For those of you who may not recognize the acronym, TBR stands for To Be Read. It means the list of books you plan to read in a given time period, usually a month but it could be a year or even a season. I haven’t really done a TBR in a while on this blog. I’ve been having a bit of a hot-cold experience with my monthly TBR books for the last few months. (I’ve been sharing that TBR list on my Instagram feed instead of here on the blog). So I’ve decided to throw caution to the wind and forgo the monthly TBR stack in exchange for a book by book reading. Here is why.

My reading life has evolved since the beginning of the year.

At the beginning of the year, I wanted to broaden my reading life. I was trying to read an adult fiction, YA, nonfiction, and a classic. At the time, I didn’t count the book I was already reading for the Life’s Library book club, and since then I have joined the Modern Mrs. Darcy book club. Just these two book clubs alone have given ample opportunities to broaden the books I usually read.

Plus, I buy books throughout the year. Books from the backlists of my favorite authors, books that are recommended to me, books with pretty covers (what? sometimes I have no shame). And when I finish a book, sometimes I want to read another just like it, sometimes I want to read something completely different. Having no TBR will allow me that freedom.

I’ve gotten really caught up in trying to finish all of the books in the stack that I’m actually getting into reading slumps.

This happened last month. I was desperately trying to finish a book on my TBR that felt like I was walking through quicksand. There was nothing inherently wrong with the book. In fact, I really enjoyed the content, the writing, even some of the points in the book were things I’ve studied in the past that I found interesting and convicting. But right now, I need to put the book down. I need to read something different – a different format, genre, author, something.

So, not making that TBR will give me the freedom to say, “I will finish this some other time.” I don’t have to feel the pressure to get it done within a certain time frame. And maybe after finishing another book, or time passing in general, there will be a right time for me to pick that book back up and finish it.

As the end of the year approaches, I will have less time to devote to reading.

There have been some rumblings of chaos in my life lately. Typically, the last four months of the year are my busy season. This year has been a little crazier than usual, so I can only imagine that the next few months are going to get interesting. I’m really excited to experience everything, but I also need to realistic with my time. So, giving myself some space to do so will only benefit my reading life, instead of the TBR that will just belabor it.

So, instead of a TBR, I’m taking a page out of my new, more relaxed, blogging schedule and just share the reviews of a book when I complete it. I will also probably share what I’m reading in the moment on my Instagram, so again, if you don’t follow me on there, you will be missing half of the story.

All of that being said, there is a book to the left of my computer right now demanding that I open it. I’m so excited to read this one as it was recommended to me recently (and I couldn’t help myself, I already read a few pages a couple days ago). So, I’m off! Happy reading everyone!