10 More TBR Jar Picks: The Numbers

I have been using my TBR jar for a long time now, although I only started keeping track of them just before the end of 2014. I have had mixed results with the ‘official’ rules, and therefore decided that I would create my own more relaxed rules and a shiny new TBR jar as well. I have been reading a lot of randomly chosen books since, and last year I finally made it to magic number of 25 TBR jar picks. It took me way longer than expected to read the next ten titles though, but now it’s finally time to present the following ten TBR jar picks to the world.

First of all, let me introduce you to the 10 books that have made it to this list:

26. Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (May 13th 2016) (4 stars)
27. The Opposite Of Loneliness by Marina Keegan (June 11th 2016) (3,5 stars)
28. The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz (July 23rd 2016) (2 stars)
29. Secret Letters by Leah Scheier (August 21st 2016) (3 stars)
30. The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson (November 2nd 2016) (3,5 stars)

31. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (November 22nd 2017) (5 stars)
32. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (June 30th 2017) (2,5 stars)
33. The Five Stages Of Andrew Brawley by Shaun David Hutchinson (February 14th 2017) (3,5 stars)
34. Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard (August 2nd 2017) (2,5 stars)
35. The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson (August 20th 2017) (4,5 stars)

Let’s review my TBR jar choices, shall we? On to the numbers…

First of all some quick facts. The 10 books on this list have a total page count of 3.384 pages; an average of about 338 pages per book. The average rating is 3,4 stars, which is actually quite low considering 2 books had a 4,5 or 5 star rating and only 3 books received a rating below 3 stars. Still it seems like my TBR jar in general gives me pretty good choices.

And now some graphics for those who like them as much as I do. 😉

This graphic is actually quite surprising since I have been reading a lot of Adult books this year, but I guess my TBR jar wants me to read mostly YA? The MG number isn’t all that strange because I hardly read books belonging to that age group in the first place.

I somehow seem to read a lot more books written by female authors in general, so this graphic isn’t all that surprising. I still do wish to balance this number more in the future, but with the TBR jar making the choices it won’t be easy. xD

The main genre is basically the most dominant genre I think each book belongs to. I’m actually surprised so many books were contemporary romance, because it’s not my favorite genre… Historical fiction isn’t a surprise, but what was unexpected is the fact only one of the books belonged to the mystery/thriller genre.

I have been reading less series in general, so I’m not all that surprised most TBR jar picks were stand-alones. I do have a few series I really want to get to, but in general it’s not the TBR jar that makes me pick them up. 😉

Most books that belong to my list of TBR jar picks are recently published, which is no surprise since I’m guilty of reading a lot of recently published books in the first place. It did surprise me 4 books were published in 2014 or before! And one of them was a classic published in the 19th century.

Last graphic: unsurprisingly most books I’ve read have between 300 and 399 pages, which seems to be the norm with the books I’ve read so far this year as well. No short and very long reads here, although two titles did have 400 pages or more.

Tired of numbers yet? I know I am! That’s it for this TBR jar picks review; I’m looking forward to the next 10… Do you have a TBR jar and does it work for you? Feel free to comment. 🙂

---

You can also find me at Goodreads. Twitter. Instagram. Facebook. Bloglovin’.

25 TBR Jar Picks: The Numbers

I have been using my TBR jar for a long time now, although I only started keeping track of them just before the end of 2014. I have had mixed results with the ‘official’ rules, but I decided about a year ago that I would create my own more relaxed rules and recently a shiny new TBR jar as well. I have been reading a lot of randomly chosen books since, and earlier this month I finally made it to magic number of 25 TBR jar picks! I thought it was the perfect time to review the numbers.

Shiny New TBR Jar!

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?

TBR Jar

I found this great idea of creating a TBR jar some time ago at littleonionwrites. It’s basically any cup, jar or whatever you can find that isn’t currently in use. Then write down the names of the books on your TBR pile on small papers and put them inside. Now you have your very own TBR jar! Easy peasy…

I made mine with an old mushroom jar I had cleaned previously and stored for future use. I then used foam and isolation tape to make it blend in with the rest of my interior decoration. (You notice I love black and white?) It worked out great because I can now leave the jar in plain sight and nobody will notice! I also folded the papers a few times so they don’t take up a lot of space, plus that way it’s easier take them out separated…

Once you’re done making yours, just take out a new paper every time you want to start reading a new book… And try not to cheat. 😉 It sure gives you some surprises when reading!