Tips on making a TBR if you’re a mood reader and also don’t like when people tell you what to do (like me)

~ Ally Writes Things

AKA the longest title ever

Happy Friday, friends! Today I thought I’d share some of my tips on how to make a TBR when you’re a mood reader and don’t like being told what to do. Essentially, sometimes when I make TBRs, I feel like I have to read those books. And because I’m stubborn, I don’t like being told what to do, so if I feel like I have to read a book, I don’t want to.

But, there are some things you can do to make a TBR and follow it, but still have flexibility and not feel like you’re being told what to do. So here are some of the things that I do, and that will hopefully help you!

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Make a TBR for a long period of time, like the entire year or the summer

When I do make TBRs, they tend to be for weeks at a time. I’ll do a summer TBR, or a month-long TBR if I’m doing a readathon, or for all of 2019. That way, I can still read other books if I want to and I have a long time to get to the books on my TBR.

Make the TBR shorter than your actual reading goal

For example, if your reading goal is to read 10 books in the summer, make a TBR of five books. This leaves space for mood reads, which is great for us mood readers out there. It also makes it seem less like you have a giant pile to read, because five is way more attainable than ten.

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Have variety

For me, this is probably the most important one. By having variety, you’ll (hopefully) have something to read for every mood. You can also do variety for format of reading, too (i.e. have ebooks and physical books and audiobooks), to cover all your possible reading moods.

Only add books you’re genuinely interested in

I know this seems obvious, but it’s easy to forget sometimes. If all the books on your TBR are books you’re excited for and interested in, it makes you more excited to read your TBR.

Remember: your TBR is a guide, not a prescription

It’s not your job to read these books (unless it is, then ignore that). You don’t need to read the books on your TBR. Nothing bad is going to happen, in the grand scheme of things. It’s okay to not read every book on your TBR, or to only read four out of five. It’s okay.

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So those are some tips I have for making a TBR if you’re stubborn and moody like me. Do you have any other tips? Is there anything else I should try? Do you use any of these strategies? Let me know!

Ally xx

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Published by Ally Writes Things

I like books and talking about my opinions.

20 thoughts on “Tips on making a TBR if you’re a mood reader and also don’t like when people tell you what to do (like me)”

  3. Those are great tips! For me, the most useful thing to remember is the variety one — especially keeping the length of the books varied, too. If all the books on my TBR are long monsters, I’m less likely to read any of them.

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  5. I realize that you are writing for a very specific audience, but What exactly is a TBR? Just an FYI – I would have read the post but I suppose you assume that everyone knows what your definition of a TBR is. There wasn’t any definition of TBR in the first paragraph so I moved on because I had no idea what you are taking about.

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    1. Thank you for pointing that out! I do generally assume the majority of my readers are part of the book community and would be familiar with the lingo, but that’s not always the case and I should keep that in mind.

      TBR = to be read. So generally the books that you haven’t yet read but want to would be your “TBR list”

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      1. Thanks for letting me know. I tried googling the meaning and came up with “to be real”, “Tennessee Board of Regents”, “To be returned” and “Teenage Bottle Rocket Band”, all of which made absolutely no sense inserted into your post. By the time I got to the 4th definition I gave up. I did try though. 😄

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  6. Love this. So many great tips. I’m a mood reader and I tend to get frustrated sometimes when I set my TBR. You are right that it is a guide and that you can venture out. There is a lot of pressure in the reading community to read over 100 books a year. I usually can only read around 5 per month and I had trouble accepting that that amount was ok.

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    1. Thank you so much! Same honestly, I really struggle with TBRs.

      And YES, I’m exactly the same! My reading goal this year as 25 books, which seems so much lower than so many people. That’s what some other bloggers average per month, which just baffles me honestly. But accepting that everyone’s reading circumstances are different is important.

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  7. Remember: your TBR is a guide, not a prescription

    The best advice I think I’ve ever seen on a blog!! I always beat myself up for not sticking to my TBR, and I know I am a mood reader. We all just need to cut ourselves some slack!! Excellent list, as usual, Ally xx

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