This year my TBR (To Be Read) list did not go as planned, mostly because I threw it to the side to focus on cleaning my bookshelves. For this reason, I skip what this year's goals were entirely. Aside from all those thrown-out goals, let's look at the data.
I decided to prioritize cleaning out my bookshelves and going through the second chance pile. My data looks so different than last year's. Be prepared to see data indicating my second chance pile rose to the top of my priorities. I even blogged some of it for content.
I also learned something more about myself. I mood-read and I liked it a lot. I'm making more space for that in my TBR. I might still have set titles, but I intend to set up my TBR to have more mood-reading openings. Along with all that, I'm so much better at dropping books I don't enjoy reading. I've learned a lot this year.
Next Year
First, we have the set titles, which will literally be what I didn't read in 2024, plus maybe a few series here and there. I'm rolling over what I didn't get to.
When it comes to mood reading I'm putting in reading challenges that have no set titles, as well as a library category. The library category's only qualification is that is has to come from the library, online or in person. The reading challenge that I'm adding is called the "one shelf challenge". The idea is that I roll a randomizer wheel for a bookshelf, then for a shelf within that big bookshelf. After that, I pick a book from that shelf. It leaves me open for mood reading (unlike the read it or unhaul it).
I'm still doing the read it or unhaul it challenges I skipped from this year, but the added challenges and added category leave me wiggle room. I do the challenges for variety, and I keep my bookshelf cleaned out of books I don't end up liking. Booktuber Emily Fox inspired me to do both challenges. She does these to keep her bookshelf a bit cleaner, as well.
What Happened?
I started with a concrete list of books and series. Then I got the great idea of cleaning my bookshelf, effectively upending a lot of my previous plans. I got to some of them, but mostly I just threw the goals into the garbage and mood read most of the year. It wasn't that bad, really, and I don't regret mood reading. I intended to read everything on my MP3 player, but it didn't happen. I intended to review more classics, but it didn't happen. The goals flew off into the void. There is nothing wrong with that.
Instead, I read some books that were calling to me, like Eragon and The Hobbit. I also devoured the second chance pile, finding both duds and excellent novels. Most of them have been donated, but I did find some good books I wouldn't have picked up otherwise. At the end of all this, I've cleared more space for books. I still lack space for books, thus I tapered my Christmas list of books to what I truly want to collect. I have no regrets. I still achieved something.
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| Courtesy of Reddit.com |
What I Learned About Myself
I learned that books you don't have a connection to need to leave the library. Take them to a friend, a donation box, a public library, or any place that will take them off your hands. Bookstores that sell used books will take them for money. If you don't enjoy yourself, put it down. Leisure books are not school projects you have to read.
Mood reading is apparently my thing now. I tailored my 2025 TBR to reflect this need in my life. Open challenges with no set titles will help me do this more often. It was great to pick up a book because I felt like it. I read more that way and I'm going to let myself mood read more often.
Challenges are absolutely helpful in keeping a bookshelf clean over time. It doesn't take you long to read three books from the unread category and make a decision. Doing this every few weeks or so will keep your shelf looking like what you love. Read it or unhaul it will have you reading what you rarely pick up and the one shelf challenge will have me picking from one shelf only. This will help me read what I have, making it so I don't avoid any of my books.
The Data
First, let's look at categories. I'm eliminating the category of TBR with my husband for 2025. We used to read together more often, and we'll still read together, but I'm no longer including it in my TBR goals. Reading what I wanted to read together in one year is not achievable. I ended up cleaning my bookshelf almost the whole year. I also mood-read and picked up a decent amount of non-TBR books.
Finished books don't include what I DNFed (chose not to finish). I did indeed leave two months completely unfinished, as you can see. I hit a reading slump due to the amount of books I was choosing not to finish. When you read a lot of what you don't like, you end up in a reading slump. It's unavoidable. It's done, though, so I'm officially done with the second chance pile.
Overall form of books, counting what I didn't finish, was overwhelmingly physical. One reason for this is the second chance pile, but I also intend to read what I own on the shelf. Online books don't clutter my living room shelves. With that in mind, I also love physical books because they don't require staring at a screen. Ebooks are great and audiobooks are wonderful. Audiobooks grow on me every year. Physical is still my favorite. No device is needed. Online books can be easy to forget.
I didn't do too badly on finishing books, despite the shocking amount of DNFing I did. For one thing, I found some I loved in the second chance pile. For another, I read outside the pile and read some of the TBR. I did DNF nearly half, but I still finished more than I DNFed. Yay! I'm sure next year's stats will be better than this.
Overall Results
By the end of this year, I've become a different reader. I mood-read more often than I TBR read. I've now left openings for mood reading in the TBR itself. I've learned to put down what I don't enjoy, I've gone through the whole bookshelf to ensure my shelf reflects me, and I'm adding a new challenge to my TBR. I'm even adding a category - library - to ensure I try new releases and hyped books for myself, before buying them on a whim. I'm discovering there are genres I can't get into and genres I love. Reading a variety of them helped me learn about myself. This TBR was a success, even if it wasn't an "I finished it all" success. I had fun this year. That's what counts.
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Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him?
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