So we’ve finally arrived at the end of the first month of 2006. It’s the first month of contending with resolutions (and oh is the gym full!) and perhaps it holds an idea of what the coming year will hold.
So far, 2006 is shaping up to be an eclectic year. I’ve read romantic suspense, contemporary romance, some categories, historical romance, a medieval mystery, chick lit, cozy mysteries, thrillers, futuristic romance, dark/urban fantasy, erotic romance, and even a paranormal/time travel romance. Whew, that was longer than I thought it would be. I’ve enjoyed the majority of it and even found some new authors who I definitely plan to buy in the future. But despite the roughly twenty books I’ve read so far, only about a half dozen have been ones from my vast to-be-read pile.
One of my big resolutions for the year is to whittle down my to-be-read mountain range. And mountain range it rightly is, with probably over five hundred books in it. Now, I can’t stop buying books, so that isn’t the answer. Book-buying is important. I don’t obsess about shoes, or clothing, but I must buy books each month. Yet time and time again, I end up reading more newly bought and library books than those from the to-be-read pile. I’m like a kid, sometimes. New and shiny beats old and beaten most anytime. Well, and then there’s pure fickleness.
AngieW has taken over Keishon’s TBR Challenge and I plan to stick with that each month, yet that’s one book among hundreds. So I need a plan. Something to help get my butt in gear and reaching for those long forgotten books that I have to read before they leave the house. Besides the various reading challenges circling the blogging community, a few bloggers (Jay and Wendy, for example) have mentioned their ideas of tackling this problem and I plan to take their ideas to heart. But as always, I’m curious as to how others have addressed the to-be-read pile and survived. Or not. Perhaps some of those bloggers on hiatus are actually buried beneath piles of books, unable to reach their computers and signal for help.
So what reading resolutions did you make this year? And have you started to accomplish any of them yet? Or, like the resolution to use that gym membership, is it easier said than done?
No related posts.
I want to read at least 2 fiction novels (including one fantasy) a week. I’ve, surprisingly enough, managed to keep up with the one fantasy novel a week thing, and have read more than 2 books a week.
I plan to keep up with AngieW’s TBR Challenge, and I’m reading writing books for Jo Leigh’s Uber-Challenge.
I didn’t really make any New Year resolusions. For me it’s a matter of balance, spending more times with my kids, and something else that just flew out of my mind. Oh, learning to say “NO” and not over-committing. I did a really good job of that at the end of the year by releasing some obligations, but I still have more that I couldn’t say no to. Well?
As far as the TBR pile, I usually read the newest books first–how I’ll ever finish my other books, I’ll never know. Right now, after I finish my RITA books, I’ll get going on my fellow RWA chapter members’ books. I always buy them when they do book signings to support them, but have kept them on a shelf in my office, which meant I never read them. So I moved them to my bedroom, on my enclosed nightstand (that is part of the bed so I have long shelves to put books!) and I have started to read them.
So that’s where I am.
Working hard to not over-commit so that I can WRITE!
I want to read a wider variety of books this year. And try to get my TBR to a manageable size. I’m already failing there. So many books are coming out and I just have to get them.:???:
Hi,
Was just blog hopping and i saw this site.In answer to your question on books to read this year, I am into fantasy novels.Last year I read over 70 novels,40 of which would be in the fantasy category.
This year, I plan to read a few of the classics I havent yet explored, Dante’s Inferno, Dr Faustus etc.
Im not sure if you wanted me to talk abt romance coz thats definitely not soemthing I read about
Cheers
Rohan
Nicole:
Well at the beginning of the year I threw a bunch of my TBR books in a box. I told myself that I would read through that box first – come hell or high water. Any book that isn’t doing it for me within 50 pages gets tossed aside for another.
Now I’m wondering if I’ll have to time to read through The Box. So instead, I think I might concentrate on reading the trade size and hard cover books in my TBR. At least then I can feel like I’m making more room for my smaller mass market paperbacks…..
You mean we are supposed to work through the TBR pile. I thought it was there to make my bookshelf overly full. I’ve read 3 fiction books this year and three non-fiction. Maybe I’ll read some tonight.
