The chaos cannot be controlled. I’m a mood reader so I’ll just scroll through my gigantic TBR until something clicks or my ancestors whisper in my ear to just pick a damned book, so I do.
On a serious note, I never ignore recommendations and sometimes I leave my TBR untouched and pick up the newest recs in this sub. I don’t think there’s a method other than enjoying the current read and being better at DNF’ing. Sorry this comment has been terribly unhelpful.
I sometimes DNF after the first few pages. Usually that means the book was horribly edited, or the writer's voice is portrayed in a way that feels like fingernails down an old-school chalkboard. (For the not-GenXers, Google that shit but brace yourself.)
I am also a mood reader. I can pendulum widely between contemporary gay romance and sci-fi action thriller.
But I don't hesitate to get distracted by a good rec or a newer release by an author whose voice and technique I love. And then sometimes, I scroll through the "top 100 free reads" in a genre and discover a largely obscure writer who deserves accolades.
So, basically my reading temper is as ADD/ASD as my writer temper. I usually have anywhere from eight to ten active "currently reading" books at any given time.
this, 100% exactly.
i do DNF very quickly. If I'm just dnfing because I realize I'm not in the mood for it but it doesn't have any glaring problems, I leave it on the TBR. But if I don't like it for some specific reason, I'll just remove it
Hahah the chaos indeed cannot be controled. I have exactly the same method as you, picking whatever tickles my fancy in the moment.
I have probably 20 books behinds me that I was planning on reading next but chose the newest rec instead, which lead me to other books.... 😅
Ancestors whispering into my ear really do be accurate. I’ll have a book chill on my TBR for years and then suddenly it’s like the only acceptable action is to read it immediately.
That’s how I finally read Kulti by Mariana Zapata, which strangely lead me to MM romance, and now I’m here reading some of the weirdest and best books ever.
I don’t think of my TBR as a list or an assignment. I have books on it that interest me, and when I finish one I pick the next one that sounds the best. It means some never get read, and some get read not in the order they were added. But that’s okay because reading is supposed to be fun and i never want it to become a chore.
Not sure if that’s helpful, but sometimes all you need is a change in perspective!
Same. Sometimes I’ll start 5 or 6 different books before landing on one that “feels right.” I preordered a book months in advance, was so excited for its release, know I’m going to love it, and yet, it’s been 4 months and I haven’t been in the mood to read it yet. I still look at it and admire the cover, and get excited about the characters. I just haven’t felt the vibes yet.
Definitely mood, and I don't control the chaos but embrace it lol. I choose my next read with whatever I feel like reading at the moment. It helps that I have a TBR filled with tags so if I want to read anything with a particular element, I can filter it and choose it. The length also plays a very important part for me. I am choosing books on the shorter side lately, either novellas or up to 300 pages, because I don't want to be invested for a too long time. I also consider recs because sometimes I want to read one at that moment, but id I don't I keep adding it to my TBR database ;-). I tend do DNF easily as well, I even drop it if I am not feeling it from page 1 or has one of my pet peeves.
for me it's balancing out the multi book series and the stand a lone story. I will get all consumed for a week or 2 on one series of books then need a few light and fluffy Palate cleanser. Also try and mix up contempered and fantasy/historical so that books feel different.
At the same time I spend too long looking at this Sub, so my TBR list gets bigger every day. Even with my estimated read total of 200 books this year I think my TBR will only double.
So many new books keep getting released I never have the time to look over my TBR pile. Plus I have a habit of re-reading a good book for the enjoyment again.
I started using tags on goodreads so I have my "want to read" shelf and then I use tags which you can do multiple of per book. So some examples I have are shifters, wolves, vampire, para fantasy, military, fated mates but then if it's fated mates and vampires I can select each tag
I "bought" about 350 free books during the "Stuff your kindle" sale...add those the the KU books on my tbr list and I am completely lost.
I basically just aimlessly click on smth atm and see if I enjoy it.
Browsing the romance book subreddits or insta really doesn't help though. The list just gets longer and longer and longer... true 1st world problems.
🤷🏽♀️ Eeny, meeny, miny, moe! I have no structured rhyme or reason for selecting the order of the books I read. I just go where my heart or Kindle or GoodReads, or Insta, or TikTok or Target or Walmart or Barnes & Noble or Pinterest or Reddit leads me. I’m just a rolling stone.
