21st Century Literature discussion

We all have limited amounts of time, varied interests, and competing obligations, so how do you balance/manage your reading between GR/book group reads and personal/individual reading pursuits?

I think the short answer is that I don't, given how long certain books seem to hang around on the to read pile. Prize seasons are particularly difficult.

That feels like my answer, as well, Hugh! I don't even try to keep up with the prizes. I think I would short-circuit myself...

I try not to join more than one group read per month and I try to give preference to books I already own but haven't read. And then I impulsively blow up all these plans.

It seems as soon as I put a book on my "currently reading" bookshelf here on goodreads, I feel comfortable ignoring it and reading something else.

Sometimes I don't add them to the "Currently reading" category as if giving me more permission to change my mind after starting.

I have been giving more attention to group reads over personal reads. I find my percentages of love/like/meh/dislike are about the same no matter who does the picking or what the genres from which they are picked. OTOH, a good discussion can help my enjoyment of any book. Variety also helps.

I alternate. I've been following this pattern for the past three years.

Book from TBR Pile (picked from the TBR jar)
Review Copy
Book from TBR Pile (picked from the jar)
Book in Maltese
Book from TBR Pile (picked from Jar)
Review Copy

and the cycle continues

I co run a IRL Book club and I always read the book one week before the meeting
When it's Booker season the whole process stops and I concentrate on the 13 book longlist

The advantage is that it helps diminish the TBR pile (from 480 im down by quite a bit)

The downside is that I can never meet review dates, hence the reason why I've stopped requesting (although I will definitely review a book if a publisher asks me - I never turn them down)

I read books which match both categories, personal choices become group reads and group reads become personal choices, it has been easy to decide till now.

I facing a new problem in balancing classics and contemporary reads, before joining GR I read 90% of classics now I am trying to increase the percentage of my contemporary reads which is disturbing the balance because classics are mostly hefty and time taking.

I'm trying to get some balance. The longlists for the RoC, International Booker, Women's Prize, and Desmond Elliot Prize, all being read in the Mooske and the Gripes GR group, had me purchasing more new books than I had determined I would do, and reading them was consuming all my time! After being disappointed by most of the Women's Prize longlist, I needed some comfort reading, so turned to books I had, mostly series. That made me realize how many books I have on hand and renewed my determination to whittle that list and stop buying more. Of course, that resolve will be tested when the Booker longlist shows up! When I nominate and vote in this group, I have been focused on books I have in hand and ignoring the group reads if I do not have the book and not re-reading those picked that I've already read. It is a challenge. I'm hoping by the end of the year to have decreased the book piles, which would be the first time that has happened in decades.

LindaJ^ wrote: "I'm trying to get some balance. The longlists for the RoC, International Booker, Women's Prize, and Desmond Elliot Prize, all being read in the Mooske and the Gripes GR group, had me purchasing mor..."

I know that feeling Linda. I try to arrange the majority of my reading through libraries to avoid having a purchased tbrbut my Audible subscription continues to balloon. The group reads eventually knock away at my tbr. I bought the Lisa See book when it came out and finally read for this group read.

lark wrote: "It seems as soon as I put a book on my "currently reading" bookshelf here on goodreads, I feel comfortable ignoring it and reading something else."

This is me, also! I'm a sucker for a shiny new cover, regardless of what is happening in my accumulated tbr list, my group reads, my current reads, etc. I am happier when I read what strikes my fancy at the time.

Marc wrote: "I try not to join more than one group read per month and I try to give preference to books I already own but haven't read. And then I impulsively blow up all these plans."

lark wrote: "It seems as soon as I put a book on my "currently reading" bookshelf here on goodreads, I feel comfortable ignoring it and reading something else."

Marc wrote: "Sometimes I don't add them to the "Currently reading" category as if giving me more permission to change my mind after starting."

Bwahaha!

Uh.... Same. Same. Same.

Suffice it to say, if I make a personal reading plan, I don't usually follow it.

This is an ongoing challenge for me too. The rule I'm trying to stick by is, regardless of group reads or other temptations, to fit in regular impulse reads--regularly shove everything aside for something I just feel like reading.

It's nice to have all these helpful Goodreads reviews and prize lists and podcasts etc etc, but sometimes I miss the way I used to just go to the library and pick something that looked cool.