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Original poster

How big is your TBR pile and why is it there?

57 replies

Meduse · 01/02/2022 20:03

I’m always curious when I read of people’s large piles of TBR books.I love reading and going to bookshops to buy the next few.For those of you with large piles of unread books,don’t you feel an increasing amount of stress seeing books you can’t get to read and why buy a book that just sits on a shelf?

OP posts:
InMySpareTime · 01/02/2022 20:26

I have a TBR bookcase because I love to collect books but am currently too ill with ME/CFS to concentrate on books. When I'm under better control of my energy levels I know the books are waiting for me.

Musmerian · 01/02/2022 20:23

I don’t feel stressed because it’s not a race and there’s no pressure. I buy things in the Oxfam bookshop and read them when I feel like it. I’m an English teacher and read loads and like having books around.

exexpat · 01/02/2022 20:20

I have hundreds of unread books in my house, out of thousands in total, though plenty of them are non-fiction/reference books that are not intended to be read cover-to-cover.

I confess this is partly due to being a bookshop addict, but also because I like being able to browse my own shelves for the next book I feel like reading, rather than having to go and buy something.

I buy books on topics that I find interesting or that I would like to learn more about, even if I don't have time to read them right now; my shelves are full of novels I think I will enjoy reading at some point, if not immediately, and I have often found myself picking up a book I bought a decade or two ago and finding it perfect for whatever is going on in my life right now.

This essay on Umberto Eco's approach to book collecting kind of explains my feelings: nesslabs.com/antilibrary

CatNamedEaster · 01/02/2022 20:18

I usually go to a couple of charity shops at the start of the month and buy 8-10 books for the month. I try to buy a variety of genres so I can pick something to suit my mood.

I'm not sure I'd want more than 10 unread books. I'd never go to sleep.Grin

Peanutssuck · 01/02/2022 20:14

My pile is huge. I've gone through a bit of a reading block over lockdown and just couldn't concentrate enough to get through one cover to cover. I actually enjoy looking at the pile and thinking which ones I'm going take away on holiday

RomanMum · 01/02/2022 20:07

Mine's a virtual one - a list on my phone. Makes browsing round second hand bookshops easier (in theory less tempting too). Still have a physical smaller pile of TBR but that's mostly hidden in bedside drawer.

rifling · 01/02/2022 20:06

Mine are mostly on my kindle so I can't really see them! Mainly due to taking advantage of bargains especially when I first got a kindle. My tbr pile of "real life" books is mainly presents that I don't really have a great desire to read.