If there’s one thing bookworms have in common — it’s the nefarious TBR Pile.
In case you are only recently arrived from immigrating from Jupiter and don’t know what “TBR” stands for, here, take a seat and some popcorn and enjoy our climate while I inform you that it stands for “to be read”. Mostly we just say “TBR” and skip the “pile” because we’re lazy. Even though saying “Hey my TBR is trying to kill me!” literally makes no sense because “Hey my To Be Read is trying to kill me!” is incorrect grammar without the pile in there.
But you know what? Who cares.
I JUST WANT TO SAY TBR ON ITS OWN, BECAUSE I AM SUPER LAZY WHICH IS LIKE REGULAR LAZY BUT WITH A CAPE.
The second thing all bookworms have in common is that TBRs are absolutely the worst AND best things in our puny lives. The best because we ant to read all the books!! So many books!!! We love books!! Can we please have more books!!! BOOOOKS!!! And also: the worst because they’ve taken over our floor and our lives and may be plotting our deaths. Not sure. But probably.
So today I’d like to list for you 10 TBR Problems that I’m pretty sure we can all relate to. And if you can’t relate to them you are either (A) in control of your TBR and that makes you a wizard and I’m in awe and also suspicious of your dark magical powers, or (B) you are a lettuce.
So for those of use who aren’t a wizard or a lettuce — YOU WILL DEFINITELY RELATE TO THESE TBR PROBLEMS.
1. IT NEVER EVER FREAKING ENDS.
Which is actually also a good thing because then what we do if we had no books to read, hmm?? We would panic and perhaps die of hunger and our brains would wilt in neglect. But the other fact of the day is, once you start realising your TBR is not a small pile but rather an enormous mountain, it’s OVER FOR YOU. There is no reversing it. You might read 12 books in a week and put 24 under your pillow at night to absorb them in your sleep — BUT YET THE TBR STILL GROWS.
I once had only 3 books on my TBR. This was back when I was but a mere child, still teething probably. Definitely loafing about and being a weight on society with only my cute looks to save me. Those were the days.
2. WHERE DO WE EVEN PUT IT.
Once when the sun was young and the earth still green, I could fit my TBR on an empty shelf in my bookshelf.
HAHAH HAHAH AHAHAHAHAH.
Now my bookshelves are full. The top of my bookshelf is full. My floor? What floor. DID I HAVE A FLOOR BACK IN 1842???
The fact of the day is, you’re going to need a Scottish castle just for your TBR and what has this life become.
3. IT CAN SMELL FEAR.
Don’t…just…just don’t make eye contact with it, okay? Because I swear if I get overwhelmed by my TBR and decide to run away from home and catch up on a few Supernatural episodes instead — my TBR will literally smell my terror and grow even faster.
It also recently threw itself off the bookshelf. I can only assume this is a direct attempt on my life.
4. IT MAKES CHOOSING YOUR NEXT READ ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE.
It is, obviously, BETTER to have too many books to choose from instead of not enough. But we can still all admit that CHOOSING IS KIND OF HARD, RIGHT???? Who likes making decisions? Because I do not. Plus there are so many things to think about when deciding on your next read. For instance:
- when is that library book due to be returned?
- when does that ARC come out?
- shouldn’t I read that new release that everyone is talking about so I don’t get accidental spoilers?
- but what do I feel like
- there are so many good books here
- I want to read them all right now and immediately
- but look, if I choose one…what will the others think?
- am I picking between my children?
- will they get a complex from this?????
- WHAT. DO. I FEEL. LIKE. READING. NEXT.
And then suddenly you’ve spent 94 hours picking your next book instead of actually reading it and you’ve got 9 grey hairs and 12 existential crises coming right up with a sidedish of salted peanuts.
5. THE NAME FOR IT ISN’T EVEN ACCURATE???
It’s not a pile. IT HASN’T BEEN A PILE FOR A LONG TIME. What about we be a little more accurate and go with:
- sea of books
- second cousin of Mt. Everest
- child of Jupiter
- leaning tower of paperdom
- good intentions
- slightly nefariously dark colossal structure in the north
6. YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW IT GROWS.
Just blink and woah, more books. Obviously it’s not your fault. There’s probably a friendly local ghost adding to it, or perhaps your TBR has a bat-signal and is actually inviting more books to join it to rise in a revolution against your face.
Or perhaps you have a problem.
But that’s not likely.
7. IT MAKES RE-READING AKIN TO AN UNDERCOVER SPY MISSION.
It’s a truthful fact that bookworms should NOT feel bad for rereading books. And yet?? Why is my hand in the air. Why am I confessing that it’s extremely hard to snuggle up with The Raven Boys for the millionth time when I have my TBR sitting there, staring, judging, waiting.
I want to read those unread books!! I DO.
I also want to revisit my old favourites.
I also feel like if I do some re-reading, I ought to covertly smuggle it under my bed in the deep of the night so my TBR won’t see and start crying. Because when the TBR starts crying what kind of monster are you.
8. YOU’RE DANGEROUSLY DEPENDANT ON IT.
Too scared to live with it. Too scared to live without it. There’s actually a word for your TBR problems.
BECAUSE WHAT WOULD YOU ACTUALLY DO IF YOU HAD NOTHING TO READ NEXT???? WHAT WOULD YOUR LIFE BE???? You would be missing out on dozens of glorious new books that have just clawed their way out of the dark lava filled depths of the earth’s core * and you can’t miss out on them!!
So please let no one suggest to you that you should “get rid of” your TBR pile. I mean, do you want to get rid of oxygen?? Or CHOCOLATE CAKE??? No.
* This is how books are published. Sometimes rumours are spread about “publishing houses”??? It’s nonsense. Publishers take shovels and safety goggles and go digging through the darkness of the nights (must be during the blood moon) until they hit the earth’s core and can pull books out of the liquid fire. Ask anyone you know. This is the truth. The rest is conspiracy.
