Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Discussion Post: Managing Your TBR List

2016-Discussion-Challenge


So, a slightly embarrassing thing happened to me last week. I saw a review for a book on a blog I follow and commented that it sounded good and that I’d have to check the series out. The blog owner then offered to loan me the book (got to love blog friends!). I accepted the offer. When I clicked through the email to Amazon to download the loaned Kindle edition, Amazon told me I already had the book in my Kindle content. Apparently I had come across the book last summer and found it available for free and downloaded it.

This tells me that my TBR list has gotten out of control. I download books when I find them for free or at a reduced cost (mostly free) and then forget about them. So my question to all of you is how do you track your books you own?

I thought about starting a spreadsheet (got to love those) to track the books I download. I figured I could make notes next to the books about who recommended them or where I saw a review and could even highlight the ones that I really, really, really, really want to read.

But then I’ve also thought I could probably make additional Goodreads shelves to track my books. Maybe a shelf based on when I downloaded the book or on recommendations or blog reviews.

I’m lucky that I don’t receive many books that I’m obligated to do reviews for. So I don’t have the additional pressure of getting owed reviews out. Most of my books are books that I’ve downloaded all on my own.

I do have some books that I’ve received from signing up for newsletters or that I’ve won from various contests. What is your opinion on these type of books? Do you feel obligated to review them? Do you keep them separate from the books you’ve picked up on your own? I usually move the email where I received the books into a “To Review” folder. But to tell you the truth I don’t really check that too often (if ever). Maybe I need to make a point to choose at least one of those a month to read and review.


Do you track your books at all? How do you track them? Or are you as lost as I am? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject in the comments below.



17 comments:

  1. LOL Oh, Carey...not embarrassing at all! I can't tell you how many times I've read a review and thought "yeah, I need that one!" only to get to Amazon and see that I already own it. And have for 2 years! Obviously, I don't do so well with tracking my books. I like your idea of a spreadsheet but I'm a person who prefers to write things down. Of course, it'd take forever for me to write down the 1000 or so books I own on ereaders. (yep...that many) I recently decided I'd try to keep track on GR and made shelves (freebies and on my shelf) to put books when I one-click them. But honestly, I'm not good at keeping up with them and I haven't checked them either. Also, I've been trying to organize my books on my ereaders (on kindle you can make collections and on nook you can create shelves) by putting them in collections/on shelves like Freebies, ARCs, etc. I'm better about this and it's a fairly decent system for me.
    Good luck with figuring out a system. I look forward to seeing what you come up with and whether it'll work for me. :D

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    1. I've found where you can create collections on the PC version of Kindle. Can you transfer them to your actual Kindle?

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  2. I have even purchased books thinking I didn't have it only to check the shelf and realize that not only do I already own it but have read it. Good luck tackling the tbr. It's a losing battle for me.

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    1. I'm beginning to think it truly is a losing battle.

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    2. Oh, that makes me feel better, Bunnita! I know that I won't remember the plot of ever book I've ever read, but you think I'd at least remember THAT I READ IT, right?

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  3. Tracking my TBR? What's that? Lol. I have so many books on my kindle that I downloaded while they were free that I don't even KNOW what I own anymore. For a while, I had them organized by genre and further by which were completed series, incomplete, and standalones, but that didn't take long to go out the window. So then I tried making a list of which books have different supernatural creatures and which are retellings so I could quickly find certain things I want, but I gave up like halfway through.

    But I also get very ARCs or review copies, so, when I do, I just read and review right away and then don't have to keep track of anything.

    Oh, and I have a list on GR, different lists on Amazon... so don't feel bad because there's really no hope for my TBR at this point :-P

    Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight

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    1. Well, at least I'm not the only one that has problems with this. :) Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. This has definitely happened to me! I'm horrible at keeping track of my Kindle books that aren't for review. Most of the time they just get completely lost in the shuffle, which is sad. I DO have a Goodreads shelf called Own on Kindle (or something like that, but I rarely remember to check it out!).

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. I've come to the realization that it's just going to happen.

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  5. I don't have a Kindle, and I read 98% of my books in print. That being said, I have over a thousand books on my TBR list, and sometimes I wish I'd tracked who recommended this book, or how I obtained it, or basically--why did I put this on my TBR list? I am expanding my Goodreads shelves to include more of this type of thing, since that is where I track most of my stuff.

    Books I win from Goodreads are the only ones I feel obligated to review...so I've stopped entering contests for everything except books I would add to my classroom library. In that case, it's worth my time.

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    1. Yeah, I've got so much on my TBR list that I don't go out and see too many books. Although, I find it hard to resist looking at the emails I get showing me which books are free and cheap.

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  6. I am pretty lost in my TBR pile too. The thing is, there are a ton of series books that I track in my reading journal and are not on my GR TRB, and there are even more on the GR list that aren't in my reading journal...Not to mention the books that I own that are on no TBR list at all.
    I have taken some action to at least start picking from the five books that have been on my TBR the longest, and I am trying to read borrowed books that need to be returned, and books already owned.

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  7. I'm going to give the spread sheet a try. I too have books on various lists, but not on all. I try to go through and add the books I download to Goodreads, but am behind on doing that.

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  8. I like the idea of tracking a TBR list, but I don't know which one I would go after; I have three technically. I have started going through a storage unit, so am pulling out multiple boxes of unread books (most were under a dollar from the bookstore, so I grabbed them even if they only sounded a little interesting). Then I have my Goodreads TBR, which is a giant list of titles that I plug in because I read someone's review or otherwise hear about a book I don't own and don't want to forget to check it out. And finally my third is all the free (maybe a handful of sales purchases) ones I've downloaded on my Kindle because they sounded good and were, after all, free! I don't know where to start so I'm kinda scared, and think I might just leave most things as they are witho nly minor changes, like going through my physical books and divvying up "will read" and "probably won't read", only adding to GR if it sounds REALLY REALLY good, and only downloading freebies if I think I would pay for them if I had to. Oops, also forgot the request-for-reviews books! Trying to stay away from Net Galley, and only agreeing to review really awesome sounding books. Phew, that's a long comment!

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    1. I've started a spred sheet where I track the books I read, am reading, haved "scheduled" to read, and books I'd liked to eventually purchase. I'm putting every new book I gain on this spread sheet. I haven't gone back and added any of the books I already owned to it. I may someday when I'm board. :) I'm actually liking the spread sheet. It is helping me to see what books I'd forgotten I'd picked up. Good luck!

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  9. I have exclusive shelves on Goodreads for "tbr owned" and "tbr wishlist." I don't use the "Want to Read" shelf at all except for a handful of comics and children's books I want to check out at the library instead of owning. That's really helped me stay organized and keep track of the books I own!

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    1. I've set up a wishlist and a freebie shelf. But now I've just got to remember to use them. It's so convenient to just click the "want to read" button instead of searching for the appropriate shelf.

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