I didn’t particularly make a resolution concerning my TBR pile. I guess, unconsciously, I made a resolution to add three books to the pile for every one I read!
At any rate, that’s the only resolution I’ve kept.:oops:
Well I try to read at least two books a month. I know slow but I also writing, work on graphics and many other things. I’m well known for my excuses hehe.
My main resolution, other than not having one, is to keep ontop of things. I can get snowed under with all the various projects…In any case, so far its working.
Best of luck to the rest of you.
I’ve resolved to only read my TBR pile when I’m on the treadmill…so far so good…until I get to a really suspenseful novel and forget to walk when I read a good part. Flying off the back of the darn thing always puts a crimp in my zeal to read and exercise at the same time!
I’m not sure I can do it, but I think I need to let some of my babies go to other good homes. It’s really (really, really) hard to get rid of books, but it’s beyond embarrasing as to how many I have now. I know I’ll never reread the vast majority of them so I really (really really) should let them go.
I have about 150 books in my TBR pile plus stuff I brought home from the library. Many of these books have been in my house for years. I am trying to get through at least 10 a month from home plus I have decided to try at least one new-to-me author each month that could be from home or the library. In January it was Gena Showalter and I’m now a fan.
I’m resolving to get through my TBR piles….probably 150 estimate. However, these new authors keep finding me and I have to read them..then there’s my favorite writer with a new book and I have to read that one….and so it goes…TBR pile will stay the same …or bigger…Oh…there’s a new one I just have to have!!!!
Louis
I’ve given up on the idea of reducing the size of my TBR pile. There are just too many new books I absolutely must buy. But I have been working on trying to get some of those books out of my TBR pile that have been in there for so long I’ve forgotten why I bought them in the first place.
So I alternate new books with books from the TBR pile, rearrange the TBR pile periodically so I’m not looking at the same books all the time, and in conjunction with an email list, doing a TBR challenge.
A TBR challenge that just mentions genre won’t do the trick–I already read most genres & alternate between them anyway. For January, the challenge was to read a book with an address in the title. I read Thieves’ World. February’s will be to read a book that makes me think of warmer weather, and I’ve already picked that one out–Gaffney’s The Goodbye Summer, which has been languishing in the TBR pile since I bought it at the pre-WRW-retreat signing at TTP–IOW, far too long.
Using such esoteric criteria (previous challenges were authors with the same first & last initial, books that started with a description of the weather, and one with a color in the title) makes me look at the books I’ve kept overlooking with a fresh eye, and the nice thing is, I’m discovering that I did know what I was doing when I bought these books.
My goal is one book a week. I used to read 2-4 books a week, before I started seriously writing. I’m a little behind (3 books in January) but I have five more books to judge for the RITAs so I’ll catch up in February.
It’s nice to see I’m not the only one with a TBR pile that’s bookshelves full, not one pile sitting on a shelf somewhere. I try to alternate one old book with one new one. But lately, I’ve been swamped and haven’t been reading as much. I used to read several books a week. Now, I’m lucky to read one a month. That makes it hard to get through the piles. lol
I’m managing my TBR pile by removing books from it and selectively adding books back. My first victory was getting my impulse book buying under control by following a procedure for buying books ala the way a dieter might talk herself through a food craving. TBR books remain a hurdle because I can always find an excuse for acquiring books in my targeted genres, those about writing/craft, rereleases of classics and other favorites, etc. Borders/Waldenbooks coupons are also evil because they create a sense of urgency that I need use the coupons to save all that money
I maintain a TBR list instead. It has all the expected book info in addition to tidbits gleaned from the web, newspapers and romantic times so I don’t forget what initially piqued my interest. I often find I’ve totally forgotten about the newest books on my list come release time. I take this as a sign that I don’t need to read or buy the book after all.
I’ve also been buying more audio and ebooks and I weed my general library by culling titles I haven’t touched in the past year. I filled 43 banker’s boxes with books during my last move, so I have to watch my book acquistion like some people watch their weight. Well, until I buy a home at least.