9. YOU TALK ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME.
If I sorted out my TBR then I would literally have nothing to tweet about. What would bookworms complain about if we didn’t have TBR piles to take the blame?!? We would have to blame ourselves and that’s not going to happen.
10. YOU HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE THAT ONLY YOU ARE ALLOWED TO COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR OWN TBR.
They can’t complain about it for you. No judgement, peoples, nooooo judgement. Don’t suggest I get rid of my TBR or that I have too many books or that I should perhaps not collect any more or that I should spend less time on twitter and more time actually reading. Because what nonsense is that. Do you want to fight me? I will fight for my TBR’s right to exist.
And you also have to put up with judgement about HOW you got all these books. Like, I’ve had people say I “must be so rich” which makes me laaaaaugh. NO! I have an excellent library. I get a lot of approvals from publishers. I buy library sale and 2nd hand books. I get paid to freelance blog in book vouchers. I AM AS THRIFTY AS SCROOGE BUT SOMEWHAT MORE ATTRACTIVE I HOPE.
But it literally doesn’t matter why or how you have collected your books. Are you supporting artists? THEN GOOD JOB, SIR, YOU HAVE NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF.
You might just die underneath all of those stabby and pointy hardcovers. But that’s a sacrifice you just need to be willing to make.
Bookworms don’t have abibliophobia. We have so many books, we don’t have to worry about running out of things to read. And even if we did. There’s always the back of the cereal packet. Or the ingredients in a can of soup. Or…or… THERE ARE ALWAYS THINGS TO READ, OKAY? WE’RE FINE. WE’VE GOT THIS.
…I need to go and buy some more books.
I actually freak out about not having enough books ALL the time.😂It’s ridiculous omg I mean how will I ever run out?!? BUT YET I THINK ABOUT IT FAR TOO MUCH.
Good post, Cait 🙂 I have almost all those, except for the shelf problem, cause like I’ve mentioned (probably xD) before, 90% of my TBR is e-books. So that’s fortunate, cause at least I don’t get to see how huge it is 😂 if it was all actual physical books, I’m sure I could build another room for myself from the books xD
Aww, thank you!! 😀 I think having an ebook TBR would definitely be less daunting…less chance of it crushing you in your sleep right?!?😂😂
Haha, yeah 😀 except for the fact that if you don’t count it, you literally don’t know if you’ve got 15 or 15 000 :DD you should know that as well, because you’ve said in the past you won’t brave the depths of your kindle 😀
Haha, my TBR is always at around 3 nowadays 🙂 My wishlist is looooong though! And I have to admit – I moved to another continent almost 4 years ago and that was the reason why my TBR had to go back to 0. I couldn’t bring any of my books. Still breaks my heart thinking about it!
Before that my TBR was always between 30 and 50^^
I like having a smaller TBR though. I always felt bad if my books were sitting on the shelf unread for years. This doesn’t happen anymore now 🙂
OMG YOU ARE A LETTUCE!! A MAGICAL LETTUCE!! (hehe, just kidding.😂) I think moving continents would definitely help keep that TBR low. 😱
Lol I loved this post XD Plus I love all of your Gifs! Where do you even find them??? But like, I love the bookish community because I CAN SHOUT TO EVERYONE ABOUT MY TBR AND THEY WILL SHOUT BACK. Such a wonderous connection, am I right? (of course I am) My TBR problems oh god. But I have a lot of ebooks and my physical TBR is less than 35 so I feel like I am good there. But I always potentially get scared while opening my Kindle or iBooks XD Also, how DOES A PERSON CHOSE what to read next? I am in desperate need of this knowledge. -_-
I generally get my gifs of giphy.com these days.😂 It’s so handy!
AND YAS FOR THE BOOKISH COMMUNITY WHO UNDERSTANDS TBR PROBLEMS.😂 And hhaha I agree about the kindle problem. Like it’s easier to let them pile up right?!? Because they don’t take up any space.😂
I kind of feel like if we just throw our books in the air and see which hits us the hardest…then read that one?
This post reminds me of a brief snippet I saw on TV a week ago about a lady who built a massive house to hold all her books. I feel like that’s our future??? Like, every room was a library. It was terrifyingly amazing. 🙂
Anyway, I feel all these problems so much! Choosing is sooooo hard, especially when you’re like me (a slow reader) and so by choosing one I’m committing to a book for several weeks. If I end up hating it….sad times.
Awesome photos and post! 😀
Oooh, that will definitely be me. Like tomorrow probably.😂 I so need new shelves because right now my entire room is just covered in books haha. AHEM. And the choosing is honestly the worst/best. I mean it’s nice to have the choice, obviously, bUT HOW DO I PIIIIICK.
This is SOOO relatable 🙈
One more problem is that we don’t have enough time!
OH YES TO THAT ABSOLUTELY. 😭😂
I guess my biggest problem with the tbr is that it makes reading kind of stressful. I have 1 and a half books to read before tomorrow. Also, I think libraries are wonderful (and also terrible) because they make it soso easy to get books and whoops I have 500 books to read. (but digital libraries are great because no fines) But I am glad for my TBR pile *pats fondly* It’s really a privilege to have one I guess!.
Oh libraries are wonderful and terrible. I mean, at the time borrowing 3989 books seems like a good idea until you realise they’re all due on the same day AND THE WORLD IS ABOUT TO END AND SAVE US ALL. *sobs dramatically in the corner* I have like so many books due this week and I’ve done exactly nothing to read them because I have so many ARCs that should’ve been read yesterday.😂
(And it is for sure a privilege to have these “problems”.😂)
I have another issue of having more unread kindle books than physical books but I often seem to forget my kindle books exist!?! As for choosing I try to prioritize. If I have arcs/netgalley books, those are first generally. But generally speaking, I have no idea how I choose. I want to re-read books but I…I…have so many unread books i’d feel bad :'( They cry for my attention. I hear them whimper, and they’d scream if I re-read a book. Like how dare I?!
