Apr 11 2018
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Tackling the TBR [33]: April 2018

tackling the TBR

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. <-November 2017 I’m trying something new and reading them in a specific, carefully pre-determined order. <-Going back to how I was doing it before.

Here’s what mine looks like:

April 2018 TBR Tackler Shelf:

Due to some unfortunate medical issues, I’m only just now getting into the swing of things for April. Even so, I feel directionless without my trusted TBR Tackler shelf, so getting it set up feels good for my soul. I read 8/10 books from last month’s lineup and have already made decent headway with these titles. I’ve been working so hard on my Incomplete Series Challenge over at Fantasy Buddy Reads that at one point last month I was down to just 9 open series (from 129 about a year and a half ago). I’m excited this month to start cashing in some new series credits I “earned” while completing the challenge. My next focus (which I’ll probably start including an update for) is the Overflowing Bookshelf Challenge which means I finally have the opportunity to dig into some of the potentially awesome books that have been sharing space with me for 10+ years. The goal is to streamline my library down to just the books I’ve read and loved (and a manageable TBR section).

What books are you tackling this month? Are the any from my list I need to read ASAP?!! :)

by Niki Hawkes

12 comments on “Tackling the TBR [33]: April 2018”

  1. Hi Niki!

    Sorry to hear about your medical items. Hope you’re doing better! Love reading your TBR strategy. I have over 300 books now in my library and more keep trickling in. Part of me enjoys your list and part of me digs in my feet because I don’t like to follow rules. But your mantras say it all. What good is having so many books if you aren’t reading the good ones! There is so much to read out there. I’m going to concentrate on finishing some series this year too, so that there are not so many different plotlines floating around in the back of my head. Good luck to you! Thanks for posting!

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    • Thank you! Things are looking better, so I’m hopeful. :)

      It’s certainly an evolving strategy. I feel like I operate pretty well with structure, but having a flexible list is definitely what works best for me. Before having any sort of list at all, I’d focus mostly on mediocre obligation reads (which is NOT the best use of my reading time lol). Creating the list (even if I don’t always follow it) forces me to really consider which books are the “best books.”

      300 is daunting! haha good luck digging into those. Getting rid of books I own but just don’t think I’ll enjoy is one of my most difficult book problems. And also good luck rounding out some series. Don’t be afraid to abandon ones you’re just not feeling anymore… it’s oddly liberating (and you can always pull them out of the abandoned pile if the mood strikes…which it has yet to do for the many I sent there). I’ve never had such a small list of open series. It’s making me enjoy everything so much more!

      Thanks for your comment :)

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  3. Hope things are settling down medically speaking. Also hope it wasn’t too expensive :-(

    The Lost Hero gets a down vote from me. I really liked the Percy Jackson series but this just didn’t have the same “flavor” for want of a better word. I ended up abandoning the series and Riordan as an author.

    I enjoyed the first couple of Temeraire books as well then it went into real Alt-History territory, which I’m just not a fan of. Lots and lots of other people liked them though :-)

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    • Thanks a bunch – it’s too early to tell how expensive it was… I’m cringing just trying to estimate. yikes. And thanks, I feel like I’m slowly getting back to normal.

      Lost Hero is actually one of the ones I’ve already read, and I agree it’s kind of missing something. I couldn’t tell if it was the circumstances (medical) I had while reading it, but it took me FOREVER to get through. Lots of repetition that had me choosing other things. That said, I still came away with an overall positive impression. We’ll see how it goes. I’m in the mood for fluff.

      Temeraire has been on my shelves forever. I’m shooting for at least the first 3, then we’ll see how I feel. Alt-History hasn’t been my thing in the past, but maybe dragons are the difference makers lol.

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    • Thank you – I’m definitely on the mend. :) And I’m looking forward to actually writing about half the books I’ve been reading. Nothing beats motivation derived from a whole month of not being able to do much haha.

      And yes… it was an epic project. I will tone down the amazement by admitting that I outright abandoned at least half of them. :)

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