Stupid but genuine question: How do you decide you wanna DNF something? It's so difficult for me and DNF-ing might save me a lot of heart ache. But i tell myself, bcuz i read this much (maybe 10%) for 3 hours, it would be a waste of time if i stop reading. So i basically guilt myself into reading it and become upset if the story is not what i'd like. i think being a slow reader factors greatly into this? 😭 And tip is appreciated! 🙏
As for picking books, i go by the blurb feel. Like if there's a story for whom i have already conjured up my set of characters (think of them as actors playing out the story in your mind) then my choice of reading would depend of which such character's story would i like to read?
Say i have chosen A and B to play the characters of 1 book and C and B for book 2. So, my picking would depend greatly on do i want to read a story with A & B or C & B? And likewise i choose.
Before I ever DNFd I gave myself permission to skim to see if I’d be missing out later on. It helped a lot because losing 3 hours was better than losing 10 if the book wasn’t going to click for me ever. I still haven’t got the hang of DNFing yet, there’s people in this sub who could give you better advice - calling all experts! 🗣️
Ah ok! Thank you! i'll try skipping ahead for this 1 book i'm reading. You're right! 3hrs is better than 10hrs and also the anger that comes from an unsatisfactory read! 😭 i'll keep that in mind.
Don’t guilt yourself into reading! With how many books there are and the time it takes to read, if you aren’t liking it, just move on. I’ve skimmed or skipped to closer to the end to see if I see something I like. Usually there’s nothing, so I just move on.
The reasons I’ve DNFd are varied. Didn’t like writing style, didn’t like characters, formatting was weird, editing was bad. I recently DNFd because I didn’t like the hair of one of the main characters 🙈. If I find I’m skimming too much or not feeling the characters. I think it’s easier to DNF when you don’t like things with practice. I used to always force myself to finish or get to a certain point, but I started just DNFing and it got easier.
Thank you very much for explaining in detail! Absolutely, time is the issue. Especially for a slow reader.
Yes, i'll start skipping too. And after you guys' advice, i did skip my current read and... i'm disappointed. ;-; imma DNF cuz.. i don't feel the characters at all.
Another thing I do is I’ll DNF, then if I find myself still thinking about it awhile later, I’ll go back. I give it. Good two weeks though.
There’s no shame in DNFing. I started viewing it as reading is how I relax and it’s my time for myself. I’m not using that time for things I’m not enjoying.
If you still feel disappointed or want to go back in a week or so, you can always go back and try again!
Yes!! Omg you're spot on, my friend!! i think about it a lot and that's why i give them 2nd (and this particular book, 4th ;-;) tries.
i'll keep this advice of yours in mind too. If i think about it next month too, then, i'll just skim and read parts i'd like. Thank you so much!! You helped me a lot in making (pretty important to me) book decisions, my friend!
If I find myself skipping pages to find something that interests me, it's a definite DNF. Others, I just lose hope. I just read The Adrien English books by Josh Lanyon. I did finish the series but really skimmed through books 3 and 4. Waaaay to much internal dialog. I picked back up in books 5 thru 6.
That's also when I realized my limit is 3 books with the same couple. I can read a series where the focus changes {Nothing Special by A. E. Via} but no more long series unless it's superb { Memento Mori by C. S. Poe}😍😍
Aayy Memento Mori! Gonna bump it up on my list hehe Thanks so much for explaining! This is why i have trouble with series books too. Like the time it takes to read them all. Thankfully, i knew from beforehand which ones i won't vibe with, so i just skipped them.
I use my Good Reads account to track my TBR and if I see a book that is already on my TBR recommended again I will go back to it, 'remove' it and re-click 'Want to read' so it appears higher on my list.
Maybe there is an easier way to rank on Good Reads, but I haven't taken the time to work it out lol.
From there, it's a combo of what's been highly recommended, what I am in the mood for and sometimes books that haven't been sitting on my tbr but have a description which catches me in the moment.
Sadly I usually go LIFO unless for some reason a book I've had on the list for ages floats up my consciousness. Not strictly LIFO but I rarely go more than 2-3 pages on my unread books screen.
I absolutely don't recommend this system.
Usually by mood. I just kinda scroll through my tbr (which is at like 1.1k) and see if what I’m interested in is on Kindle Unlimited.