Alright…maybe I have an issue…a too many books not enough time issue
Ohh I relate to that!! Because it’s so much easier to kind of forget the ones on the kindle because you can’t see them, right?!?😂 AND I UNDERSTAND THE NON-RE-READING FEEL. SO YOU ARE NOT ALONE. *weeps with you* I’m trying to give myself a goal to re-read at least one book a month and not feel bad.😂
Immortality??? It is a good option??
What a great post :D! I recognise all of these! My TBR is huge but I love it and while I might buy too many books (according to some people), I love buying books and I’m not about to stop doing it (because. I must have. all. the. nice. books.). My shelves are pretty much full so it’s hard finding places for new books.
I’m a mood reader and only really enjoy a book if I feel in the mood for it. Sometimes I buy a book and it takes me a while to get in the mood (sometimes years). But I’m fine with that. I don’t have a problem (in my eyes!). Sometimes it’s hard to choose what book to read, when I’m not sure what it is I feel like reading. Sometimes I want to read a lot of my TBR books (but I can only read one book at a time or I get confused so I have to choose!). And sometimes my mood is very specific, like I don’t feel like reading any books except one specific one (or by a specific author).
I know there are some people who have TBR’s of 0 books. I do not understand. I couldn’t live happily without having something new to read. I read books of multiple different genres, I don’t even understand people who have a TBR under 10 or 20. Like.. I couldn’t do it. It might take me a long time to read a lot of the books on my TBR (and mine is far, far larger than 20 books), but I love ‘looking forward to’ reading a book and for me the ‘looking forward to’ part is important too and it gives me fun. Like, flailing and imagining how awesome the book is going to be!! For me that’s part of the fun. I rarely buy a book and read it on the same day. Most of the time the book spends a while on my shelves.
I’m also a lover of good deals so if I find a great deal on a book that I want, I’ll buy it even if I have no intention of reading it in the next few days. You never know when you might find such a deal again, some things can be really one off (here, at least). I’ve encountered books at for example a library sale, bought them, and never seen them available again for such a great price. I love getting books for great prices, though I also buy books full-price, especially if I really want them.
I don’t often re-read books, I think less than 10% of my books read this year, were re-reads. I do enjoy re-reading books. A certain amount of time must have passed though, if I remember too much of the book I won’t enjoy re-reading it as much. I usually prefer to leave at least 5 years in between reading, if not even more.
I used to worry about my TBR, but I battled it and it’s won. I no longer worry about it, I enjoy buying books and getting them as gifts and I’m not about to stop, it’s just too hard because I want to read all the nice books so I must have them (or borrow them from the library).
Great post :D!
SAME!! 😂 I mean we’re supporting artists and giving books a warm loving home…WHAT CAN POSSIBLY GO WRONG WITH THAT?? *drowns in a room of books but is totally cool with it* 😂
I would honestly be scared with a TBR of 0…or like even just 3 or 5 books?!? I mean what if you didn’t FEEL like reading any of those?? It would be super distressing. We must have all the books, ergo save ourselves from pain. And we gotta catch those good deals when they come up!! I got a few kindle books I’ve been longing for recently for only like $1 each! I haven’t read them but HEY AT LEAST I HAVE THEM FOR THE APOCALYPSE OR SOMETHING.
(Also I think it’s 500% perfect to just enjoy books and not worry about them at all. 😉 )
THIS IS ALL SO HORRIFICALLY TRUE. My TBR pile just GROWS ALL THE FREAKING TIME. And the one where people tell you you have too many books is just UNNECESSARY. My mam tells me that all the time “Stop buying books.” NO. I don’t drink or do drugs or go out to eat a lot so that’s my only vice! LET ME HAVE IT. Books can’t kill you. Well, as long as your books are securely on your shelf instead of piled up so high they could topple over and give you brain damage.
If publishers and authors would just stop being selfish and take 5 years off I could probably catch up. But nooooo they keep publishing books every freaking week!
There is no way on this Earth I could run out of books in the next 20 years and yet… I still buy them. #NoShame
EXACTLY. THERE ARE SO MANY WORSE THINGS WE COULD DO. But we just collect books??? Like we’re such nerds, leave us be.😂😂 And like I’m sure books could dent our skulls a bit but we could still live to read on. #Fighter
And tbh publishing taking a few years off would probably help??? I could also finally get a nap too???
Oh my word, yes. It’s so great, right? My TBR is under a hundred right now because I used to have no life and also because I just joined Goodreads like a month ago, but that changes EVERY TIME I GO ON THE FREAKIN SITE. It’s just brilliant.
I mean, on the one hand, I WANT TO READ ALL THE BOOKS. But then there’s school and social life and I CAN’T GET IT ALL DONE. *Screaming*
GOODREADS IS OUT TO GET US. I can’t even go there without adding more books to my invisible TBR.😂😂 My to-read shelf has like over a thousand books on it?!? I have no regrets.😂
WE NEED THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH. OR TO PAUSE TIME???
Yes, i can add more –> being a TBR hypocrite. On the one hand, I say ‘I have SUCH A BIG TBR!” and then when I finish a book ‘THERE’S NOTHING TO READ”
My thought process though. Half the time i don’t even CHOOSE books on my TBR (no wonder it’s so big). I FEEL SO GUILTY ABOUT Re-READING TOO #struggles.
That’s basically what I do too tbh.😂 I mean, I complain about my TBR and yet keep adding to it??? And sometimes I feel I have nothing to read when I’m literally drowned under books?? What is life.
These are all ridiculously relatable! I love this post so much – I laughed the entire time (and maybe shed a mental tear because of how relatable it was) 💕
I’m so glad you liked it!!😂😂
Always 😉😇💕
Your posts never cease to be amazing! I keep a list on Trello.com to organize all my upcoming reads. Usually organized simply by release date/blog tour date. Takes away a lot of decision making yay! However, deciding what books are worthy of my immediate time instead of getting thrown into the fray? That is another delima all its own.
AHHHH THANK YOU!!! *flails happily* And omg actually having an organised TBR?!? I bow to your skills. 😂 Mine are just piles which I stare at and scream at sporadically.
