I have been wanting to update my tbr jar for quite some time now, and after seeing this post at Girl Of 1000 Wonders I was finally inspired to kick my procrastinating butt and do something about it. I have to say it was about time! I have been using my TBR jar for the past year or so and it does work with the more liberal rules I’ve made for myself. Still, sometimes I end up with a genre I’m not really in the mood for and I always hate having to force myself to read a book…
So here’s my ‘not so original’ solution: color coding. Nothing too complicated or anything, I’ve just separated the enormous pile of unread and dust-gathering books according to their genre. Here’s how:
- YELLOW: classics // non fiction // historical // spanish
- ORANGE: mystery // thriller // horror
- GREEN: fantasy // dystopia // sci-fi
- PINK: fiction // contemporary // romance
If a title could belong to different colors, I pick the one that seems dominant from what I can tell after reading the blurb. In the case of series, I’ve only added the first (or next book in line) to my TBR jar. If I own the title of the next book in the series after I finished the one in my TBR jar, I’ll just add the new title afterwards.
It’s needless to say there are a whole lot of green and orange papers inside my new TBR jar haha. Looks like I should be reading more fantasy and mystery/thriller books this year… 😉 I love how colorful the jar looks by the way! ❤
On to the rules for using my TBR jar successfully:
- I am allowed to draw two papers and pick the title that speaks most to me without it being considered as cheating. Although if the same title comes up three times, I have no choice but to read it.
- I don’t have to read my TBR jar pick straight away, as long as I finish it within a month.
- As soon as I start my current TBR jar pick, I need to draw a new title immediately. That way I will be reading more books I normally might not have picked up straight away.
- Most importantly: have fun! Reading shouldn’t be a chore and if I really don’t like the title, I’m allowed to DNF it and pick a new one.
What about you: do you have a TBR jar? How do you use it and does it actually work for you?
I like your ‘rules’ and like that you pick 2 papers. Sometimes I pick from my jar and really don’t want to read it so put it back, which feels like cheating 🙂
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I started out doing the exact same thing, so that’s why I decided to change the original rules and just pick two titles straight away. It has worked perfectly so far. 🙂
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I love your color coding system! My biggest fear of even creating a TBR jar is being stuck with a genre I’m not in the mood for – it can ruin the book or kickstart a reading slump. I agree with Lindsay too about picking 2 papers, keeps ya from “cheating”.
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I’m a mood reader as well; that’s why I decided to finally rearrange my books by genre because it can really ruin the reading experience. Picking two papers from the start works really well and the best part is that it doesn’t feel like cheating at all. 😉
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I rather like this strategy ~ I have too many things inside my TBR Jars to remake them right now, but I might if I for some reason decide to do a reading overhaul xD I have three jars, with some similarities to your system; I draw one slip per jar (the jars have no organizational system whatsoever) and pick from those. If absolutely none speak to me, I get to draw one more, but then I am stuck and must choose.
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I like the idea of three different jars and having more options to choose from! It’s the perfect way to avoid any cheating along the way. I had a lot of titles in my old TBR jar as well (over 200!), but since I already knew I wasn’t about to drastically bring down that number I decided to just go ahead and make a new one any way. The good thing is that I won’t be having any already finished titles inside the jar for little while.
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How did you determine which titles to put into your current jar?
I put all of my completed TBR jar slips into a pencil box, so I can see the progress as I make it. It’s a good motivator ^^
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I threw away all my old TBR jar papers and used my Goodreads owned-but-not-read list to write new ones sorted by genre. It took a while, but it was worth it!
I really like the idea of saving completed TBR jar titles; I wish I would have thought of it sooner! It’s definitely a good motivation to keep using it.
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That is definitely a patience-taxing thing. Props to you!
Well, it’s not too late to start, if you’re in a mind to.
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I have recently made a new Goodreads list of previous TBR jar picks, and it came to 21 titles including my current one. Not bad at all… Although I’m going to try and save the papers from now on as well. 🙂
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-applauds- I may do that, too, though I’m worried I’ll forget it’s a thing xD Enjoy!
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Fantastic idea! And the system you use seems like it would be a lot more practicable than most of the ones I’ve seen. Thanks for sharing. 😀
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I used to try and stick to the ‘official’ rules, but always ended up cheating haha. At least this way I’m able to use my jar properly. 😉
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That color code system is a great idea! I’ve been meaning to make a TBR jar but I just haven’t sat down to do it. I do it tonight now that you’ve inspired me!
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I hope you will! It takes a little time, but it is a nice way of reading more books you normally wouldn’t have picked up straight away. 🙂
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I love this idea! I should probably try something like this. The colour-coding is a smart idea.
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I like the fact that I can now pick my next read according to the genre… I’ve seen a lot of people doing something similar including ARCs as well.
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Such an awesome idea! 🙂
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Thanks! 😀
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I love this idea, especially the color-coding. My problem is that I’m such a mood-reader that I’m afraid I won’t be in the mood to read the books I pick. But who knows– maybe I’ll give it a try someday!
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I’m a mood reader as well, so that’s why I added the color coding… Giving myself a month to complete the title does help a lot as well, although I agree that if you’re really not in the mood for a book it’s best just not to read it.
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i did a colour coded version too but then found I was cheating by picking the colour I wanted to read next instead of just dipping the hand in and seeing what popped out
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I actually sorted my unread books by genre so I can pick my next read after deciding which genre I’m in the mood for. I’m an emotional reader and I always find it hard to pick up a genre I’m not in the mood for.
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I don’t have a TBR jar but I know a lot of bloggers who do have one, so I’ve been considering it. Although the most important thing I’ve embraced recently is the ability to DNF a book. I hate doing it, but I’ve accepted that I shouldn’t view reading as a chore, so DNF-ing is an acceptable answer if a book really isn’t for me.
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Lucky you! I still find it really hard to DNF a book; I always feel I might be missing out on something good in the part I haven’t read. I do have been putting books on hold more often lately, which I guess is the first step.
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Love this idea! I might have to try it! Though I won’t have to color code since I usually just read fantasy. Great post!
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I love fantasy as well, although I try to mix it with other genres I enjoy as well. Still, my fantasy TBR pile is waaay bigger than the other genres haha.
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What an interesting formula for picking literature to read!
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I like how it gives me an opportunity to read titles I normally wouldn’t have picked up straight away.
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