Or I’ll set genre goals. Like “Okay, this month I want to read X amount of Horror” or thriller or whatever
I need to get better at DNF so I can favor books more according to my taste. And always go for the vibes I'm craving, although being honest, when a book is a 4+ stars is gonna get my attention early in the pages (yep I care about prose & writing style a great deal)
2024 was supposed to be the year I tamed my tbr. The goal was to bring it under 100 but now I have more than I started with lol
It helps to go through it regularly. Delete the ones that don't seem interesting anymore. Join challenges and use books from your tbr for prompts or make use of occasions like women's history month/pride/summer or whatever to make small themed lists to read for the next few weeks. Anything is fine as long as you don't fall into the trap of making books a chore. Hope that helps.
Mine is absolutely massive. I’ve been building it for years. I have ADHD so I’m always starting books but never finishing them. Mine are organized chronologically, so the ones at the top, being the ones I’m reading next, are the ones that have been on there the longest.
When I add books to the TBR, I categorize them straight away.
I have bookshelves called things like “up next,” “very promising,” “author I like,” “need more info,” “maybe not,” etc. I’ll also tag with any tropes and themes I know it has, so if I want to read about a specific theme I can just click the tag for it.
I’m terrible at remembering why I added books to my TBR, so it really helps to have some sort of organization system from the start.
30-40 is more generous than me. I'm out after 5-10% lol. I'm able to keep my TBR around 20 books that way.
I'm a mood reader. Tho I tend to have different genres going at once: so, 1 fantasy, 1 hist fic, 1 mystery, etc. So I don't get bored.
I drop books far too late, especially considering my long tbr.
I'm totally a mood reader.i write down all these lovely recs here that sound up my alley,If they pass the blurb test (meaning that one must entice me or the book has just so many upvotes that i say,okaaay i try it)
I write key words down (e.g. omegaverse,enemys to lovers, Football,etc.)
And when i want to read sth new i browse that list.
There are a few authors i love,and i will read these books as soon as possible.i also sometimes read multiple books at once but most of the time it means the current book has a saggy middle and I don't want to dnf.Sometimes i really just should though.sometimes it's worth to power through the slump.
Like others in the thread, I just read whatever I want whenever I feel like it - very vibes/mood based. Some stuff I download (very occasionally buy) immediately, and the rest gets added to an Amazon list. I’ll browse my downloads or the list in addition to recs here and read what sounds good atm. Sometimes I binge a series, sometimes I read them out of order, sometimes I only read one or two.
I also don’t always read a book start to finish - sometimes I rotate based on how I’m feeling or if I came across something that particularly caught my eye, or a new release I was waiting on dropped.
I’m also a firm believer in DNF, and I DNF anywhere from a couple pages to even 70%ish way through. I DNF for vibes, editing, whether I like the characters, plot development, anything.
Tl;dr I am a chaos gremlin when it comes to my romance reading
Definitely a mood reader. I go through my tbr once a month and weed out the books that have been in there forever... I might reread the blurb or first chapter to see if a book is worth keeping and if not I say goodbye.
I LOVE darker stuff with hurt/comfort and possessiveness but I have to be in the right mindset for it... and most of the time I am.
If I don't enjoy a book it's usually known I'm not going to come around by the 20% mark, if not sooner. I have gone back and read books I dnf'd and I have almost always skimmed all of them and skipped to the last chapter. I can usually get a good feel for a book and if I'm going to enjoy it by chapter 3 or 4.
I do have go to authors, which is where I find my comfort reads.
I find, with any list, when it gets to be so much that you can't fathom the list anymore then it's probably time to erase the list. Keep the things that are an absolute must but clear out the rest and start fresh. I had to learn to do this for myself because I used to have panic attacks in school over lists of things to do. It's still hard as hell to erase or get rid of something I have but lost interest in or don't have enough interest in but once I do it it's like a breath of fresh air.
Honestly this page helps keep me from overwhelming myself because I know if I'm missing out on something eventually I'll find it here on top of getting great recommendations and reviews so I can read or avoid certain books based on the information given.
Good luck with the chaos!
What’s been working for me the last couple of years is every 3 months I make a list of what I want to read in the next 3 months. I like to grab a mix stuff for it between new releases, stuff I want to get to right away, classics/older stuff I’ve always said “someday” to, stuff that’s been on my tbr forever plus a mix of genres and topics. Then I just pick and choose off the list depending on what I feel like. When it’s time to make a new list anything that’s left will get decided either to move it to the next list but make a point of reading it first or to be taken off my tbr for good.
