It’s once again time for my favorite feature: Tackling the TBR! There’s nothing I love more than picking out which books to read next, and this slightly organized method of reading has really amped my enjoyment to the next level. Bring on the mantras!
Read the best books first.
&
Life is too short to read books you’re not enjoying.
However you put together your TBR for the next month, the goal is to reduce the amount of obligation in reading and increase the fun.
Here’s a look at how the system works:
1. Identify the titles that take top priority in your TBR.
2. Combine them all in your own Tackling the TBR post.
3. Throughout the month pick from that pile as the mood strikes you.
Here’s what mine looks like:
June 2017 TBR Tackler Shelf [Catch-up Month]:
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- Legion of Flame by Anthony Ryan
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- The Fiercest Joy by Shana Abe
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- Princeps’ Fury by Jim Butcher
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- Naamah’s Curse by Jacqueline Carey
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- Starflight by Melissa Landers
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- The Operator by Kim Harrison
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- The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince by Robin Hobb
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- Demon Spirit by R.A. Salvatore
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- The Young Elites by Marie Lu
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- Lord of Misrule by Rachel Caine
I’ve been running these Tackling the TBR posts for exactly 2 years now, but only recently started including “Tackler Carry-Overs” to represent all the titles I hadn’t got to in previous months. Unfortunately, of the 10 titles I choose every month, I only average 7. It’s to a point where my Carry-Over shelf was twice as big as my TBR Tackler Shelf. What’s more, there are a few titles on there I’m stalling on reading because I’m just not as excited for them as I was when they got their first TTTBR run. Long story short – I’m doing a catch-up month! Anything I don’t get through this month will automatically drop off so I start July 2017 with a clean slate. Looking at my “leftovers” makes me laugh because there are a ton of amazing authors on here. I’ve already pared down to just the high-priority ones. Update 6/2: I reorganized my incomplete series list and changed the priorities on some of them. Because of that, I switched out a few titles. :)
Niki’s Incomplete Series Challenge [Via Fantasy Buddy Reads]
May 2017 Titles Tackled:
Niki’s May 2017 Progress Update:
Series Finished: 1
The Long Game – Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Series Brought UTD: 3
Red Sister – Mark Lawrence
Skin Game – Jim Butcher
Steeplejack – A.J. Hartley
Series Progressed: 6
Grim Tides – T.A. Pratt
The Voyage of the Basilisk – Marie Brennan
The Twisted Citadel – Sara Douglass
Magic Dreams – Ilona Andrews
Magic Tests – Ilona Andrews
A Gathering of Shadows – V.E. Schwab
New Series Started: 3
Red Sister – Mark Lawrence
Steeplejack – A.J. Hartley
Green Rider – Kristen Britian
Abandoned: 0
YTD Totals:
Finished Series: 5
Up To Date Series: 10
Series Progressed: 24
New Series Started: 12
Abandoned: 1
I’ve decided my goal going forward is to progress and finish as many series as I can from my top priority list (as written out in my Incomplete Series Challenge on Goodreads). I’m certain I will still start new series (I can’t help myself), but if I can get through at least half of my high priorities, I’ll be a happy camper. :)
What books are you Tackling this month? Even if you don’t specifically use my system, feel free to share your versions of how you manage your TBR pile (and the links to your posts if applicable) in the comments. :)
The Obsessive Bookseller 
What did you think about ‘Green Rider’?
I still want to read ‘The Willful Princess…’ by Robin Hobb. It’s the only book set in her ‘Realm of the Elderlings’ I haven’t read yet.
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I think had I read Green Rider 10 years ago, I would have really liked it. Now, though, after reading tons of Hobb, Sanderson, and Ryan lately, it was just meh. But the horse did play a fun role in the story. :) I haven’t decided yet if I’m reading on.
And willful princess is my desperate attempt to keep myself from sobbing that the series is over, lol.
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I am with you there :D Although I’m still a bit in denial, maybe one day she’ll write another sequel?
Thanks for your thoughts on ‘Green Rider’! :)
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I really hope so. This one was a bonus trilogy in my eyes, so perhaps she’ll surprise us again. It sure left enough room to continue. :)
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I’m not as organized as I would like to be. I don’t really have a real system, but generally in any given month I try to tackle half new books and half catch-up books. As you can imagine, after a while it gets to be a Sisyphean effort :D
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Haha good reference. :) lately I’ve been trying to include only 1 or 2 new books and everything else catch-up because I have too many series open. Granted, you have a lot more advanced copies to get through than I do. Do you find you’re able to split your focus like that or do the new books tend to trump everything? I have a tendency to do that with library books because the ones I paid for will always be there lol.
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I definitely give my requested books a higher priority, but these days most of my new arrivals are unsolicited and I get terribly tempted by them too. So, my focus does get broken now and again :)
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I bet! Haha I find it difficult enough to pass up on netgalley titles. If they were sitting in front of my face I’d never get to my backlist. I appreciate the mix you include on your blog. I’ve added a bunch of new titles to the tbr because of your reviews.
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Five years of blogging and I still have the same system; pick up a book that sounds good and read it. I TRY to read around release dates but often fail. Sometimes I sit on reviews for months because I couldn’t wait and sometimes I am months late to the party.
My backlist suffers greatly mostly because it grows, never shrinks.
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Haha I’m also all over the place with new books. The “pick up a book that sounds good” system is more or less what I’m trying to do, I just limit the selection pool because otherwise I sit there for hours trying to figure out what to read next. The tbr is so looming, even if I’m enjoying a book, I’m always eyeballing my shelves, itching to read those too. Does that ever happen to you? Or are you pretty content with whatever has your immediate attention? I recently went through and tried to thin out my backlist tbr, but there are still 1500 titles on there. It’s awesome, but daunting lol.
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I have a constant itch to reread books, especially if my current read is moving slow. So yes, i often want to cheat on my current read with another book.
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I guess there’s comfort in that I’m not alone. :)
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