My wheels started turning last week when I read a post by Allison over at The Book Wheel: This Is What Happens When You Purge Your Goodreads TBR.  In it, she lamented over the unwieldy size of her Goodreads "to-read" list (over 200 books), and decided to delete the whole thing and start over.

I was stricken by this, because I long ago abandoned my Goodreads TBR list.  At the time of Allison's post, my to-read list was at a whopping 1,084 books.  ONE THOUSAND AND EIGHTY FOUR.  To delete the whole thing sounded equally scandalous and liberating.

How did the list get to that astronomical point?  I started my Goodreads account in 2007, o-KAY, so give me a little leeway when I've been adding books to it for 9 years!  And for a long time, I found it useful.  I would troll it whenever I needed help picking a new book to read.  I used to make little goals like "try to read all the books I added to it in 2007" (done!).  I would carefully add only books that I REALLY wanted to read.

Then...I started this blog.  And things just got out of control.

Yeah like, way too many.

I used to be super good about keeping up with other book blogs (like, on the daily, remember those days??), and I would add ANY book to my Goodreads list that sounded even remotely decent.  I figured, better to keep it on the list even if I'm iffy about it, rather than forget about it, right?  Unfortunately, this threw my list into a state of madness to the point where I just stopped using it.  It wasn't helpful anymore.

After reading Allison's post, I considered starting over from scratch.  Delete it all, and begin again with only books I really want to read currently.  However, after looking over the list, I just couldn't do it.  There were too many that I still, now, REALLY wanted to read.  What I DID do is spend some serious time culling it.  I'm now down to 469 on the to-read list, still unmanagably large for some, but when I look at the list now, I see books that I actually do want to read...you know, when I have the time.  :)

Oh yeah, I have this.

But this also made me think about all the other types of TBR lists I pay attention to...

1. The "at home" TBR.  Meaning the 100+ unread books on my home shelves.  (Don't even talk about my Kindle.  If I can't physically see them, they're not there, right...)

2. My 30-before-35 TBR.  I do keep an eye on this list pretty consistently, I am chipping away at it!

3. Year-end "best of" TBRs.  Bloggers come out with all their lists of faves at the end of each year, and it makes me crazy as I try to read all the ones that sound right up my alley.  (Yeah, still trying to get to A Little Life.)

4. Prize list TBRs.  Every year I make grand proclamations like, "I'm going to read the entire Man Booker short list!" or "I'm going to read all the Tournament of Books selections!"  And every year I fail.  But it sure is fun to try!

Sure, many of these lists overlap.  But still...is it any wonder my Goodreads was past 1,000?

At the end of it all, I say: fill up those to-read lists, people.  Pack 'em full.  In the end, you'll always have a book to read, and that's what matters, yes?  :)

Readers, how many books are on YOUR Goodreads to-read list?  Or do you use another kind of TBR?  (Or do you fly by the seat of your pants with NO TBR??  I can't even imagine...)