The TBR Tag

I’m back for another tag! This one I’m taking a cue from the lovely Fernanda at The Waderlust Reader because she kindly tagged anyone who wanted to do it. My TBR certainly needs some reflection so I thought this was something I should do!

How do you keep track of your TBR pile?

I keep a pretty liberal list of “to-read” books on Goodreads of books I’m interested in. Many haven’t been released, are recently released, or are smaller books I just didn’t want to forget about.

I recently used my journal (actually the blank pages in my Passion Planner) to keep track of my owned books that I need to read. It’s unfortunately long, thanks to my problem with Kindle ebook deals. See below, because I wanted to show off my beginner’s journaling skills 🙂

Is your TBR mostly print or ebook?

I’m not gonna do the math, but as you can see from above, many I currently own are Kindle (marked with a “K”) ebooks. I really like ebooks, not just because of portability, but also because they are often easier to read for me–it’s easier to get into a comfortable position and prop open, and the text size adjustment is really useful. Some books I definitely want to own in physical copy, however, usually depending on how much I like the actual object, wanting to support the author, and if I feel it’s an “important” book I’ll revisit and/or proudly display.

Some books I also find easier (and cheaper) to get from the library, and sometimes I’ll also get them as ebooks from the library–especially if I’m out of town at college but still have access with the Overdrive app!

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

Honestly, I don’t have much of a system It’s a combination of what I’ve owned the longest (often in print) and what I’m excited about. Of course, that can all get shaken up if I take a trip to the library and see something from my TBR.

A book that has been on your TBR the longest?

I think the book I own that I’ve had the longest is The Celebrated Jumping Frog and Other Stories by Mark Twain, a cheap paperback I got in like 5th grade that I still haven’t read (so about 9 years ago). On Goodreads, the book I’ve had on my to-read shelf the longest is Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, though I own it now and will hopefully get to it soon(ish)!

A book that you recently added to your TBR?

Goodreads: The Truth About Twinkie-Pie by Kat Yeh, because I’d seen it recommended as a really good middle grade book, and I’m always interested in exploring more current MG reads as it’s a genre I often write in.

Owned: Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff. This was an ebook deal recently and it was a pretty big book in 2015 so it has been on my radar. Plus, my friend read another book by her (Arcadia, which I also have on ebook) and really liked it.

A book on your TBR strictly because it has a beautiful cover

I honestly don’t do this very often, but I seem to remember adding Things That Surprise You by Jennifer Maschari to my TBR when I saw the cover released, and I don’t even think Goodreads had a synopsis then. It just looks like the kind of middle grade book I would have wanted as a kid, and maybe similar to the kind of stories I write.

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

I think it has to be Uncle Tom’s Cabin. This is on my TBR because a friend gave it to me for a Christmas present a couple years ago because I like classics, but I’m not too interested in picking it up. I’m familiar enough with its historical and literary context and impact, and it’s not like it’s a quick read, either. Besides, when I want to read about American’s troubled history with race, I’d rather read something from an African-American author.

A book on your TBR that you are excited for

I think this refers to an upcoming release, so I’m going to go with The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night by Jen Campbell (out November 2). If you’re not familiar with Jen, she’s a writer/poet and former bookseller who makes videos all about books and writing and she’s super lovely and inspirational. This is going to be her first majorly published fiction for adults (and first short story collection) and I’m so excited to read more of her work–she’s very into fairytale retellings and magical realism, and I love the way she talks about those topics! That kind of magical blending of fantasy and reality might be my favorite genre short stories, too.

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

The Raven Boys…especially because a couple of my real-life friends have loved it recently. I picked it up once but returned it to the library because I didn’t want to read it right then, but I think I’ll still give it a try. Mostly for the promise of dream sequences.

A book on your TBR that everyone recommends to you

…I’m going to go with Game of Thrones because my cousins have been obsessed with the books and the TV shows and think they’re the best thing ever. I have the first book on my Kindle from a deal (what a surprise!) but honestly I’m not sure it will live up to the hype for me. I have no doubt Martin can weave the subplots of lots of complicated characters together well, but the excepts I’ve seen of his writing do not thrill me on a word-by-word level. I also haven’t had much luck with reading series in a while. Besides, there are a lot of other TV shows I’m more interested in watching first.

A book on your TBR that you are dying to read

Right now,  Ghost by Jason Reynolds. Reynolds is EVERYWHERE right now in the YA and middle grade community and I haven’t read anything by him yet, and what better place to start than a middle grade? Plus, it fits right into my effort to read more books by and about African-Americans this year. I have it on my Kindle so I’m probably going to read it when I go back to college! (Trying to read physical books while I’m still at home.)

The number of books on your Goodreads TBR

…849. Yeah, I know. This is what happens when you read a very wide variety…

I was about to add another based on recommendation, too, but then I saw I’d somehow already added it…so that’s a plus.

I tag…

Lea from Outer Spades

Bluestocking Bookworm

Anyone else who wants to do the tag!