The TBR Book Tag - How Many Books Are On My TBR Pile? (Too Darn Many!)

Image from author Mary Balogh on facebook

I saw this meme at On Starships & Dragonwings last month and thought it sounded like fun. It also seemed like a good post for the end of the year, a way to look at what I've got to read. It's always interesting to me to hear about other people's TBR piles and how they manage them. One thing I've noticed is that definitions of a TBR, or To Be Read, pile differ. For me, the TBR pile is books actually in my possession; I own them or have borrowed them, whether from the library or a friend. If it's a book I want to read but don't have in my possession, then it's a wish list book. So, my wish list is a mix of books I want to review, books I want to own, and books I want to read. I use it for "shopping" the library and for requesting books as well as my personal shopping list.

How do you keep track of your TBR Pile?

Goodreads! I am obsessive about updating my shelves there. Whenever I acquire a book, I record it on GR and throw it on every vaguely applicable shelf.

Is your TBR pile mostly print or ebooks?

Umm, not sure, but I'd guess ebooks. I periodically go through phases of downloading freebies like they were going extinct. Add in ebooks I receive for review, and I strongly suspect that ebooks make up the majority of my TBR pile.Though I do still have a backlog of print books to add so I could be wrong. :D

Okay, I wouldn't rate the first episode but I'd be featured on the show for sure. :D

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

Sometimes, I look at my review schedule and pick the next one due and sometimes I throw the schedule up in the air and pick a non-review book that strikes my fancy. I get books from the library sometimes so those have to be worked in too before their due date.

Currently I'm trying to make my way through a backlog of NetGalley and Edelweiss ARCS plus a few promised reviews such as books for blog tours. Other than the tour books, it doesn't matter what I read when so I'm letting my mood dictate what I pick.

What’s been on your TBR the longest?

Well, I don't yet have all of my print books listed on Goodreads. It's been a slow and ongoing effort since joining to add them in. But, the one that's been on my Goodreads TBR shelf the longest is "The Time Traveler's Wife"  by Audrey Niffenegger. It has been in the TBR pile since August 22nd of 2010. Yeah, maybe I should read that one this year. :P

A book you recently added to your TBR ~

On the 28th, I added an ebook, a romance that was free on Amazon (yeah, sucked in by another freebie), "Snow Angel" by Melanie Shawn.

A book that’s on your TBR strictly because of it’s beautiful cover ~

Hmmm, none I can think. The cover catches my eye but if the blurb doesn't appeal to me, I don't get the book.

A book on your TBR that you never plan on reading ~

None. I may not get to them all but I intend on reading every one. There are some books on my Review Consideration shelf that are far down the list but the fact I've kept them instead of getting rid of them means I'm interested and want to read them someday.

An unpublished book on your TBR that you’re excited for ~

None. If it's unpublished, it doesn't go in the TBR pile but on the wish list. So, looking at my wish list, probably "Rewind", the next book in the Newsflesh series by Mira Grant. It's currently scheduled for sometime in 2016, whimper. I love this series so much and frankly Grant could make a traffic ticket suspenseful and thrilling.

A book on your TBR that basically everyone has read but you ~

Well, up until this past spring I'd have said "Written in Red" by Anne Bishop but then I read it so now maybe, "Spider's Bite" by Jennifer Estep? I had to do some serious scrolling through my TBR pages but I think this one qualifies.

A book on your TBR that everyone recommends to you ~

Oh, I have more than one! "Spider's Bite" is one, and there are several authors that have been recommended to me such as Marie Force and Sandy James, both of whom are on my TBR shelf.

A book on your TBR that you’re dying to read ~


Well, I just recently read about a half dozen books that I was super excited about so...I'll go with "Concealed in Death" by J.D. Robb. I need to read 2 or 3 more in the series to catch up and then I can dive into this one.

How many books on your Goodreads TBR shelf?

Sigh, do I have to admit this? Mumble, grumble. As of the morning of January 30th, when I updated this post, I have 1,189 books on my TBR and 714 on my wish list and I'm currently reading 1. Those numbers include print, digital, and audio, and include books for review, for work, and for fun.

For grins, I did some calculations. If I don't receive, borrow, or purchase any additional books, I could read all the books on my TBR shelf right now in just under 5 years. So far this year I've read 288 books and last year, 2013, I read 205 (in 2011, I did 227). I calculated a rate of 250 books a year and it came to 4.756 years. If I input a rate of 200 books a year, then the time needed becomes 5.945 years. But then there are all the print books that aren't yet logged on Goodreads and I'm pretty sure I have ebooks on my computer that I haven't entered (despite my obsession for entering them), so 5 years is the bare minimum to get everything read. Doable, if I don't get any additional books.

Yeah, not gonna happen. :D 

Tag some people ~ 

Pffft. I'm not tagging peeps; if you want to do the post, go for it! If you do, buzz me on twitter or facebook and I'll pop over to check it out.