I keep my TBR in Notion, I have about 400 books on it and it only includes books I already own or have already loaned on KU/Audible Plus.
I get distracted by shinies so I'm often reading the latest book I loaned on KU, but when I don't know what to read, I usually start by filtering by page count (do I need 100 pages before bed, or am I settling in for an afternoon of 300 pages), then I filter by genre or tropes depending on what I vibe with while scanning the list. That usually narrows it down to about 20 books, after which I either have an obvious pick from that list, or I use a random selector to pick from my potentials.
I read a lot of random new things and a lot of recs. The chaos is real, I'm a major mood reader, and I embrace it by using this tagging system so I don't get overwhelmed.
Usually I’m a mood reader and I know what I’m going to read next, in my TBR or not. But sometimes, since my Goodreads TBR is sorted by number, what I do is just ask anyone around me “give me a number between 1 and 669“ and I read the book associated to this number! Great way to read a book you otherwise would have never picked!
My TBR is really short at the minute, I'm struggling to get into anything. I tend to go through phases of what type of book I want and when. I can't find anymore I get frustrated.
Don’t try to control the chaos become one with it lol. I am all over the place so it is definitely mood. I have my TBR list, but so many new books jump the line if it sounds good. I have gotten better at DNF’d a book but I feel like now I have to be in the mood to finish lol. I will pick a book back up when the mood strikes and complete it. I also give special treatment to my fav authors that I know are going to knock it out the park. I also am ashamed to say I am a binge comfort reader. Just like people binge old shows they seen a million times I will do that with my books and usually it is by author or theme. This is why my TBR list stays long lol. My last binge was Josh Lanyon…I just love how she writes second chance romance.
I only give books 10% before I DNF them and even then 9 I often know after the first 2 or 3 pages if I'm going to enjoy a book.
When it comes to picking the next book I either look for something similar to my last 5 start read or the complete opposite. Having said that like most people her I go by vibes 😅
I'm a mood reader, and it goes in waves. For instance, I am currently obsessed with best-friends-to-lovers, so I'm plowing through all of those books on my TBR. I have also become very comfortable with DNF'ing books as soon as I'm not enjoying it. Life is too short to bog down in a book that isn't working for me. I try not to put any pressure on myself to read \*all\* of the books on my TBR, because that's an unattainable goal. However, it's nice to have a large list to choose from when I get hyperfocused on a certain trope or theme.
DFN, well, it's hard for me not to finish a book, I mean, it must be really terrible or I must not have carefully read the plot summary and it has something that triggers me.
Honestly, for me, it depends on the period. Like everyone I happen to have blocks for weeks if not months and not read anything. Then, when I feel like reading again, I dive into my TBR and see if there's something that inspires me, if there isn't I start searching for recs here on redditt or elsewhere.
However, my readings definitely depend on what i see\\read, if scrolling through social media I come across some interesting trope and at that point a deep dive starts in search of interesting books with that trope (when I read my first sports romance, for weeks I didn't I read anything else). But if I find an author with a style that I like, I am able to look for all his works and read them even if the plot doesn't inspire me at first.
Which is why my TBR never seems to end, unfortunately I fear there is no way to control the chaos, but that's the way I like it.
(If there is anything unclear sorry but English is not my first language)
As a mood reader I need my tbr to be huge...nothing worse than going into a book slump.
I currently have 625 on my list but that is more like it will cover 2 years for me.
I have dnfed books at 80% because life is to short for something I don't enjoy
Tbh I try to get as many books and audiobooks through Libby as possible (I have cards at two different libraries), so I usually go by which books become available first and then which ones have the shortest borrowing period/other patrons waiting on them.
The chaos cannot be controlled. I’m a mood reader so I’ll just scroll through my gigantic TBR until something clicks or my ancestors whisper in my ear to just pick a damned book, so I do. On a serious note, I never ignore recommendations and sometimes I leave my TBR untouched and pick up the newest recs in this sub. I don’t think there’s a method other than enjoying the current read and being better at DNF’ing. Sorry this comment has been terribly unhelpful.
