Cookie Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I do feel pressured when I look at an entire 6 foot bookcase of TBR and I am trying to reduce it. At it's worst it was 134 and I've managed to get it down to 113. I have a pact with myself that for every 2 I read I can buy one, I don't always manage it but I'm trying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Like many others my TBR pile has grown since coming on here regularly, unfortunately I have an obsessive personality so I have to be really careful about how many books I accumulate. now I very recently went through them and managed to weed out around 15 books I no longer want to read, funnily enough most of them were from readit swapit, mainly instances where people wanted a book I had on there so I felt under pressure to choose one of their books, and not necessarily books I would have chosen otherwise. Now my TBR pile stands at 65, actually no, 66 as Shadow of Night arrived this morning! I have decided this week that I will seriously endeavour not to add any more books to the pile, aside from a couple of books that I pre ordered earlier in the year... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coryographies Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Hm I've never thought about my TBR pile as holding me back, but it's true - if I have lots of books in a pile by my bed, I'm a lot less likely to buy something else! What I find more troublesome is I'm one of those annoying people that starts books before finishing the last, so that I have six or so on the go until some just never get read and get put back on the shelf! This happens mostly with non-fiction though, as I don't know if I could leave a plot unfinished... But I really like having a TBR pile It makes me happy to see exciting books in my not-so-distant future. I never have more than 3 or so lined up for the next one to start, though, my head would explode! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 This thread has actually prompted me to really evaluate the situation with my to-be-read pile at the minute. I mean, on the face of things, I'm only young; for at the moment I'm not going to be too worried about how many are actually there (213, I believe). That may change when I start to get older and realise I'll have less and less time to get through what I want to read, but at present I know that if I really worked on cutting it down, I could. Though this does take a bit of the pressure off me (knowing that my TBR isn't in the thousands which, what with buying new books regularly, would be impossible for me to get through), I do feel like I have a lot of books on my shelves that I simply won't ever get to, for one reason or another. I've wondered recently about arranging for these books to be given away or even swapped, which would reduce my TBR in the process (well, the latter wouldn't ), but I've always just put it off. Perhaps it's an idea. I guess the short of it is I don't mind having plenty of books to chose from for now, and I never feel any pressure against me not to buy new books because I already have so many to read, but perhaps that'll change in the future when I'm more keen on really cracking down on things. We shall see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Since nearly all my books are bought second-hand or from the library, I feel no guilt at all. Anyway, don't they say "Guilt is a complete waste of energy which could be otherwise used in reading"??? I'm sure someone said that Oh, yeah! What she said! ^^^ I've wondered recently about arranging for these books to be given away or even swapped, which would reduce my TBR in the process (well, the latter wouldn't ), but I've always just put it off. Perhaps it's an idea. The few occasions I've given books away, for whatever reason, somehow I've developed the hankering to read them at a not so later date. So I have to replace them at that time. Been there, done that. Just sayin'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 This is a great topic for discussion. I'm rather torn. Like Willoyd, I see my library as a beautiful large collection of books, and I have a huge variety to choose from. I feel happy and excited when I look at my shelves and see all of the (hopefully) great books I have ahead of me. I'm proud of them and can't wait to read them. But the excitement dims a little when I realise that the number of unread books far, far outnumbers the books that I've actually read. Like Kidsmum said, it can feel like a millstone. So far this year, I've bought about half the number of books I had bought this time last year, which is progress, but I think I'm still buying at least 3 books to every 1 that I read. I go through brief periods where I can refrain from buying anything for weeks, and I do actually talk myself out of buying a lot of books that I'd like, but it's still not good enough. If I didn't buy a single book for the next 18 months, I'd probably only get my TBR pile down to 1,300, which is a barely noticeable change from where it is now. The thought (rather, knowledge) that my TBR pile will only continue to go up is rather depressing. I suppose one day I'll look back fondly to this day, when my TBR pile was 'only' 1,400. I genuinely don't want it to get any higher, but I just can't seem to resist the lure of buying new books. Despite my huge TBR pile, probably 90% of my books fall into my 'desperately want to read' category, which frustrates me, because it will inevitably be years and years before I get to those books that I want to read most, simply because I want to read them all now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarquinDelouche Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 My TBR pile is usually no more than 5-6, and that's because I've gone out and bought 5-6 books. I don't buy more books without having read the ones I have. Why would I? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Mine is over 200 now, with a lack of space and money I am really clamping down on buying new books until I get the pile down quite a bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Being a Kindle convert, I don't have a TBR pile but rather a very lengthy wish list ! I view it as I do most other things - as simply a tool than I can use as and when it is needed. I certainly don't feel pressure to read the books that are on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Mine is over 200 now, with a lack of space and money I am really clamping down on buying new books until I get the pile down quite a bit Just out of interest, how many were on it before you joined this place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I do feel a little bit pressurised by my TBR pile its nearly at 400 books which for me is the biggest its ever been. My main problem is downloading free kindle books, but as they are free and dont take up any space, i can just delete them if they arent very good. I would love to have a TBR of only a few books, but at the same time i love looking at all my unread books on my shelves. I'm also trying to reduce it by doing a read 4, buy 1 book challenge and so far im sticking to it rather well. Id love to buy more but ive actually run out of space in my bedroom for any more books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coryographies Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Maybe though, books aren't just meant to be read - they're like 'knowledge potential' or 'knowledge insurance' for future reference etc. They decorate our lives, they give atmosphere and reflect our interests. I think I'm fine with having books I dont read or intend to read - I might one day, and until then... they make me happy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Just out of interest, how many were on it before you joined this place? Not sure, but definitely less then 50!