Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

Hi, my name is Cat, and I don’t know what to do with my TBR stacks.

Drowning in Books

So, here’s the problem: I love buying books. I’ve heard it said that buying books is a separate hobby from reading, and man, is that spot-on! While I love to read (and I think I read a lot), my TBR list is growing faster than I can read it.

Over the years, I have found that if I don’t keep my TBR books separate from my read (and loved) ones, they will probably be forgotten. Relegating a book to the forgotten zone is not my goal. So, here I am, desperately trying to add order to the chaos so I don’t forget a precious book.

Sorting Through the Chaos

I’ve tried to corral the TBR stack, but it’s…out of control. First, I gave it a cute little TBR cart. That…didn’t work out. The little three-tiered shelf was not made of sturdy enough material to take the weight of all those books.

So I upgraded. My TBR books are now on a sturdier wood and metal cart. Best of all? It’s four tiers instead of three, and I can fit two rows of books on each tier. Problem solved, right? Well…no. It actually doesn’t hold all of my (physical) TBR books. So, I dedicated a little three-shelf bookcase to the cause. It’s full now. And even double-stacked in a few spots (shame on me, I know).

Uh. Okay. So then I filled out the little coffee table by my couch. It has a shelf underneath. It’s enough to fit fifteen or so books. That, uh, fit most of the rest. Most. There may be a stack of library books on the TV stand. We won’t talk about that.

The point is that I’m drowning in books I want to read! While I have (mostly) managed to get away from the stacking method, this doesn’t feel much better. I should really go on a book-buying ban. But that’s so challenging. Plus, it doesn’t stop me from going to the library (obviously).

Time to Ban Book Buying?

Okay. I gave up a few weeks ago and told my husband I was going on a book-buying ban. I don’t think he believed me, and he’s probably right. I added some exceptions to my ban: I can keep my pre-orders. I can also continue to get my book boxes (including BOTM and Aardvark), though I should try to avoid buying the maximum. I did make another exception recently when I heard about an author I love having a personal issue (I figure the little boost from a few sales couldn’t hurt). But other than those exceptions (and the library), I will try really hard to be good for the rest of the year.

Placing bets on how I do?