Hahaha! It helps that my hubby built a reading nook with shelves for me lol. And being on enough blog tours for reviews….forced me to get organized!
Haha too real. The worst thing right now is being separated from my TBR, I weep with thoughts of what my bookshelf looks like. I need to be able to tell it bed time stories and pet it every now and then.
But its growth obviously definitely absolutely has nothing to do with my buying habits. Nothing at all.
Being separated from one’s TBR is obviously a kind of malicious torture. Like it is our child???? And also a monster???
My TBR is named All The Things, as in “Look at All The Things I’m supposed to be reading.” I’m pretty sure it breeds while I sleep.
Omg I love it and the accuracy is painful and true.😭😂
I love my TBR, but HATE IT. It’s the representation of ALL THE WONDERFUL BOOKS THAT I MUST DEVOUR NOW, but it also symbolizes how much I HAVEN’T read. Aka give me more time to read please. And the thing I hate worst about TBRs is that WAHOO YOU FINALLY READ ONE FROM YOUR TBR and oh look thirty more appear hahahaha #help.
(Also, are you going to be posting BP for April soon?)
I knooooow right?!? I feel like for everyone one book I read, there are 5 more appearing out of nowhere. I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW IT HAPPENS.😭😂
(We’re having a spontaneous break for BP for this month!! We just got busy and forgot!! Sorry.😭)
I don’t think I have anything to add. You pretty much covered it. Except for the fact that my mom reads a lot of the books I read and my TBR stresses her out as well. This is how I choose the next book I’ll read: 1) Look at bookshelf 2) go on internet because staring at bookshelf just made things worse 3) get 27 recommendations from the internet 4) start reading 8 different books 5) CRY BECAUSE THEN IM IN THE MIDDLE OF TOO MANY TO JUST STOP.
I have not reread a book in SOOOO long because I have so many other books to read. I’m neglecting my favorites which makes me feel like a rotten potato of sadness but I also haven’t given any new ones a chance and they’re REALLY LONELY AND I AM A BAD BOOK PARENT.
Your choosing-what-to-read process sounds REALLY VERY CLEVER. I LIKE IT.😂 My favourite thing is asking the internet what to read and ending up reading 32 books you have no intention of reading two seconds before and thus increasing your TBR problems. THANKS, INTERNET. YOU’RE GREAT.😭
I MEAN I have too many books on my tbr and sometimes I get anxious!
I think I have like … 45? OMG
I understand that feel. 😭😂 I don’t even know how many I have these days…probably over 80 haha. *dies*
Ha-ha….it’s not fair that your TBR Mountains/Piles look so pretty! Not fair at all.
But seriously, I have pretty much dealt with the voluminous stacks of print books….by taking part in various TBR Challenges…and now I mostly buy e-books…so my piles are INVISIBLE to everyone…and even myself.
I sometimes forget that I have certain books that are hiding on my device or in the Cloud.
However…there is hope. On one of my blogs (Curl up and Read), I have pages listing the books I’ve purchased…and I link to my reviews when I’m done with them.
So…theoretically, they are under control.
Yeah…who am I kidding?
Actually an invisible TBR is an excellent idea.😂😂 I kind of like my kindle for that reason too. It’s a wild party mess in there, but since it doesn’t take up any space, it’s fine, right?!😂
YOU SPEAK THE TRUTH!! Also, I’m pretty sure the librarians are coming for me and my overdue books. I have barricaded my door, I can hear them breaking it down.
Send help.
STAY ALIVE, LAURA. FIGHT THEM OFF WITH A BAGEL USED AS A SWORD!!!
Oh my goodness THE STRUGGLE IS REAL. And people just don’t understand. How am I supposed to choose a read when I don’t know what I’m in the mood for and everything I start is just so meh. But I still want to read it. Just not now.
Fortunately, I’ve mostly stopped buying books (it doesn’t count if it’s 10 copies of the same book, right? I mean, I’m not adding to the TBR problem, just the shelf problem lol). It’s gotten to the point that I’m not even sure what’s coming out anymore. And yet I still manage to pick up books I don’t already own. I don’t know how this happens. Clearly there are gremlins in my home, adding to my TBR stack after I go to work…
I’m actually in the process of reorganizing my shelves, and I’m frightened to see how the TBR shelf turns out (and by shelf I mean five shelves).
I hear you!! I do!! And it’s like hard to know what one is in the mood for until right that second, right?!?? Half the time I don’t even know what I’m in the mood for 3 seconds before I start a new book.😂
Omg but if you’re not adding to your TBR by buying then YOU ARE CLEARLY A WIZARD. Self control.😂 (Also: blame the gremlins for everything absolutely.)
My TBR currently consists of 300+ books (I’m too scared to actually count them because it’s probably even more by now), and if I only read these books and buy nothing else EVER I might get through with it in 3 years. Yeah… as if not buying more books is an option 😂
I tend to choose books by random, or other people choose for me when I do buddy reads (which are great because they push me to tackle the books that have been sitting on my shelves for ages). So either that, or I pick a title from my overflowing tbr jar. I honestly don’t have a system, nor a fixed monthly tbr. And I feel quite bad about rereading because HOW DARE I when there are so many books waiting for me, but sometimes you just gotta revist an old favorite 🙂
I would totally not count my TBR either hahah. Although on Goodreads (although I don’t own them!!) I have like 1000+ added. SOMEONE BURY ME NOW. Ooh buddy reads is a good idea though! That’s really helpful for deciding. 😂 And I’ve heard of TBR jars but never really committed to one hahah.
Even though I’ve whittled my tbr down by reading them or culling them from my tbr, somehow I manage to just end up with more on that list… I’m not quite sure how that happens! 😀
SO MUCH RELATING HERE.😂😂 Every time I read a book, I somehow end up with 3 more?!?😂
Agree! My house is overflowing with books. Now I can sell my furniture and use books as chairs and tables. And yes, I throw open my bookshelves and lament “I have nothing to read”
That seems like an excellent idea. *nods* Or think about that castle in Scotland??? I’m sure it would help. :’) And I constantly have “nothing to read” times…despite having 39890 books to read.😂 OH THE BOOKWORM LIFE.
