Aussie Readers discussion

My suggestion is to pick a book you think you would be most interested in reading.

For instance, in October I had a strong urge to read horror books. So I picked for the top horror ones and just grabbed a few that had good reviews.

So if you're in the mood for sci-fi, fantasy, horror, literary fiction, romance, etc. Pick a book from that category, order one, and away you go!

Try not to make it robotic like going by author name, because you may end up starting with a book you don't like at all.

Annezel wrote: "I have over 50 books in my want to read shelf (yes, I am way behind in the reading department). I cannot seem to decide which book to start with.
It made me wonder which method other readers use to..."

Hi Annezel.

I found a brilliant tool for helping me decide what book to read next from my TBR list. It's called the Randomiser.

What you do is put in the number of books you want to read in the first box. For example, 10. Then you'll find two more boxes where you put in a range of numbers. That is 1 to 50 in your case. You can then nominate how many columns you want the numbers sorted into. Then you click Get Numbers and then the randomiser generates the book numbers for you to read.

The link for this is: http://www.random.org/integers/

I go through my TBR list and see which ones I can fit into the monthly and quarterly challenges. Then if I finish my challenges early I just dive in to whatever I feel like on that day. Sometimes I go back and delete books from my list because I have forgotten why I wanted to read them in the first place.

Annezel wrote: "I have over 50 books in my want to read shelf (yes, I am way behind in the reading department). I cannot seem to decide which book to start with.
It made me wonder which method other readers use to..."

Welcome Annezel, what a good idea for a thread! Thanks:) And I see you are a new member - perhaps you'd like to introduce yourself here https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... so everyone can say hi..

Zara wrote: "Annezel wrote: "I have over 50 books in my want to read shelf (yes, I am way behind in the reading department). I cannot seem to decide which book to start with.
It made me wonder which method othe..."

This is a great idea Zara! I hadn't heard of this site....I'm going to give it a go..

Phrynne wrote: "I go through my TBR list and see which ones I can fit into the monthly and quarterly challenges. Then if I finish my challenges early I just dive in to whatever I feel like on that day. Sometimes I..."

And Phrynne! We must be so alike. That's what I do..fit as many as I can into the challenges, then read what I feel like at the time:)

Annezel wrote: "Zara wrote: "Annezel wrote: "I have over 50 books in my want to read shelf (yes, I am way behind in the reading department). I cannot seem to decide which book to start with.
It made me wonder whic..."

I'm glad I was able to help.

Annezel wrote: "Zara wrote: "Annezel wrote: "I have over 50 books in my want to read shelf (yes, I am way behind in the reading department). I cannot seem to decide which book to start with.
It made me wonder whic..."

The Christmas Shoes by Donna VanLiere
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

admittedly OCD, I have a system whereby I start with a non-fiction, then alternate the books of a series with other literature, chic lit, Aussie, translated etc etc, for 18 books (yes, I don't know why, but 18) then start again. But if something turns up at the library or in the mail, I am (just) flexible enough to slot them in the pile somewhere. There are several book cases in my front room where my treadmill is that constitute the TBR (over 50, Annezel? That's nothing!!), although there's also the library upstairs...... and while I do get a lot read this way, the TBR doesn't seem to reduce. Guess I have to stop going to book sales and charity shops!

I am exactly the same as Phrynne as well.
My "Want to Read" shelf is what I actually have sitting on my book shelf or on my kindle & I just go through that & pick books that fit in with the current challenges. Which I find a lot more fun than just standing in front of the book shelf trying to decide & almost resorting to eenie meenie minie mo like I used to :)

Marianne wrote: "admittedly OCD, I have a system whereby I start with a non-fiction, then alternate the books of a series with other literature, chic lit, Aussie, translated etc etc, for 18 books (yes, I don't know..."

I like your idea!

I periodically spring-clean my TBR. But I work through remaining books daily, reserving as many as I can at my library each day. I stack them all up on my coffee table and read whichever one takes my fancy. Having a pile on the coffee table keeps me mindful of working through them.

As Phynne says, slotting them into Challenges certainly helps.

I just chip away at it a book at a time. As for deciding which one I'll read next I usually just stand in front of my shelves and scan the books looking to see which one jumps out at me the most at that particular time. Also like intuitively letting the books tell me which one wants to me read next the most. :P Doing something slightly different this year as well in that I'm also doing a reading challenge for the year that is also making me read books I may not have considered straight away as my next to read. So that's helping getting me reading a few more things have spent years on my shelves without being read yet.

Annezel wrote: "I have over 50 books in my want to read shelf (yes, I am way behind in the reading department). I cannot seem to decide which book to start with.
It made me wonder which method other readers use to..."

I am very much a mood driven reader - so organisation doesn't really work for me.

All the books on my TBR shelf are books I actually own - either physically or electronically.

So quite often I look at my physical shelves and just grab one that catches my eye.

Challenges are a good way to browse and select books that are languishing - but even then there are no guarantees that the books I say I am going to read do get read - very often something else jumps into my hand instead.

I wish I knew the answer to this - but it doesn't help if I read one book, 3 or 4 more take its place - LOL!!!

That is what I use the challenges (in theory..in reality the challenges put me onto even more books I want to read). Maybe it's delusion to think you can ever shorten or finish the list

Sally906 wrote: "Annezel wrote: "I have over 50 books in my want to read shelf (yes, I am way behind in the reading department). I cannot seem to decide which book to start with.
It made me wonder which method othe..."

