How do you decide what to read next?
Posted March 11, 2014
on:Open Discussion:
We all own a ton of books. And then we buy some more books. And then we borrow from the library or from friends. and then there is netgalley. you might have a few of ARCs sitting on the coffee table.
How do you decide what to read next? How do you prioritize?
85 Responses to "How do you decide what to read next?"
Sometimes I’m on a review deadline or tell a publisher I’ll read the book if they send it to me, those get priority. Otherwise, if I can’t decide to read from a small stack of books (3-6 usually), I’ll place those in front of my wife and she will pick for me. She claims to have a system, but the only element of that system she’s admitted is if she thinks the figure on the figure violates Myke Cole’s trigger discipline rule, she will not select it.
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The only books I try to schedule are my ARCs, but even then I tend to pick and choose based on what I’m in the mood for. Sometimes my regular TBR suffers for it, but it works far better than trying to force myself to read, say, an epic fantasy when I’m in the mood for sci-fi, and so on.
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Sometimes, it’s my mood. Other times, the cover. There are days I’ll just pick randomly from the pile. The random picking doesn’t always work out though but every once in a while there’s a huge reward. When I’m really stuck, I go to my favorite bloggers and see what they’re recommending.
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I usually have a reading list which I fill with way more titles than I can handle, so I can choose from a wide variety to suit whatever mood strikes me. I would say I choose my next read based on a lot of factors, but it mostly comes down to when the book is released (if it’s an ARC I have) and what I’m in the mood for at the time!
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It is all mood for me. I have two tiers of to-read shelves which I reorganize every once in a while to refresh my memory about what’s on there (which usually just leaves me desperate to read everything at the same time because it is all so exciting) and one shelf is the immediate priority shelf. Add to that my ebook collection, whose size is also become quite perverse. When I finish a book I’ll read a few dust jackets and take whatever strikes me the most. I often have the need to flip flop around a lot. For example, I usually can’t stand to read a series back to back and need bumper books in between to keep my from getting lost in the world forever.
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In January, I plan all my books for the year based on reading challenges I am participating in. I then divide that list up into a monthly schedule, allotting a readable amount of books to each month, with each month containing a diversified mix of genres. So, when I finish a book, I need only check the schedule to see what’s next. (I suspect this method is a bit…..odd.)
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If I’m in a reading challenge, I’ll generally choose from that first. I try to not over-commit to challenges, so I usually have some leeway. If it’s not something from a challenge, it’s usually the next book in one of the twenty-ish series I’ve started but not finished. After that, it’s probably one of the books in the the 100-ish long TBR list.
Or maybe something completely new that struck my fancy. I probably don’t spend more than 30 minutes or so deciding.
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It completely depends on my mood. Whatever I’m in the mood for, that’s what I’ll read. Any attempt by me to schedule my reading in advance, or set rules for myself to meet, falls apart because I always just end up reading whatever book in my library bag appeals to me the most.
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I can be drawn in by a cover, but I try to read the first few pages if I can, because I can be quickly turned off. If it’s an eArc, I give it an extra try, but that’s no guarantee that I’ll finish it. The hardest thing for me is the first 50 pages or so: I can be drawn in by an idea, but after those first pages I usually either put it down or feel like a runner, breaking away from the crowd because I’ve found something I’ll get through.
Library books usually get top priority because they have to be returned, and things that I’ve promised to read.
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A lot of variables. Depends on the money flow situation and if the library even has something I really want to read. Depends on what I’m in the mood for or if something that’s on my MUST READ list comes out. If I’m really stumped, the Mrs. and myself have an agreement where we can insist the other read something.
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I have a TBR jar. I put the title of each unread book on a slip of paper and put it in the jar. If I don’t know what to read next, I go to the jar and draw one out. It has been a pretty good method so far especially when I get overwhelmed with how many unread books I have.
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1 | Dean
March 11, 2014 at 10:34 am
I used to have this regular dilemma, but I’ve now figured out quite a simple solution: I read them in order I received them, oldest to newest, that way nothing gets cast aside or lost. 🙂 Hope this helps.
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Redhead
March 15, 2014 at 7:23 pm
i tried that, but then something I was really excited for would show up, and no way was I gonna slug through a bunch of crap when there’s a Valente, or a Vandermeer, or some such sitting there.
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