I don’t re-read. I used to, but there are just so many books out there now that I can’t justify it. In the future, I might consider re-reading a book that I haven’t read in a long time. (For example, I’m thinking about re-reading Anne of Green Gables. It’s been over 30 years since I read that one! And, no, I’m not that old; I was just a precocious reader… even if that meant I had to look up every second word in the dictionary!)
I hear ya.🙈🙊😂 Although actually this year I’ve reread more books than I have any other year ever haha. And I’m enjoying it SO much, I just wish I didn’t feel so bad about it!!
(Also that’s awesome you were a precocious reader! I wasn’t even an avid bookworm until I was like 17.😂)
Fantastic! I’ve been trying to decide what to read today something from the library an ARC a reread? oh I give up I’ll go on twitter instead!! 😂
ASK TWITTER TO DECIDE. That’s the way to do it.🙈🙊
Ahh so true. I sometimes feel so bad for rereading books and you totally shouldn’t.. You’re totally right in that we can’t live with them but we can’t live without them.
I don’t think we SHOULD ever feel bad for rereads…but it’s hard sometimes, right?!? There are just so many books to get through.😂
Hi my name is Leah. I have always had a TBR problem. *this is when the rest of the group says, “Hi Leah.”* I remember when my TBR was a small pile.Now its two big piles and a small stack that sits on my bed. My sister made me a bookshelf to hold them on:) She’s very crafty! Another TBR problem is having a book on your TBR forever. Do you have any books you’ve been wanting to read for years? I do! I have owned The Search for Wondla for two years. Have I read it? Na da. I also have a lot of books on my Goodreads TBR list that have been there forever. I don’t usually re-read unless it was an amazingly fantastic book, and I want to feel the pain of the best books I’ve ever read again. You know, when you just need familiarity (or just something good to read because you think everything else is crap). Sometimes I ask my mom what I should read next and she looks at my pile and chooses one. She’ll be like “This one has, “assassin,” in the title read that one.” And that ladies and gentlemen shows I have the best mom ever! Last night I started The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman just because it was short. It depends on what I feel like, on what book I want to read off my TBR. I love this post by the way! My favorite quote from it is, “I AM SUPER LAZY WHICH IS LIKE REGULAR LAZY BUT WITH A CAPE..” Your awesome! XD
HI LEAH. I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. I THINK WE’RE LIKE THE SAME PERSON TBH. *shares a cake with you*
omg agreed with that. And feeling too guilty to then read it?! That would be me. I have an ARC from August and I feel soooo bad. (To be fair though, I did quit from that publisher’s mailing list haha so I doubt they’re waiting for that review.) OHHHHH. Getting your mum to choose is a great idea! I should have my sister choose! Actually I could just have twitter choose hhha. (Also I loved The Ocean At The End of The Lane…super creepy right?!)
I have enough trouble choosing breakfast cereal, so which boo no read next?
HAHAHA watch me laugh mianiacally as I dissolve into TEARS because CHOICES are my NEMESIS. (Choices, division, and ovens) HOW do people choose?
My secret? Read seven at once.
It’s awful but amazing….
SEE, EXACTLY!?? Like dude, it’s half a century to pick an ice cream flavour. I think books should choose themselves tbh. (Although then I would probably not be in the mood for THAT particular book anyway.😭😂)
Seven at once? *takes notes* Excellent idea.
My TBR makes me weep. Like… how? How will I ever read them all? Spoiler: I won’t. Ever. I dont even know why I own half of them. It’s such a shady mess. But like you said, no one ELSE can judge me! My mom gives me the side-eye, and I am like “look lady, this is a LIBRARY basically.” In fact, my selection is, without question, better than the selection of young adult books at any library I have ever been to. So really, I am not being unreasonable, just REALLY prepared, right? Right.
The choosing is the hardest for me. This is why I like ARCs and set dates. Otherwise, my brain agonizes over the decision until I just curl in a ball and stare at the wall for an hour.
I know right?!? It’s like We get to complain but how dare anyone in our family’s try to complain about it. 😭😂 And c’mon there are worse hobbies we could have AND we are obviously intending to live in a house entirely made of books. So that’s good. Repurposing all those slain trees.
Tbh, I’m even hopeless with ARC release dates. I’ve read my AUGUST releases…my March ARCs? Haha of course not. *walks into a wall*
This sounds just like me. LOL Your post is funny and fabulous. I’d call my TBR pile The Mile High Book Club. LOL
I’m so glad you liked the post!! 🎉🎉
Hahahaha how do I choose what book to read? I don’t 😂 I just cry over it in exasperation until I go to the library and pick up a book that wasn’t even on my list. And then add about a million more to it, of course. One day I’m afraid it will just go rogue and crush me. And I keep my TBR not so neatly organized on Goodreads, but I HATE how it STILL DOESN’T HAVE A PLACE FOR REREADS. It gives me so much stress that I hardly ever reread anymore. Anyway, awesome post, Cait!
Crying over it isn’t a bad solution honestly. I will definitely take that one up. HAHAHHAHA 😭😂 *falls in a heap* Honestly the only reason I managed to choose today’s book is because I’m about to get fined for it at the library for having it so long haha. #ExistentialBookCrisis
But then along with the physical TBR pile, there is the digital TBR, and even just that GoodReads TBR of books I want to read if only I had the money to buy all the books. This post was a lot of fun!
