Anyone who reads probably has a list of books that they’re planning to read one day. I certainly do. I have a whole bookshelves next to my desk filled with books that are on my to-be-read list, not to mention the stack that’s actually on the desk, and the ones downloaded on my Kindle, and the books scattered around the other 6 or so bookshelves in the house. I have dozens of books that are actively on my list to read, and a whole lot more that live in that nebulous realm of ‘I’ll read this one day’. As readers, it’s often a struggle to keep in control of a TBR list. There always seem to be more books being added to the pile than there are leaving it.
If you’re the sort of person who reads and reviews books for publishers, it’s obviously very important to try and stay on top of your reading stack to make sure that the reviews are going out in a timely manner. And of course, if you’ve borrowed a huge pile of books from the library, then you’re definitely going to want to try and get through them all before the overdue fines rack up too high. Thankfully though, apart from the occasional library stack, I’m in the fortunate position of not having any form of deadline to finish my books by. If my TBR pile is growing fatter and fatter, that’s ok. I’m under no obligation to keep it down to a ‘manageable’ level. I read purely because I like books, and because stories are my life. And I’ve come to conclusion that an out of control reading stack is actually a very good thing indeed.
See, there’s no real need to rush through books. They’re not going to expire if you don’t read them within the first couple of weeks of getting them. And sometimes it’s just not the right time to read certain stories. They might be on the stack because you’re genuinely interested in reading them, but when its turn comes to be read, you might not be in the right mood to rad it. Having a large TBR gives me loads of options for what I could read. There are so many books that I could be reading that I’m spoiled for choices.
An unmanaged TBR is the best sort of library. Of course you probably also own a large number of books that you’ve read before and love, and that’s fantastic. I love my stash of old friends, books that I can pull out at a time and know that I’m going to be greeted with a familiar story that know and love. But the best part of a library is browsing through the unread books, running your fingers over the spines, checking out the back cover to see what book is taking your fancy at that very moment in time. A massive TBR is actually a well curated library, one you can dip into at any time to find a book that speaks to you at moment in time. If I only ever had two unread books on my list, I would miss out on the very great pleasure of having so much to choose from, and so much to anticipate reading one day.
Instead of feeling pressured to keep up with all the books that we haven’t yet managed to read, maybe we ought to start viewing it as an excitingly positive thing. Because there’s no good reason that we should have to keep our piles down to zero unread books. Maybe it’s time we stop trying to manage all our books and let them multiply and spread around the house until it’s one big, wondrous library that simply begs to be read. Books are meant to be treasured, to be savoured a little at a time, or devoured in a single sitting. They’re patient little creatures, and will wait for us to get around to them. Adding books to your pile is investing in your future reading. The right day will come for you to read each book, and until then, they’ll wait.
Before I close out, I want to make an exciting announcement. I’ll be revealing the cover and blurb for my upcoming book Frost Hands this coming Friday (AEST)! I’ve been working so hard on this book, and I can’t wait to share the cover with you all. Personally, I’m in love with it.
If you’d like to see the cover a bit sooner, I’ll be revealing it a day earlier to my email subscribers, along with the blurb, and a bonus excerpt from the book. Sign up before Thursday (AEST) to see the cover and blurb early, as well as an excerpt that won’t be shared on the blog!
Photo by Prateek Katyal on Unsplash
