Though I’m doing my best to be kinder to myself about the amount and type of reading challenges I take on, that doesn’t mean I want to abandon my monthly TBRs. I simply won’t make them as long–they used to be anywhere from 9 to 12 books–and without a formal monthly challenge to plan for, I’ve put together a basic set of guidelines to help me progress my goals while maintaining some variety.
I chose six books as a manageable goal, and for the rest of my reading time I’ll pick whatever I feel in the mood for.
The guidelines I’ve constructed:
- A title from my 2018 backlog
- A book I own that continues an ongoing series, with priority given whenever possible to finishing the series
- Any book by a new-to-me author
- One nonfiction title, if I have any available (this one may run out before the end of the year, I haven’t counted)
- A book I own that I’m excited about, regardless of when I acquired it
- Any other physical book in my collection, especially if I don’t anticipate keeping it
The test run looks like this:
- The Lake of Dead Languages, by Carol Goodman
- Dreams of Joy, by Lisa See
- Once a Runner, by John L. Parker, Jr.
- Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer
- Jenna Starborn, by Sharon Shinn
- Dolores Claiborne, by Stephen King
I reserve the right to modify or abandon these guidelines at any point during the year if something’s not working for me, but I think this is a solid start. Six books a month is well within my capabilities, even with a deliberately relaxed pace, and this will let me mood-read a great deal more than I have been in recent years.
