One of my permanent New Year’s Resolutions is to stop buying so many books. Or, at least, to stop buying so many books before I’ve finished reading the ones I’ve got. My TBR never seems to get shorter because it’s so easy to buy books. If I hear about a good one then I might as well get a copy before I forget about it. What if it’s my new favourite and I miss the chance to give it a try? I don’t get FOMO about many things but I do with books. Which is why I’m currently drawing in books. Many that I’ve read but possibly more than I’ve not. I’m making a conscious effort to decrease my TBR this year but that hasn’t stopped me pre-ordering several things already. I’ve also got my eye on a few more that are being published this year. Here are the most notable ones.
Everywhere that I look people seem to be writing Best of the Decade lists. I’ve seen lists about books, writers, films, music, television and more. Part of my thinks that, as a respectful blogger, I should have written my own such lists. However, I know that my terrible memory means that I have no idea what I’ve consumed in the last 10 years. And, even if I could, it would only be a tiny fraction of everything. Certainly with books. I won’t have read much for the first part of the decade. It was only when I started to review books more that I started keeping track of my books. It’s been really useful but I should have started doing it earlier. So, instead of looking back for this Friday Favourites I’m looking forward. To the books, I want to read this year. I’ve made a promise to myself (that I’m already wanting to break) that I won’t buy any new books. I’ve got too many unread ones on my shelf that I have to stop buying. So, 2020 is about the books that have been around for weeks, months, years without being opened. Its time. Because my TBR pile is pretty huge. Although, as we all know, not every TBR book is created equal. As much as I don’t like to play favourites, I know there are certain books that I’m more excited about reading. These are just a few that are currently at the top.
It’s reaching that time of the month when us bookish people start to set out what we plan on reading in the weeks ahead. As a keen Bookstagrammer who sticks to a couple of photo challenges for inspiration, I am used to post at least one photo at the start of every new month to show off the books in my monthly TBR. Now, I know there are people out there who will stick religiously to whatever they pick at that point but I’m not one of them. In fact, each of my TBR Instagram posts just tend to be a random selection of books that I kind of want to read but know, deep in my heart, that I won’t be doing it any time soon. It’s just a routine I’ve found myself in. But this month is worse than other months. Because I’m in the middle of a major reading slump. I’m currently still reading Frankenstein in Baghdad: a book that I actually opened for the first time towards the end of March. Fucking March, guys! That was ages ago. So, I’m feeling a little more stressed than normal about my selection this month. And, as we all know, stress isn’t something that really helps in a slump.
Yipee ki-yay, motherbooker 