Or if you mostly read e-books, how many still-to-be-read titles are sitting on your e-reader?
Elizabeth wrote earlier this week that she’s trying to make inroads into the pile of books (physical and electronic) waiting for her attention. It sounds as though she has her work cut out 🙂 .
Back in the day, when I had to buy my reading matter from bricks-and-mortar bookshops, I always had a huge TBR pile. London has fabulous bookshops, but in those days they didn’t carry many of the US romance authors I liked to read, so if I found a promising selection I just bought them all. We had a tiny one-bed apartment, with books everywhere. Kindle revolutionized my life, in a very good way.
Now I have a humungous e-bookstore at my fingertips, I don’t bother with a TBR pile any more. I pre-order titles from a few select auto-buy authors and almost always read them as soon as they’re delivered. The rest of the time I browse for whatever I’m in the mood to read, download it, and read it. Rinse and repeat.
I have friends who’ll download free books or offers that catch their interest, but then lose sight of them because their e-reader is chock full of other freebies, samples and novelties. I know people whose e-readers contain hundreds, sometimes thousands, of unread books.
I have two kindles. The current, easily searchable model has the library of every e-book I ever bought. The other, older device is like the e-reader version of a keeper shelf. It has a far smaller selection—books I love and re-read over and over again, plus whatever title I’m reading right now.
Today I’ll be curled up on the sofa with Skirting Danger, the first book in 8Lady Kay’s Chasing the CIA romantic caper trilogy. I’ve been waiting ages for the final, published version of the adventures of Phoebe (bicycle-rider, talented linguist, disaster magnet) and Chase (smart, practical, retired quarterback turned electric vehicle entrepreneur). Squee! And isn’t that a gorgeous cover?
How about you? Do you buy as you read, or do you have a monster TBR list? If so, how do you organize it? How do you decide what to read next? And what’s currently top of the pile?
Happy Sunday, one and all!
Eight Ladies Writing 
Bought this yesterday and I’m looking forward to luxuriating in Kay’s wonderful character’s and hilarious situations!
Me too!
My TBR pile, both real books and digital, is growing. I’m currently studying for an important test so my reading for pleasure is on hold BUT I’m soon to launch on a long (25-30-ish days) boat journey and will be pulling out books for fun to keep me awake on the night watches! My fun reading is limited to this blog and I am grateful for your short daily encouragement and insights.
I have a physical pile of books to be read (courtesy of RWA and freebies I’ve won), a Kindle full of books to be read (courtesy of freebies from BookBub and other places), and a virtual wish-list of books on my local library app (courtesy of “read this” recommendations from friends and others). All of which give me a veritable smorgasbord to choose from when it’s time to read something.
The books I buy tend to be read soon after purchase, though that is not always the case, especially if I am right in the middle of a series or just not in a particular mood. Sometimes I go on a binge of a specific genre–Golden Age mysteries anyone?–and I read through everything I have in that category. Other times, it might be a new book by a favorite author that makes it to the top of the list. All of which to say, I have no real strategy. But what I do have is plenty of reading material.
Right now, Kay’s new book is at the top of the list, but I’m in the midst of studying for midterms so diving into that story will have to wait a few more days.
Thank you so much, you guys, for buying my book! That is so wonderful of you.
As for me, I’m like Elizabeth—I tend to go on a buying binge and then things pile up. I just checked out what I bought with the $50 gift card I got for my birthday, and—no bad purchases there! Just have to get to them now…