Lately, trying to keep up with my TBR (To Be Read) pile feels a lot like this:
Can you relate?
The truth is, I get through my Kindle TBR pile (a collection on my Kindle titled Next) much more quickly than I do my physical TBR pile, simply because I can read my Kindle at night or out and about or when the light isn’t great for my old eyes. And yet, even my Next folder has ballooned to an unwieldy 128 books. Gulp.
But that I can hide from . . . well, everyone but myself. (And now you, since I’ve confessed!)
It’s the physical TBR pile that really feels like those chocolates on the conveyor belt recently.
I don’t even buy that many physical books anymore, due to the reasons stated above. And yet suddenly, in addition to the *ahem* several shelves of unread books in my bedroom, I suddenly have a new pile in the living room—newly published books that I have ordered in physical form! And they just keep coming.
These three are vying for my attention at the moment—In These Hills by our own Tamera Alexander, The Pirate Queenby Ariel Lawhon, and A Woman’s Place is in the Story by Sandra Glahn.
Because I need just the right light for physical books, I generally only read these on the weekends. And when the weekends are busy? Well, tough luck. The books sit another week, unless I can squeeze in a chapter here and there during a weekday. Which drives me nuts!
But the real problem is that they just keep coming!
I’m so far behind on my Alexander McCall Smith books, and another one is on its way right now. (Thankfully, Jeff reads these too, so I’ll let him go first.) And in another couple of weeks, Katherine Reay’s newest book will arrive.
The really tragic part is that I know I’ve missed ordering a few I usually buy in hard copy when they come out!
Truly, the conveyor belt of books I want to read seems to be bringing them faster and faster these days. Or maybe the number of authors I enjoy has expanded, so there are more books on my radar. Whatever the case, like Lucy and Ethel, I must do the best I can, shoving those books into nooks and crannies until I can get to them.
Are you keeping up with your TBR pile? Any tips for keeping it under control?