I have a mental picture of Sally's books literally leaping out of her bookshelves as she walks past!

B the BookAddict wrote: "I have a mental picture of Sally's books literally leaping out of her bookshelves as she walks past! ..."


But they DO Bette - It's quite frightening :)

lol!

I'm digging this old thread up! *dig dig dig* Some great suggestions here..I think I may have to try a few out.

I think it's hard to reduce a TBR pile when you're easily distracted by other books that you randomly see like I currently do.. Meaning there are books in the house that aren't mine but for some reason I'm more interested in them than my own pile of books...Oh woe is me ;p

In addition to my earlier comment, I have stopped using the Recommendations and only add books to my tbr which my GR friends review (and I like). I've also stopped buying books which I realize is impossible for some people but easy for me living in a bookshop desert.

I too am mood driven, but I have a very bad habit and always have done...but it works for me. I read more than one book at a time and different genres and categories e.g. a non-fiction a horror a thriller and literature. most people ask how can you do that? I can't say why. I have just always been so avid in my reading I just can't get enough. I guess as an ex cataloguer in a state library I was always grabbing books to quickly read from the new stock. And no i don't get confused or lose my place. I get that this doesn't work for most people but it might for some. I would love to know if others do this also. cheers

B the BookAddict wrote: "In addition to my earlier comment, I have stopped using the Recommendations and only add books to my tbr which my GR friends review (and I like). I've also stopped buying books which I realize is i..."

I created a wish list shelf and add 'finds' to that - but it doesn't get counted in my TBR shelf. I also have a preordered shelf - so I know what not to buy again (in theory) and a requested shelf - I've asked for an advanced copy - if I don't get the requested book it is moved to my wish list :)

I am impressed that the lady who started this thread only had 50 books!!! I don't think I'll ever get that low and will just stress myself trying :)
Books I physically own are the only ones on my TBR shelf

Vicki wrote: "I too am mood driven, but I have a very bad habit and always have done...but it works for me. I read more than one book at a time and different genres and categories e.g. a non-fiction a horror a t..."
I'm mood driven too - which is why I need so many - so I have plenty of choice

LOL! Agreed!

I just saw this in another group describing their TBR & really liked it.

"When your TBR reaches SABLE stage"

SABLE = Stash Accumulated Beyond Life Expectancy

LOL Mine isn't there yet, but I'm having a fairly good crack :)

Haha! Mine is!

Zoey - hahahaha i like that! i don't think mine is at that stage yet!!

I'm pretty sure mine is getting close too!! (⊙_☉)

⊙_⊙ !!!!!

I am fascinated by this because I realise I may be a bit odd with my selection process...
I have just finished a new author's first and loved it. I have her second on my TBR shelf but I am delaying that pleasure as long as I can... odd...
Choosing the next is a combination of mood, all the other considerations... but also the feel - OF THE BOOK... I know weird... but how it sits in my hands matters as much as the subject, genre, author etc... (I have tried ebooks but i realise this is part of the pleasure of tree books. So please plant more trees)
So now I am reading another author new to me and I have her second on my TBR shelf - double the sweet anticipation! I love it!

Denise - I often put off the books i REALLY want to read for something less..I mean i still want to read the book but not as much....It's actually a habit I'm trying to break SO I actually read what I want rather than waiting for ages..lol By then usually the hype of the book would of died down by the time i get to it.

I hear you - it is possible to wait too long...
If I were to read the second book straight away I would shutdown to the process of reading... a kind of mini death I think many of us experience... but by opening to another author, I find that won't happen straight away...

I have a book full of challenges that I am working through and ticking books off as I go. But I also pick pretty randomly. Just whatever grabs me at the time.

PS. You are lucky to only have 50 books on your TBR list. Lol

Sometimes it's mood driven, but even then I do try to alternate genres so that I don't read two of the same type in a row (unless it's a trilogy or a series I can't get enough of).

I don't think my TBR has ever been below triple digits. To quote American author Maud Casey "I was born with a reading list I will never finish".

Jude - I think that quote is so fitting for so many people on GR! Hahaha

- I come across a new book that I like the sound of, usually on here or because I saw it in a book shop
- It goes onto my TBR shelf
- I somehow acquire it (be it library, Amazon, Book Depository, etc.)
- It gets read before something that has been on my TBR shelf for 6 months or more, simply because I want to read it more than the others.

Right now, I'm reading Wavesong by Isobelle Carmody, because I want to remember the series before I read the final book of the series, The Red Queen. After that, I don't know. Will I go non-fiction? Will I go my sister's favourite series? I really don't know. All I do know is that I have not had that much time to read since uni started, which is sad :(

Also, over 50? That's not a lot. I have 203 on my Goodreads TBR shelf, and there's some on my bookshelf at home that I haven't gotten around to putting on there yet

I sort my TBR list by ranking then go to my Rural Library account and order as many of the top ones as my order list will allow, suggesting they purchase ones not in the catalogue.. I use a code to fill in on GR whether it was ordered or TBP..

Mine is a growing list too, compounded by the fact that I have as many books that I want to write (or redraft) as well.

I either use Randomizer or go for the one in the genre I feel most like reading.

Currently I'm getting through Michael Kurland's "The Infernal Device" which I read years ago but it's good to revisit again now through my e-reader.