Sam @ WLABB
OMGGG THE DIGITAL TBR. DON’T REMIND ME. 😭😂 I’m trying to pretend that one doesn’t exist…because it’s so so easy to add to because it doesn’t take up space.😂
I never used to have the problems of 1 and 2 but since being swayed by the book community into buying more books it’s definitely an issue now xD And I know, I want to reread more often! Other TBR problems: when you have books to review but are not in the mood for it and it keeps getting pushed back and back and back, and when you really want to read a recently-released book at the same time as everyone’s hyping it up, but your TBR is death-staring you and you don’t want to ignore it xD
Honestly it’s all the bookworm community’s fault. My TBR exploded when I started blogging.😂😂 I’D BLAME THEM AND SHAKE MY FIST BUT YET I’M 500% GRATEFUL SO I DON’T KNOW.😂 And yes yes yes to that problem when the review book should’ve been read ages ago. 😭😭 I have so many March books and I’m just hiding from them tbh.
Oh god… this is my worst nightmare. The TBR Pile is ever growing in my case and the problem is because I always forget that I HAVE a TBR pile when choosing the next book to read. So I’m almost always reading something that is not in my TBR but that doesn’t stop me from adding more books in it!
A few weeks ago I decided to do a TBR purge on Goodreads because I had around 500 books in it. So I remove many books from the shelf that I added years ago and had no interest in reading them now and two days later I ended up with 520 books in my TBR shelf…
*slow claps for myself*
I GET THAT SO MUCH TOO.😂 Or like I’ll have 9389 books I should’ve read yesterday, but somehow I’m at the library borrowing more books.😂 But to be faaaaair…we bookworms just want to read everything. So nobody can really blame us.😂
I do kind of want to purge my goodreads list but I AM ALSO SO LAZY. So I don’t know when I’ll ever get to it. ALL THE CLAPS FOR YOU…for at least trying?😂😂
I was honestly dying reading these. Nothing has ever been more accurate. I mean TBR’s are amazing, and I love them, I’d be lost without mine but c’mon…it is ridiculously intimidating. I don’t think I’ll ever get to 0 books, but I also don’t really want to…Maybe I just love living in fear of my ever growing TBR 🤔! Great post!
I’M SO GLAD YOU LIKED IT.😂 The pain is clearly bookwormishly universal, right?! And omg I’m so with you: can’t live with ’em, but can’t live without ’em.
I am so happy I was able to empty my tbr a few weeks ago, since it being existing for several years. The next day, I was able to walk to the bookstore and to the library, I purchased some books online and I am awaiting my first fairyloot box this month.
Like: There’s no better feeling than building a new tbr ^^
Suffering will never end.
Greets, Ella
http://passionandpages.blogspot.com
Woaaaaaah a whole new TBR??! THAT’S AMAZING AND ACTUALLY WIZARDRY.😂 *whispers* I hope the Fairy Loot box is awesome too!!
There is no hope. No. Hope. My TBR will outlive me. XD
OR WE CAN FIX THIS BY LIVING FOREVER!! *scribbles this onto to-do list*
Every single one of these points is SO very, very accurate!
I’m so glad we relate!😭😂
Love this post. I love all the GIFs! Okay, my TBR problem has to be when a book is so hyped that I actually an’t make myself read it BECAUSE WHAT IF IT DOESN’T LIVE UP TO THE HYPE?
Megan @ http://wanderingsofabookbird.blogspot.co.uk/
I RELATE TO THAT SO MUCH OMG. 😭😂 I’m forever getting hyped books and then not reading them because feeeear.
Yass I relate! We just need to turn Mars into a home for our TBR – that would save so much room! Cait once again you’ve written such a brilliant and hilarious post I WORSHIP YA
– http://www.whatlexieloves.blogspot.com
I’M SO GLAD YOU LIKED IT!!😂😂😂
YAS, YAS, YAS. I completely agree. My TBR pile is constantly growing and growing and growing BUT I CANT STOP IT. I want to reread books but then I feel guilty because I have so many books I still need to read. It’s a constant struggle haha
Amber @ Escape Life in the Pages
The struggle is eternally felt by all we bookworms. *gives you cake of understanding*
We should start calling them TBR blocks because I’m sure my whole TBR could pill a city block LOL!! All of this is so true and I love it!
~Sara
OMG YES! Or TBR Cities. Because #accuracy. 😂
Don’t…just…just don’t make eye contact with it, okay? – I love this. Lol.
IT MAKES CHOOSING YOUR NEXT READ ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE. – I relate to this point so much, Cait. I usually choose based on what do I feel like at the moment. And you are so right, tbr makes rereading harder.
Wonderful post as always.
I’M SO GLAD YOU RELATE. *hi fives for our pain* 😂 And I think reading depending on feels = the best way honestly. Although I tend to end up accidentally reading all my ARCs waaaay out of order haha.
I absolutely LOVE rereading… but I can’t bring myself to because WHAT IF I DIE AND NEVER FINISH MY TBR AND WHAT IF THERE WAS THAT ONE BOOK I WOULD HAVE LOVED?!? It’s a struggle. Also, I make these stupid monthly tbr lists, and ALWAYS put like 25 books on the lists. And then end up reading like ten of them. It’s very, very sad. But I love your tweets, Cait. I might secretly be feeding your tbr to keep them coming. *laughs evilly*
THIS IS SO ME. *hi fives for our pain* Like maybe the book sounds 100% horrible but I still have to read it.😂 I honestly don’t even bother TRYING to make a monthly TBR because I know I’ll immediately ignore it because I’m so disagreeable when it comes to reading. I’m such a mood reader.😂😂
I have so much trouble choosing my next read because of how large my TBR is. I usually take to Twitter to help me decide but then don’t end up listening to the results of the poll and just do my own thing BECAUSE I SUCK! Also because I’m such a huge mood reader! ALSO SUCH A FUNNY POST CAIT! As usual you get it!
