Do you have a physical TBR at home that you want to tackle? What are some of the titles on there?

A practice I try to keep up with when it comes to my books is prioritising my physical TBRs. By this, I mean that I want to focus on the books I have on my shelves that I either haven’t read yet or want to reread in 2024. Last year I established the plan of getting my physical TBR pile read but I managed 9 physical book rereads (though I did read an additional two library book rereads as part of one series before the seventh book came out). This year I am serious. This is war, bookshelf. Be ready to surrender.

I have split my physical TBR into two categories. I have my rereads that I want to get through, a section dedicated to rereading books to work out the books I don’t want to keep as I do not feel an attachment to them as a reader or a writer. I like keeping books that make me go “Yes, that book/series has this element that I really like”. My rereads list is 27 which is mainly comprised of trilogy rereads (The Hunger Games, Clockwork Angel, Shadow and Bone, etc.) There are a few standalones in there too such as All The Light We Cannot See and The Dictionary of Lost Words which I am very excited to reread.

Then I have my pile that I have not read yet. This pile isn’t solely my books, seeing as I house books and series for other family members. This list sits at around 18 with such titles as the Kingkiller Chronicle, the Dune series, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, and a few solitary Crime Fictions and the Sherlock Holmes Complete Collection which I got as a birthday present. There are also several Stephen King books on my shelves that have been staring at me for months now – perhaps if I give Misery a read they won’t look so menacing.

Part of the reason why I want to tackle this physical TBR list is because, while I love reading library books, these titles can get pushed to the side due to their status as purchased books. When there isn’t a due date they aren’t prioritised, even when they have been waiting to be read or reread for years. I also think that with changing preferences and my understanding of writing having changed there are going to be books that I own that no longer land the same. It’s perfectly okay for books to hit differently, especially those bought when you were much younger and your tastes were not like they are now, and there should be no shame or guilt in parting with books. The nuances and discussion surrounding book hauls and de-hauls might be one for another day as there are many things about this that both intrigue me and irk me.