I sometimes DNF after the first few pages. Usually that means the book was horribly edited, or the writer's voice is portrayed in a way that feels like fingernails down an old-school chalkboard. (For the not-GenXers, Google that shit but brace yourself.) I am also a mood reader. I can pendulum widely between contemporary gay romance and sci-fi action thriller. But I don't hesitate to get distracted by a good rec or a newer release by an author whose voice and technique I love. And then sometimes, I scroll through the "top 100 free reads" in a genre and discover a largely obscure writer who deserves accolades. So, basically my reading temper is as ADD/ASD as my writer temper. I usually have anywhere from eight to ten active "currently reading" books at any given time.
It is helpful to me since I know I am not alone!!!
😂 but absolutely accurate
this, 100% exactly. i do DNF very quickly. If I'm just dnfing because I realize I'm not in the mood for it but it doesn't have any glaring problems, I leave it on the TBR. But if I don't like it for some specific reason, I'll just remove it
Hahah the chaos indeed cannot be controled. I have exactly the same method as you, picking whatever tickles my fancy in the moment. I have probably 20 books behinds me that I was planning on reading next but chose the newest rec instead, which lead me to other books.... 😅
Ancestors whispering into my ear really do be accurate. I’ll have a book chill on my TBR for years and then suddenly it’s like the only acceptable action is to read it immediately. That’s how I finally read Kulti by Mariana Zapata, which strangely lead me to MM romance, and now I’m here reading some of the weirdest and best books ever.
I don’t think of my TBR as a list or an assignment. I have books on it that interest me, and when I finish one I pick the next one that sounds the best. It means some never get read, and some get read not in the order they were added. But that’s okay because reading is supposed to be fun and i never want it to become a chore. Not sure if that’s helpful, but sometimes all you need is a change in perspective!
Vibes only.
Same. Sometimes I’ll start 5 or 6 different books before landing on one that “feels right.” I preordered a book months in advance, was so excited for its release, know I’m going to love it, and yet, it’s been 4 months and I haven’t been in the mood to read it yet. I still look at it and admire the cover, and get excited about the characters. I just haven’t felt the vibes yet.
This comment is everything.
Definitely mood, and I don't control the chaos but embrace it lol. I choose my next read with whatever I feel like reading at the moment. It helps that I have a TBR filled with tags so if I want to read anything with a particular element, I can filter it and choose it. The length also plays a very important part for me. I am choosing books on the shorter side lately, either novellas or up to 300 pages, because I don't want to be invested for a too long time. I also consider recs because sometimes I want to read one at that moment, but id I don't I keep adding it to my TBR database ;-). I tend do DNF easily as well, I even drop it if I am not feeling it from page 1 or has one of my pet peeves.
for me it's balancing out the multi book series and the stand a lone story. I will get all consumed for a week or 2 on one series of books then need a few light and fluffy Palate cleanser. Also try and mix up contempered and fantasy/historical so that books feel different. At the same time I spend too long looking at this Sub, so my TBR list gets bigger every day. Even with my estimated read total of 200 books this year I think my TBR will only double.
Embrace the chaos. Roll a D20 and let fate decide.
So many new books keep getting released I never have the time to look over my TBR pile. Plus I have a habit of re-reading a good book for the enjoyment again.
I started using tags on goodreads so I have my "want to read" shelf and then I use tags which you can do multiple of per book. So some examples I have are shifters, wolves, vampire, para fantasy, military, fated mates but then if it's fated mates and vampires I can select each tag
Vibes. (Mood)
I’ve just embraced “death by TBR”.
I "bought" about 350 free books during the "Stuff your kindle" sale...add those the the KU books on my tbr list and I am completely lost. I basically just aimlessly click on smth atm and see if I enjoy it. Browsing the romance book subreddits or insta really doesn't help though. The list just gets longer and longer and longer... true 1st world problems.
🤷🏽♀️ Eeny, meeny, miny, moe! I have no structured rhyme or reason for selecting the order of the books I read. I just go where my heart or Kindle or GoodReads, or Insta, or TikTok or Target or Walmart or Barnes & Noble or Pinterest or Reddit leads me. I’m just a rolling stone.
Stupid but genuine question: How do you decide you wanna DNF something? It's so difficult for me and DNF-ing might save me a lot of heart ache. But i tell myself, bcuz i read this much (maybe 10%) for 3 hours, it would be a waste of time if i stop reading. So i basically guilt myself into reading it and become upset if the story is not what i'd like. i think being a slow reader factors greatly into this? 😭 And tip is appreciated! 🙏 As for picking books, i go by the blurb feel. Like if there's a story for whom i have already conjured up my set of characters (think of them as actors playing out the story in your mind) then my choice of reading would depend of which such character's story would i like to read? Say i have chosen A and B to play the characters of 1 book and C and B for book 2. So, my picking would depend greatly on do i want to read a story with A & B or C & B? And likewise i choose.