THAT’S LITERALLY MY LIFE TOO. 😂 I get everyone to vote and then proceed to read something else entirely hahahaha. omg we are bad.😂
TBRs definitely have a mind of their own! They want our world to revolve around them (they kinda do don’t they? 😛 ) I have waaaay too many books sitting on my desk so now I have to study on the floor..which I’m sure will soon be occupied by my TBR too 😛 I think I should just live on the porch and let my TBR take up the rest of the house. Maybe then they won’t try to kill me? Someone should totally take a movie about murderous TBRs! My TBR would love to act in that one 😛 Amazing post as always Cait 😀
THEY’RE ALIVE I TELL YOU!!! ALIVE!! Because surely it’s not OUR fault they grow to be unmanageable sizes.😂 And also living on the porch sounds like a reasonable idea? ALTHOUGH….buying it a castle in Scotland though…. It would be nice.😍
I FEEL ALL OF THIS!! My TBR will surely be the death of me, either because I’m crushed by it or I die when trying to complete it. Most of the time I pick what I want to read by mood because I’m terrible at sticking to any form of schedule.
To help with the rereading guilt, I put the book I want to reread WITHIN the TBR mwahahaha. It works… until I decide to reread a completely different book.
SO MUCH AGREEMENT THOUGH. And I totally pick by mood most of the time too…😂 I’m trying not to regret that right now as I have so many library books due hhaha. *buries self to get away from TBR*
I was SUPER proud of myself because for the first time EVER, I read all of my book haul for the month (not my TBR pile though…noooo). But I was like, “Good job Steff, progress!”. But my TBR pile has still managed to get bigger despite this, and then when it comes time to pick a book to read from the pile, I get overwhelmed and end up going and buying some more books 😂😂 Awesome post (as always) 💜
Well first off CONGRATS FOR YOUR MONTHLY PROGRESS!! And then I’ll cry with you over the TBR still growing because I so relate. 😂😂
Alas, I totally feel you about all of the above listed things.. I kind of think being a lettuce would be less stressful than deciding on my TBR schedule and settling on which book I’m actually going to read XD However, my biggest issue is 100% lack of space, because I live in NYC and.. yeah… there are no Scottish castles in sight lol.
Brittany @ Brittany’s Book Rambles
It probably would be less stressful to be a lettuce and tbh, still low risk of being eaten because who eats lettuce? No one. LET’S ALL JUST GO TO SCOTLAND AND GET CASTLES FOR OUR BOOKISH CHILDREN.
I love your post! This was honestly so hilariously heartwarming! I don’t have a physical TBR, but my goodreads list is huge! The reason for that is I mostly read ebooks, so it’s a bit easier to manage. But still, I get the struggle! It frustrates me that I might die someday and not be done reading! 🙂
I’m the same with the goodreads!! I mean I don’t own them, but there are like 1,000+ books on their I want to read. 😭😂 SEND HELP.
Honestly I do try to make my TBR smaller…..like I’m currently reading three books( one of them is Six of Crows, which I’ve FINALLY got around to reading. It’s amazing) , re-reading another (because it comes out tomorrow and I MUST REVIEW IT) and listening to three audio books. HELP.
Honestly tho, my TBR is mostly virtual, since I am a penny less(or should that be treasure-less???) book dragon who can’t afford more than one or two books per three months. And having a virtual TBR on goodreads is somehow a lot more stressful, because you don’t think about it very often, and you add to it without thinking, and before you know it, it’s 12347890 books long. Wheras if most of my TBR was tangible, I’d be more conscious about reading books from it and not adding to it.
Great list, Cait!
OMG YOU’RE READING SIX OF CROWS THIS IS A GLORIOUS DAY I HOPE YOU LOVE IT. *shrieks happily from the rooftops* 😍 And I will thoroughly agree with you on the virtual TBR woes. I mean, I don’t even look to hard at my kindle in case it starts crying from neglect. It’s just so easy to collect books there?? And my goodreads TBR which is like books I don’t even own…HAHAAHHAHA. *has a mental breakdown*
bUt yet somehow this is all worth it. :’)
I honestly don’t even know how I choose books from my TBR. I’m horrible at making decisions, and I always go in swearing that I’m just going to read this one book…and then I fail and realize I have about 30+ books that I’m also super excited to read because they all have such amazing premises and I was recommend this one 39402480 times but then I also have all these ARCs now. It’s so hard to choose books to read; I wish I had clones do all the reading for me! XD
And I actually have the opposite of abibliophobia! I have way more of a fear that I’ll just run out of time and never get to all the books I want to read. Which is most likely what’s going to happen, BUT I DON’T WANT TO. There’s just so many books to read and not enough time to do so. I demand more hours in every day.
I UNDERSTAND SO MUCH!! The problem is all the books sound so so good, right?!? And like how do I even choose between excellence and excellence?!? *weeps*
Immortality, Mikaela. It will solve everything.
I can relate so much to this! But mostly about the rereading. I have the biggest rereading problem because I love revisiting old favorites but then I feel guilty because oh look there’s my TBR on GR with its 800+ books (and forever getting longer) and then the books on my shelf I haven’t read that I’ve had for years. 😅 And YES to the never ending TBR and complaining about it. I think I complain about it at least once a day but then I would also be lost without my TBR. 😂 Great post, Cait!!
I HEAR YOU. SHALL WE WEEP TOGETHER NOW? 😭 I have sooo many books I want to re-read and I just don’t have TIME and feel so bad haha. I know that’s ridiculous though but that TBR…it knows no chill.😂
” WHICH IS LIKE REGULAR LAZY BUT WITH A CAPE.” hehe
To be fair I don’t think it’s ALL my TBR books that are plotting my death… only the ones who have been languishing unread for years & are tired of my empty promises… Like, I swear I overheard Catching Fire trying to incite an insurrection against me the other day… >.>
I think it’s nice that some of your TBR is still nice to you. :’) To be honest, I think my older-TBR books are corrupting my newer-TBR ones because they all seem really peeved at me.
Cait it wasn’t me who added to my TBR, it was the ghosts.
I believe you, Jeann. Of course. I’d never doubt you.
Hey Cait! This is my first comment on Paper Fury, so hi!
