Deciding What to Read

Deciding what to read can sometimes be a very hard decision, particularly for those of us with a Goodreads account. I currently have 211 books on my TBR shelf, along with 9 books on my “maybe” shelf and 26 books on my “not sure” shelf. I know that my shelves pale in comparison to others – I know that many have upwards or one or two thousand books on their TBR shelves.

To Be Read SHELF

Every month I make a TBR post and talk about the books I would like to read for that month. I don’t always follow my TBR but I certainly give it a go. I usually try to read a book or two that are new to my TBR on Goodreads and a book that’s a bit older. Generally, I don’t like to have a large TBR, my To Be Read shelf used to be only around 100 books and then suddenly it exploded. Too many good books were being released, I’d been introduced to new genres and new age groups – I was in a whole other world!

OWN/ LIBRARY

Okay, so I’ve decided what I want to read, now what? Next, I usually figure out wether or not I intend on buying the book or if I will just get it out from the library.I rarely buy books – who’s got the money, really? If I buy the books it’s because I’m 90% sure I’m going to enjoy it.

9.8 times out of 10 I usually borrow from the library, I feel more comfortable this way. It’s 80 cents to put a book on hold and $20+ to buy a paperback. I have been grilled to hard about money saving throughout my childhood to ever be willing to buy a book I don’t know I’ll like.

AUDIO AVAILABILITY

I know what I want to read and I know how I’m going to access the book but now I need to decide will I actually read the book or will I listen to it?

As I’m sure you guys know by now, the majority of my reading is done via audio, I just feel more comfortable listening to a book. I usually listen to audiobooks via Audible but because I live in Australia there is a smaller selection of novels. So, if they don’t have the book I want to listen to (*coughs* A Darker Shade of Magic) then I will try and find it on YouTube. And if I can’t find it there I will either read it normally or cry (I’m kidding.)

MOOD + DNF

So what happens now? I’ve got the book and I know how I’m going to read it, but what if I try it and don’t like it?

Usually, if it’s a hyped or popular novel I will try and push through to the end so I can talk about it in a review or at the end of the month. But, sometimes you just need to know when to give up and DNF it.

However, sometimes I will just put the book on hold until I am in a different mood, better suited to the book.

Do you guys have a process or do you just pick up a book and start reading?

SOCIAL MEDIAS

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