I started this feature in May as a possible solution to my desperate need for a good TBR system. And you know what? I’m LOVING it so far! It has allowed me to stop stressing about all the unread books in my life because it channels my focus onto the authors I deemed the highest priority. I rest assured that, despite the fact I’m not making my way through my collection as quickly as I’d like, I am at least focusing on the best books first. It also takes away a little bit of that “I’m overwhelmed” factor because there’s usually only twenty books at most in my shortlist (which also gives me a remarkable sense of achievement every time I get to check one off that list). Finally, I love it because I still feel like I get to follow my reading whims – there is a lot of variety within my smaller pool of choices. I think I’ll keep this feature around for a while!

If you missed the Introductory Post, here’s how Tackling the TBR works:

1. At the beginning of each month, I select an author from each of my favorite genres
2. I compile all of their unread books onto my TBR Tackler shelves (physical & digital)
3. I pick from that pile throughout the month as the mood strikes me

Here is my TBR Tackler Shelf for July 2015:

Science Fiction: Rachel Bach
Fantasy: Elizabeth Haydon
Middle Grade: Chad Morris
New Adult: Colleen Hoover
Young Adult: Ann Aguirre
Urban Fantasy: Jim Butcher
Book Club: Michael J. Sullivan

Last month I made it through more than half the titles on my list. There’s definitely a lot of variety on my TBR tackler shelf this month, which should help keep me from getting bored. There are more unread Jim Butcher books than I included, but I figured six novels was a lofty enough goal. I don’t see any reason why I can’t read and enjoy all of these by the end of July! :-) I included a new “Book Club” category because in some ways it’s the most important TBR for the month, but I didn’t wanted to take the place of my other priority authors. As you can see, my system is still adapting… hopefully for the better.

I will be sharing this post on the first of each month at least until the end of the year (we will see how it goes). I am also going to include a linky on each post so we can support each other in Tackling our TBRs! Even if you don’t specifically use my system, feel free to share your versions of how you manage your TBR pile… Maybe we can help make each other’s systems even better. :)

What authors are you Tackling this month?

^ You actually have to click on the blue frog to enter and see links… It seems simple, but it took me a full three weeks before I finally figured that out. #fail

by Niki Hawkes