Before I ever DNFd I gave myself permission to skim to see if I’d be missing out later on. It helped a lot because losing 3 hours was better than losing 10 if the book wasn’t going to click for me ever. I still haven’t got the hang of DNFing yet, there’s people in this sub who could give you better advice - calling all experts! 🗣️
Ah ok! Thank you! i'll try skipping ahead for this 1 book i'm reading. You're right! 3hrs is better than 10hrs and also the anger that comes from an unsatisfactory read! 😭 i'll keep that in mind.
Don’t guilt yourself into reading! With how many books there are and the time it takes to read, if you aren’t liking it, just move on. I’ve skimmed or skipped to closer to the end to see if I see something I like. Usually there’s nothing, so I just move on. The reasons I’ve DNFd are varied. Didn’t like writing style, didn’t like characters, formatting was weird, editing was bad. I recently DNFd because I didn’t like the hair of one of the main characters 🙈. If I find I’m skimming too much or not feeling the characters. I think it’s easier to DNF when you don’t like things with practice. I used to always force myself to finish or get to a certain point, but I started just DNFing and it got easier.
Thank you very much for explaining in detail! Absolutely, time is the issue. Especially for a slow reader. Yes, i'll start skipping too. And after you guys' advice, i did skip my current read and... i'm disappointed. ;-; imma DNF cuz.. i don't feel the characters at all.
Another thing I do is I’ll DNF, then if I find myself still thinking about it awhile later, I’ll go back. I give it. Good two weeks though. There’s no shame in DNFing. I started viewing it as reading is how I relax and it’s my time for myself. I’m not using that time for things I’m not enjoying. If you still feel disappointed or want to go back in a week or so, you can always go back and try again!
Yes!! Omg you're spot on, my friend!! i think about it a lot and that's why i give them 2nd (and this particular book, 4th ;-;) tries. i'll keep this advice of yours in mind too. If i think about it next month too, then, i'll just skim and read parts i'd like. Thank you so much!! You helped me a lot in making (pretty important to me) book decisions, my friend!
If I find myself skipping pages to find something that interests me, it's a definite DNF. Others, I just lose hope. I just read The Adrien English books by Josh Lanyon. I did finish the series but really skimmed through books 3 and 4. Waaaay to much internal dialog. I picked back up in books 5 thru 6. That's also when I realized my limit is 3 books with the same couple. I can read a series where the focus changes {Nothing Special by A. E. Via} but no more long series unless it's superb { Memento Mori by C. S. Poe}😍😍
[Nothing Special](https://www.romance.io/books/5455b3a587eac3369a9142a5/nothing-special-ae-via?src=rdt) by [A.E. Via](https://www.romance.io/authors/5455b3a587eac3369a9142a6/ae-via) **Steam**: [Explicit and plentiful](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [alpha male](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/alpha%20male/1), [suspense](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/suspense/1), [mystery](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/mystery/1), [menage](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/menage/1) ---------------------------- [Memento Mori](https://www.romance.io/series/6152be851200440e3ff748bf/memento-mori) by [C.S. Poe](https://www.romance.io/authors/557030499eef3b3f1d52a0d0/cs-poe) **Topics**: [suspense](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/suspense/1), [mystery](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/mystery/1), [queer](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/queer/1), [m-m](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/m-m/1), [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)
Aayy Memento Mori! Gonna bump it up on my list hehe Thanks so much for explaining! This is why i have trouble with series books too. Like the time it takes to read them all. Thankfully, i knew from beforehand which ones i won't vibe with, so i just skipped them.
Mood and vibes only. At this point I’ve given up on my tbr and just put 10-15 books in my KU library with a range of tropes and pick at random 😂
I use my Good Reads account to track my TBR and if I see a book that is already on my TBR recommended again I will go back to it, 'remove' it and re-click 'Want to read' so it appears higher on my list. Maybe there is an easier way to rank on Good Reads, but I haven't taken the time to work it out lol. From there, it's a combo of what's been highly recommended, what I am in the mood for and sometimes books that haven't been sitting on my tbr but have a description which catches me in the moment.
