s this week’s prompts: How do you keep track of the books you want to read? Do you have a lot of books on your TBR? Is there any order/organization within all the books you want to read? Does your TBR ever feel overwhelming?

So, this post is going to cover a lot of reading stress. 😅 (Spoiler on the do you get overwhelmed question, apparently.) Still, let’s discuss my tracking method, my TBR stack and how to deal with reading anxiety.

My TBR: Mountains Look Small In Comparison

So, a goal I have right now is to read all the books I own. Which, roughly, counts to somewhere in the 200-300s. That’s what I consider to be my immediate TBR, though we all know how immediate could really just be exchanged for easily accessible, since the books are literally….right here.

But, fully, my TBR–for me–is everything I want to read. It includes upcoming new releases. Backlist books that I don’t own yet are definitely present. Self-published reads I’ve been meaning to secure, but haven’t yet.

In all honesty, my TBR is a fluid, living thing. A monster that will never be conquered, an appetite never sated, a mountain impossible to climb, Tackling my TBR isn’t a reality upon which I’ll live, yet one I’ll always dream to do.

It is any wonder I have severe TBR anxiety?

Tackling Your TBR Anxiety

So, how do you tackle that? Not like me, where (until this past August) I was averaging less than two books a month. Part of it has honestly just been acknowledging my changed relationship to reading. Ever since I started blogging, reading has felt more like a job than ever before. In some ways, that makes me read less, because I naturally rebel against things I’m forced to do. In others, I just have to acknowledge it and then help myself to fight against that feeling. I do that by:

• Reading books I enjoy
• Allowing myself to mood read
• (Learning to) not beat myself up if I read slowly and little
• Celebrating when I read a lot

Honestly, TBR anxiety is a real thing I struggle with. I’m always open for new tips!

Tracking Methods

Y’all, at this point, I’m pretty much an ambassador for Kal’s spreadsheet (found here). A project I hope to complete in September is to actually update my spreadsheet properly, so I know how many books I actually need to tackle. Unhauling was part of a many to manage my TBR anxiety by lessening that number (oops). But, tracking it and being able to see the cool charts move as I make progress is a great motivator for me!

There are other methods, however! Some like monthly TBRs (which I used to do, until I realized I’m too much of a mood reader). Sometimes, the pressure of ARCs, buddy reads, library due dates or other commitments/accountability helps keep you accountable. (Not me. It just gives me more anxiety). Plus, there is always tracking you reading via an app, like StoryGraph or Goodreads (both of which I need to clean up, too).

In Sum

So, I feel like, if you were looking for tips on tackling your TBR, I didn’t really deliver that. Since, really, this post was just about how I will always be conquered by the desire to read more books. 😅

Still, though, I’d love to hear about your own thoughts! Do you deal with reading/TBR anxiety? How do you track your own TBR? Do you use any methods to determine what is a priority? I’m super curious, so please don’t be shy in the comments!