2020 was an excellent reading year for me but it was not a good year for my TBR pile.
I read over 390 books last year. Such a high number. Surely that would mean I demolished my 250 book TBR pile? (Yes, you did read that number correctly. It is fairly accurate too…) It should surely be non-existent now! Maybe just a small pile on the bedside table now. Completely manageable.
Well… No.
Last year I severely neglected my TBR pile. I have neglected it for a few years actually (but living in another country where I could not physically reach my TBR pile for two years was a big contributor). I’d estimate that a good 80% or so of those books I read were ebooks. Ebooks from the library, from Kindle Unlimited, and from the Kobo store (mostly those on sale or freebies). Barely any physical books that had been on my TBR pile for years.
My TBR pile is still giant. In fact it grew! It’s taller than my 170cm frame (approximately 5′ 6″ for those of you don’t use centimetres). I didn’t buy all that many books overall (at least until my birthday haul), but it magically multiplies somehow! If I don’t get on top of things this year, I will be crushed by all my unread books.
It is time for a TBR intervention.
One of my main reading goals for 2021 is to read more books from my TBR pile. To help provide some incentive to avoid the ebooks (or at least reduce ebook consumption) I’ve come up with an incentive/ rewards system. For every book I read, I earn a certain amount of money that goes into a book buying fund. Not only does this reward me for books I read, but it limits the amount of money I can spend on books.
Different types of books have a different monetary value, with my own physical TBR books being the most valuable. I’m hoping because it does allow me to buy books (within reason) while not completely limiting what I can read it might help me actually stick to the plan.
Will this be successful? Who knows. I hope so. Time will tell…
Do you have any strategies to encourage you to stick to your buying bans and read your own books?
I love this idea! I just gave myself the target of 1 new book buy for reading 10 books from my physical TBR, but I might just adapt your method to it!
Hasini @ Bibliosini recently posted…Book Review: Colleen Hoover Left Me Questioning my Sanity in ‘Verity’
If I did one book for every 10 I read…. I’d still managed to get too many books hahaaa
390 books?!! That’s outstanding.
And this is a very clever plan! I wish you luck with it. 😀
It’s nuts haha! I don’t know if the factors will line up perfectly like that for me again
What an awesome, awesome idea! My tbr is also out of control but I am having a hard time figuring out how many ebooks I own and how many ARCs. I’ve got to do a kindle clean up to get a good number
Thanks! I don’t even want to look at my ebooks too had hahaha
Omg! Congratulations on reading so many books! That’s amazing! I think you have an awesome plan outlined. You can dooo it!
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It’s an insane number hahaa