One of the best things about reading is how vast your options are. The literary world is your oyster! Like half of our editorial team, you might be into fiction, piling up plenty of fantasy, horror, and modern stories on your bookshelf. Or maybe you prefer nonfiction like the other half of our staff, voraciously flipping through biographies, self-help books, and memoirs. Or maybe prose isn’t your thing at all and you’d rather curl up with a poetry collection.
Regardless of your personal faves, nothing feels better than walking out of a bookstore with a fresh stack of new reads. A feeling that’s less exciting? Getting home and realizing how many books you already have on your nightstand. All of a sudden you have five new books that you want to read, even though you still haven’t caught up on that book you borrowed from your best friend.
Long story short, it can be hard to keep track of it all! Never fear, because TBR’s are here to save the day. These handy trackers are an easy way to see what you’ve read in the past, what you’re reading at present, and what you want to read in the future, all at a glance. Keep reading for everything you need to know about TBR’s, and how to start your own today.
What does TBR mean?
TBR stands for “To Be Read.” A TBR list is a list of books that you want to read (after you’ve finished your current title, of course).
How do you get through a TBR pile?
It can feel overwhelming if your TBR is extra long or you feel pressure to read everything that looks interesting. Organizing your list by length (like shortest book to longest) or season (like saving that nail-biting horror read for October) can help keep you engaged as you work through the TBR. If you break your list down based on one specific detail, it’ll feel more manageable.
How do I start a TBR?
The most important part of a TBR is knowing what goals are realistic for you — you don’t want to commit to speed reading 40 books if you’d have more fun taking your time with 10. You’ll also want to create your list based on what you know you like. If you prefer fiction to nonfiction, don’t feel like you have to stuff your list with essays and biographies.
Once you have the titles you want to read, and either a physical or a digital TBR list, you can write everything down.
How can I keep track of my TBR?
While some people may want to put pen to paper with some DIY TBR’s, there are also a variety of apps like Libby or Goodreads that can help you keep track of what you’re reading. We’ll break it down for you below.
Apps To Manage Your TBR This Year
Image via TBR — Bookshelf on the App Store
Libby
Borrow ebooks and audiobooks from your local library for free thanks to this app. Since you download it right to your phone, you can always have your latest book with you! Not only can you see what books you’ve read in the app, but it also gives you a deadline to finish each book you’ve checked out. Two birds, one app.
Goodreads
This site (which also has an iOS and Android app) allows you to keep track of what you’re reading, update your progress with blog-style entries, and log the dates that you finished each book. You can also add friends and keep up with their reading, too.
TBR — Bookshelf
There are no book limits with this app. You can rate and log the titles you read, as well as your favorite characters, quotes, and thoughts you had on the book.
DIY TBR’s
Habit Tracker
Habit trackers are a simple and bare-bones way to keep track of your reading. You can set up a chart to mark every day that you read, every chapter you finish, or every book that you complete. You can even set it up with multiple charts on each page so you can measure everything in one place!
Bullet Journal
We love the creativity and freedom that bullet journals allow, and if you enjoy turning how a book makes you feel into a piece of art, then this is the perfect thing for you. Feel free to doodle and design this TBR list as you see fit — it’s like miniature scrapbooking!What’s On Our TBR This Year
We’re super excited about our Most-Anticipated Reads Of 2023, but the closer we get to summer the more we’re excited to dive into our favorite Beach Reads and Books That Are Trending On TikTok too! Whether you’re in charge of your Book Club’s Books, Black History Month Books and Hispanic Heritage Month Books, or Personal Growth Books, there’s definitely a read for you.
Follow us on Pinterest and TikTok for more fun book content, and tag us on Instagram with your TBR’s.
Featured image viaKetut Subiyanto/Pexels