I spend the majority of my free bookish time writing and not nearly enough reading, which is something I am actively trying to fix. It takes me like two months to read a book… I just have such a crazy schedule. In spite of this, and probably BECAUSE of this, I have all of the above problems. I just went to the store yesterday and they had books on sale. So of course I had to get some. I wanted them all, but I settled for only two. And now I want to read those, instead of the 15 of my TBR and the 5 that have been sitting on my shelf for a year. Bookworm struggles!
I love what I’ve seen of your blog so far. Your book photos are absolutely gorgeous!
*oh, and also… name twin haha*
~Caitlin @ Quills & Coffee
http://www.caitlinlambert.com
OH HELLO CAITLIN!! (Also we share the same name! Same full spelling too *hi fives my new twin*) 😂
It’s just so much easier to collect books than actually find the time to read them all right?!?😂 OH THE BOOKWORM WOES. But better too many than not enough! I think! maybe! LET ME CRY ANYWAY.
(And also thank you so much!!💕)
My to be read list…well, yes, it keeps growing. That is a good thing. I’m glad to have goodreads to help me keep track of it.
My TBR pile is not so horrible. I have several Thirty-One All-In-One totes loaded with read and to be read books. they help me keep series books together AND the bonus, if I arrange them just right our felines have stairs to easily reach the bed. (I made this for one of our geriatric kitties who crossed over a couple years ago.)
My favorite way to add to the pile…our local library used book sale. the last day of the sale is $1 a bag and they give you a big, paper, grocery, shopping bag to fill. Woo hoo! I think one time I brought home 30 books.
Choosing the next read is the absolute worst! I want to read this, but I should read that to complete a series or I should read this so I have a book review for my younger blog followers…this one would be good for the Kid Lit Blog Hop…but this one only has 70 pages left i should get back to it. You know the drill. 😀
Ooh I love library sales!! My library frequently has sales where the books are like 10cents each! IT MAKES ME HAPPY. (Except my library also got just partially wiped out with a flood *cries* so I doubt we’ll be seeing sales any time soon. My TBR will probably thank me.)😂
Oh, no! A flood! That’s terrible. Maybe that’s your sign to donate some read books you don’t plan on keeping. 😉
Preach! These are all such true problems. I like to say my TBR has grown into a mountain range to rival the alps. It has gotten a touch unwieldy but I am very protective of it. I mean, that book I bought 4 years ago I still haven’t got around to reading? I’m totally gonna get there. One day! I don’t have your problem with rereading, though. I am so in denial about how many books I have to read. I mean, I can renew those library books, right? And my ARCs, I’ll read them via osmosis. But rereading, I can’t help myself. I love my old books and I need them back in my life frequently. This may be why I’ve a mountain range to read.
I so relate.😂 I’m so protective of my precious TBR too! Only I can complain about it…no one else can.😂😂 I think maybe we should just work on absorbing the books more too?? Surely that will help??
Haha, that last one though. So true. Like no husband, you can’t say anthing about that pile of books (or excuse me the mount everest among book piles). You cannot judge me! (Especially not when he keeps buying model trains that are so much more expensive than a teenie tiny book).
The only one who can judge a bookworm IS THE BOOKWORM HERSELF. Because I’m seriously glaring at myself for my TBR problems yet absolutely NO to anyone else who glares at me. #BookwormLogic 😂
Oh my goodnesssss yes!!!! Ahhh how I wish putting books under my pillow would let me absorb them 😍😍 I also have the slight problem of why can’t I read 100 pages per minute??? Like…. Who decided that was not possible?? #rude
I think if we could read 100 pages in a minute ALL OUR PROBLEMS WOULD BE OVER. Someone make this happen for us.
Can ‘looming tower of paperdom’ be your new blog name pls and thank you. I love it. ALSO CHOOSING THE NEXT BOOK IS SO HARD. Like I write a loose TBR for the month but 1) I always end up reading more than that because #overachiever and 2) a pre-order that I’d forgotten about usually arrives. TIS A HARD LIFE.
Yes, absolutely. Either that or I’ll change my full name to it because it has a nice ring to it. :’)
I never actually decide what to read in advance because I 100% know I won’t do it.😂 I’M SO DISAGREEABLE EVEN TO MYSELF.
This is one of the best things I’ve read all month!! *insert laugh-cry emotion here* This is literally so true!
Standing in front of your bookshelves and being like *I HAVE NOTHING TO READ* when really you have too many and can’t choose, and all you really want is for ACOWAR to be in your hands.
I’m so glad you liked it!! AND YES YES. There is nothing to read except the book you don’t have. 😂
Hi Cait! I’m catching up on my blog readings; it’s almost as large as my TBR pile! I absolutely enjoy reading your blog posts. I completely agree with all of the problems you wrote about! I just somehow magically acquired 6 more books to my TBR, I’ve for sure ran out of room so I need to get creative. Also I feel like another problem with TBRs is that you can put a “book buying ban” on yourself but you NEVER stick to it. Thanks for the fantastic blog posts to read!
Aww, thank you so much, Meg! That is SO nice to hear ajdfkasd thank you. 😀 😀 I honestly acquire more books than I read regularly and I don’t even know what to do with myself.😂 And book-buying-bans are basically just big jokes on us, right?😂
Yeah… Pretty much all of this. The fact that my TBR pile can smell my fear explains a lot. I’ve barely been reading paperback formatted books, and yet I have two boxes overflowing with books and random canvas-shopping bags filled with bags (one of the reasons I have a large bag of books is because my local bookstore closed down and I felt I had to rescue as many books as I could). It just keeps growing (damn you reading slump!).
My entire LIFE is overflowing with books I should’ve read yesterday.😭😂 But rescuing books is fair right?!? VERY needed. we’re doing the world a favour, let’s be real here.
I struggle with basically all of these. My TBR shelf on Goodreads is nearing 1150. Send help before it drowns me, please. Also, I see The Serpent King in that one picture. Highly recommend it. P.S. Where is the GIF from #10 from? It’s quite intriguing.
The Serpent King is one of my ultimate favourites!! 😍😍 And I’m not sure about the gif from #10. I just found it on giphy. 😂😂