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luminus Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I try not to have a TBR pile because like you said I feel the "pressure". I love finishing a book and knowing that I can go into Waterstones the next day and buy a new one! If a book has been in my TBR pile I just lose the excitement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 I try not to have a TBR pile because like you said I feel the "pressure". I love finishing a book and knowing that I can go into Waterstones the next day and buy a new one! If a book has been in my TBR pile I just lose the excitement. But what if you couldn't go?? what if it was raining/hailing/snowing, or you had a cold/flu/headache or Waterstone's was shut? and you had to spend a whole day or two without a book and it's probably a rainy Sunday with only repeats on TV I know what you mean though about books losing their excitement once they're bought and sitting on the shelf .. it's true but I do save some 'for best' and they never seem to lose their appeal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 My main problem is downloading free kindle books, but as they are free and dont take up any space, i can just delete them if they arent very good. When I got my Kindle for Christmas I started listing books I downloaded but I have stopped now as I know I'll never read all the ones I've got (mainly freebies) and I hated seeing my growing list in print! I have about (at a guess) 60 tree books on my 'to read' pile - I'm trying to reduce them but it's not working very well because I keep reading either Kindle books or library books too! Despite having these books I often can't find anything I fancy reading when I've finished a book! I had a maximum of about 15 'to read' books at any one time before I joined this place! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 I've got lots of books I've not yet read, and by and large they are either on shelves or in piles, but I don't feel any concerted pressure to be reading them. Quite a lot my unread books have come from Book People type boxsets, where I've wanted to read one or two of the books in the set and I've ended up with another four or five (or sometimes eight or nine) books thrown in. I've also got quite a few books that were the third book in the old Waterstone's 3 for 2 offer; something that I picked up thinking looked interesting, but have never got around to reading. Some of them I suspect I will never read, and I probably should have a good old sort out. I do have a bedside table on which two piles of books sit. On occasion they twinge my conscience, but they can be ignored most of the time because most of the time I am in my bedroom I am asleep . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Despite having these books I often can't find anything I fancy reading when I've finished a book! Me too, and I hate it! Every book that I have bought recently has been one that has really interested me, and I've thought 'I can't wait to read that one!!'. But for some reason when I finish a book and look for a new one to read, all the ones I have bought somehow lose their appeal and I fancy something different. Annoying, and not good for my TBR list! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 This is a brilliant thread! It's great to hear that I'm not alone: I too seem to have this complete inability on (far too many) occasions to find a book out of the vast store of unread books that I have that really appeals to me. Particularly recently, I seem to have spent a lot of time flitting from one book to another trying to settle down. Like Raven, quiite a few of my books were as the result of 3 for 2s or TBP bulk buying deals. Which has led me to come to a decision which I am really, really trying to stick to: basically, I'm only buying one book at a time, and when I buy it, I read it straightaway. This also means that I'm trying to buy a lot less, and get through more of my unread books. And whilst I do enjoy having a library from which to choose, I've also been having a big clear out, and am taking some 200+ books to the first car boot sale I can get to with a bit of sunshine (which probably means next year sometime!), whilst others are going onto e-bay/Amazon/Abebooks. Got to be cruel to be kind (to myself!!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 My TBR pile is usually no more than 5-6, and that's because I've gone out and bought 5-6 books. I don't buy more books without having read the ones I have. Why would I? By having 5 or 6 unread books on your to read pile, you have, by definition, more books than you have read by a total or 4 or 5... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerli Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Well, I don't think it is too good personally. I think reading shouldn't be approached like a chore. You should really love the content you are reading and shouldn't think of the next book you are going to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emelee Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 (edited) I am a bit of a shopaholic, love buying books, DVDs, clothes, shoes....... So my to-be-read pile is HUGE. Like 300 books by now. But I tell myself that it's okay since I am going to be a language/literature teacher and they're mostly pocket books so they didn't cost too much. Edited August 7, 2012 by emelee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big_new_prinz Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 In the last year i have worked my way through my tbr pile, i am now left with one to go The Man Without Qualities by Robert Musil and boy its a beast, since the moment i claped eyes on it i have been dreading it....but i think its time to bite the bullet and get it done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander the Great Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 My TBR pile is my personal terror. I have tons of books I bought that I still need to read. Only recently have I started to regularly buy books - since about three, four years ago, when I started college and went to study in a city with more cheaper bookstores. Now I have tons of books I still have to read at home. But I've been going to the library for years, and even when I tell myself to just return a book and not get a new one, I can't help myself. Even when I do manage to just return a book, that's only during periods where I really, really, really shouldn't have time to read because I need to focus on schoolwork. And then after those periods, I still find myself going to the library for just this one book to read, and then return with four books. I always feel pressured to read the books so I can start the TBR pile. I'd feel more free without the TBR pile, and I know the only way is to actually start reading them, but there's the library, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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