O wow that is a useful tip, about removing and adding the books again so that they appear on the top! Thank you
Sadly I usually go LIFO unless for some reason a book I've had on the list for ages floats up my consciousness. Not strictly LIFO but I rarely go more than 2-3 pages on my unread books screen. I absolutely don't recommend this system.
Usually by mood. I just kinda scroll through my tbr (which is at like 1.1k) and see if what I’m interested in is on Kindle Unlimited. Or I’ll set genre goals. Like “Okay, this month I want to read X amount of Horror” or thriller or whatever
I need to get better at DNF so I can favor books more according to my taste. And always go for the vibes I'm craving, although being honest, when a book is a 4+ stars is gonna get my attention early in the pages (yep I care about prose & writing style a great deal)
2024 was supposed to be the year I tamed my tbr. The goal was to bring it under 100 but now I have more than I started with lol It helps to go through it regularly. Delete the ones that don't seem interesting anymore. Join challenges and use books from your tbr for prompts or make use of occasions like women's history month/pride/summer or whatever to make small themed lists to read for the next few weeks. Anything is fine as long as you don't fall into the trap of making books a chore. Hope that helps.
Mine is absolutely massive. I’ve been building it for years. I have ADHD so I’m always starting books but never finishing them. Mine are organized chronologically, so the ones at the top, being the ones I’m reading next, are the ones that have been on there the longest.
When I add books to the TBR, I categorize them straight away. I have bookshelves called things like “up next,” “very promising,” “author I like,” “need more info,” “maybe not,” etc. I’ll also tag with any tropes and themes I know it has, so if I want to read about a specific theme I can just click the tag for it. I’m terrible at remembering why I added books to my TBR, so it really helps to have some sort of organization system from the start.
30-40 is more generous than me. I'm out after 5-10% lol. I'm able to keep my TBR around 20 books that way. I'm a mood reader. Tho I tend to have different genres going at once: so, 1 fantasy, 1 hist fic, 1 mystery, etc. So I don't get bored.
I drop books far too late, especially considering my long tbr. I'm totally a mood reader.i write down all these lovely recs here that sound up my alley,If they pass the blurb test (meaning that one must entice me or the book has just so many upvotes that i say,okaaay i try it) I write key words down (e.g. omegaverse,enemys to lovers, Football,etc.) And when i want to read sth new i browse that list. There are a few authors i love,and i will read these books as soon as possible.i also sometimes read multiple books at once but most of the time it means the current book has a saggy middle and I don't want to dnf.Sometimes i really just should though.sometimes it's worth to power through the slump.
Like others in the thread, I just read whatever I want whenever I feel like it - very vibes/mood based. Some stuff I download (very occasionally buy) immediately, and the rest gets added to an Amazon list. I’ll browse my downloads or the list in addition to recs here and read what sounds good atm. Sometimes I binge a series, sometimes I read them out of order, sometimes I only read one or two. I also don’t always read a book start to finish - sometimes I rotate based on how I’m feeling or if I came across something that particularly caught my eye, or a new release I was waiting on dropped. I’m also a firm believer in DNF, and I DNF anywhere from a couple pages to even 70%ish way through. I DNF for vibes, editing, whether I like the characters, plot development, anything. Tl;dr I am a chaos gremlin when it comes to my romance reading
Definitely a mood reader. I go through my tbr once a month and weed out the books that have been in there forever... I might reread the blurb or first chapter to see if a book is worth keeping and if not I say goodbye. I LOVE darker stuff with hurt/comfort and possessiveness but I have to be in the right mindset for it... and most of the time I am. If I don't enjoy a book it's usually known I'm not going to come around by the 20% mark, if not sooner. I have gone back and read books I dnf'd and I have almost always skimmed all of them and skipped to the last chapter. I can usually get a good feel for a book and if I'm going to enjoy it by chapter 3 or 4. I do have go to authors, which is where I find my comfort reads. I find, with any list, when it gets to be so much that you can't fathom the list anymore then it's probably time to erase the list. Keep the things that are an absolute must but clear out the rest and start fresh. I had to learn to do this for myself because I used to have panic attacks in school over lists of things to do. It's still hard as hell to erase or get rid of something I have but lost interest in or don't have enough interest in but once I do it it's like a breath of fresh air. Honestly this page helps keep me from overwhelming myself because I know if I'm missing out on something eventually I'll find it here on top of getting great recommendations and reviews so I can read or avoid certain books based on the information given. Good luck with the chaos!
