Saturday, March 25, 2023

WHAT'S IN YOUR "TO BE READ" PILE? by Curious George, PHD

 

Writers hold one truth to be self-evident: To write, you must read! Stated more eloquently by William Faulkner in a 1951 interview for The Western Reserve, "Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write. If it is good, you'll find out." And from Ben Johnson, the Seventeenth Century English playwright, "For a man to write well, there are required three necessaries: to read the best authors, observe the best speakers, and much exercise of his own style."

So for writers, "Reading is Fundamental." But there are so many books and so little time. How can we possibly fit them all into our busy schedules? The answer, of course, is that we can't. But we try. Oh, how we try. Some writers keep a list. Some writers have e-books filling the "cloud." And some writers have a physical location for their "To Be Read" pile. A bookshelf, maybe. Or a plastic bin filled with books we're going to get to, as soon as humanly possible. There are probably as many approaches to the "TBR Challenge" as there are writers.  

This week's guest blogger, Curious George, PHD, wants to know about YOU.  What books are on your TBR list? Where do you keep your books? How do you figure out what to read next? George is, well, curious!  (And by the way, PHD stands for "Piled Higher and Deeper," which describes George's TBR stack.)  

Take a few minutes and give us some feedback about your TBR preferences and practices. Inquiring minds want to know. 


8 comments:

Kim Thorn said...

Interestingly enough I was just thinking about my to be read pile and how I was going to tackle it last night! So Curious George you not only have a PHD but also you have ESP as well! I’ve started to add more books on the craft and art or writing to my TBR pile as well as trying ti support my author friends by reading and reviewing or commenting on their work so it has grown! Also I try to read several sources on the authors that I blog about. But I have found that over the last year I branched out to reading many different genres (including adding more non fiction books to my pile) so I’ve learned so much more than if I had just sticking to my usual cozy mystery! Thanks for the fun post this week! I’m interested to see what my colleagues and other readers have in their pile or how they tackle it!

Michael Rigg said...

So, true, Kim. I keep my TBR in a plastic bin. It's about 18in long, 12in wide and 7in deep. Someone else can do the math for the cubic-whatevers that totals. Seems like for every book I read, I add two. So, I'm both making progress and losing ground!

~Kayla said...

My TBR on Goodreads is massive but I leave physical piles of books within arms reach in my cozy spots around the house. My study chair and my bed and my desk. Once I read it I put it on my actual shelves and joyously go about selecting a new one to add to the stack so I always have a variety of choices. I know I won't be done reading my whole life long haha!

Yvonne Saxon said...

My TBR pile is all over the house! Yes, even in the kitchen—you know a watched pot never boils, so you can get some pages read while waiting! I have a particularly funny Southern cookbook for funeral food: it’s to die for! There are mysteries (of course), westerns, historical fiction, thrillers, non-fiction on myriad subjects, self help, and more writing craft books than a person should have! All waving at me saying “Me, pick me next!” Is there a 12 step program for this?!

Max Jason Peterson said...

I have a few ways that I organize my TBR! These range from the stack of books beside my bed, tabs to fanfiction open in my web browser, and an organized list of books in an Excel file. I like to keep track of books I read to know which ones I need to hunt for next! :)

Michael Rigg said...

Kayla, Yvonne, and Max. Thanks for the great comments! And, I think that most cities or counties are enablers in our TBR-Dependency. They have libraries! That's another location for my TBR pile, and it's huge. But library books are like grandchildren--you bring them home, enjoy them for a while, and then them back.

Teresa Inge said...

Great post! I only read mysteries to develop my writing craft. My TBR pile is on a shelf in my bedroom. Thanks!

Sheryl Jordan said...

I love your post! I must say I have many books in boxes I need to unpack and put on bookshelves. Some of which I have read and plan to reread. I also have some books on my electronic devices I plan to read...one day! I read mostly crime fiction but dabble in all genres.

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