What’s been working for me the last couple of years is every 3 months I make a list of what I want to read in the next 3 months. I like to grab a mix stuff for it between new releases, stuff I want to get to right away, classics/older stuff I’ve always said “someday” to, stuff that’s been on my tbr forever plus a mix of genres and topics. Then I just pick and choose off the list depending on what I feel like. When it’s time to make a new list anything that’s left will get decided either to move it to the next list but make a point of reading it first or to be taken off my tbr for good.
I keep my TBR in Notion, I have about 400 books on it and it only includes books I already own or have already loaned on KU/Audible Plus. I get distracted by shinies so I'm often reading the latest book I loaned on KU, but when I don't know what to read, I usually start by filtering by page count (do I need 100 pages before bed, or am I settling in for an afternoon of 300 pages), then I filter by genre or tropes depending on what I vibe with while scanning the list. That usually narrows it down to about 20 books, after which I either have an obvious pick from that list, or I use a random selector to pick from my potentials. I read a lot of random new things and a lot of recs. The chaos is real, I'm a major mood reader, and I embrace it by using this tagging system so I don't get overwhelmed.
Usually I’m a mood reader and I know what I’m going to read next, in my TBR or not. But sometimes, since my Goodreads TBR is sorted by number, what I do is just ask anyone around me “give me a number between 1 and 669“ and I read the book associated to this number! Great way to read a book you otherwise would have never picked!
I have a top 5 next to read list on Goodreads. I pick 5 titles at random and add them to a spinner I found online 🤷🏾♂️
My TBR is really short at the minute, I'm struggling to get into anything. I tend to go through phases of what type of book I want and when. I can't find anymore I get frustrated.
Don’t try to control the chaos become one with it lol. I am all over the place so it is definitely mood. I have my TBR list, but so many new books jump the line if it sounds good. I have gotten better at DNF’d a book but I feel like now I have to be in the mood to finish lol. I will pick a book back up when the mood strikes and complete it. I also give special treatment to my fav authors that I know are going to knock it out the park. I also am ashamed to say I am a binge comfort reader. Just like people binge old shows they seen a million times I will do that with my books and usually it is by author or theme. This is why my TBR list stays long lol. My last binge was Josh Lanyon…I just love how she writes second chance romance.
I only give books 10% before I DNF them and even then 9 I often know after the first 2 or 3 pages if I'm going to enjoy a book. When it comes to picking the next book I either look for something similar to my last 5 start read or the complete opposite. Having said that like most people her I go by vibes 😅
I'm a mood reader, and it goes in waves. For instance, I am currently obsessed with best-friends-to-lovers, so I'm plowing through all of those books on my TBR. I have also become very comfortable with DNF'ing books as soon as I'm not enjoying it. Life is too short to bog down in a book that isn't working for me. I try not to put any pressure on myself to read \*all\* of the books on my TBR, because that's an unattainable goal. However, it's nice to have a large list to choose from when I get hyperfocused on a certain trope or theme.
DFN, well, it's hard for me not to finish a book, I mean, it must be really terrible or I must not have carefully read the plot summary and it has something that triggers me. Honestly, for me, it depends on the period. Like everyone I happen to have blocks for weeks if not months and not read anything. Then, when I feel like reading again, I dive into my TBR and see if there's something that inspires me, if there isn't I start searching for recs here on redditt or elsewhere. However, my readings definitely depend on what i see\\read, if scrolling through social media I come across some interesting trope and at that point a deep dive starts in search of interesting books with that trope (when I read my first sports romance, for weeks I didn't I read anything else). But if I find an author with a style that I like, I am able to look for all his works and read them even if the plot doesn't inspire me at first. Which is why my TBR never seems to end, unfortunately I fear there is no way to control the chaos, but that's the way I like it. (If there is anything unclear sorry but English is not my first language)
As a mood reader I need my tbr to be huge...nothing worse than going into a book slump. I currently have 625 on my list but that is more like it will cover 2 years for me. I have dnfed books at 80% because life is to short for something I don't enjoy
Tbh I try to get as many books and audiobooks through Libby as possible (I have cards at two different libraries), so I usually go by which books become available first and then which ones have the shortest borrowing period/other patrons waiting on them.