Let’s Talk Bookish: Are Big TBRs a Result of Abibliophobia?

Hey, everyone! I hope you are all doing well. I’m excited for today’s Let’s Talk Bookish topic, so I’m going to get right into it.

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @ Eternity Books and is hosted by Rukky and Dani @ Literary Lion where we discuss various topics and share our opinions. Today’s topic is Are Big TBRs a Result of Abibliophobia? (suggested by Jillian @ Jillian the Bookish Butterfly).

First of all, what does abibliophobia mean? Abibliophobia (I will never remember how to spell this word) is the fear of running out of reading material. I had never heard of this word until I looked at the LTB topics for February, but I think it’s a great word.

TBR stands for ‘To Be Read’. TBRs are typically a list of books that you are planning to read.

Do you have abibliophobia?

No, I do not. I almost always have this extremely long list of books that I’m planning to read, so I don’t really have a fear of running out. Recommendations from friends, looking at different blogs, or just browsing on Goodreads or something has books that I find seem really interesting, and then they go on my TBR.

Do you add books to your TBR to keep it big, or is it a place where you keep books that seem interesting?

I typically just add books that sound interesting to me, so I have a place to go back to look at them to see what I want to read next. My TBR, at a minimum, is usually about five books. If I hear about a book from a friend, I’ll make a mental note, but I normally forget about it. I’ve never really had a problem with my TBR being small, because there are so many books I hear about that sound interesting, that it’s this never ending list. It feels like every time I finish a book, three more get added to it.

Do you have multiple TBRs?

I kind of have two TBRs; I have one physically written out, or typed, since it’s on a computer, and I also have a mental one. The one I have written down I use for books I know that I’m definetely planning on reading. The mental one is more for books that seem interesting, but that I’m not sure I’ll actually end up reading. A lot of times I forget to update my physical list and when I do, I just try to remember the books that I’ve mentally collected that sound interesting since the last time I updated it.

If you don’t have a TBR, how do you find your next read?

Well, like I said, I do have a TBR, but on the chance that I don’t have anything on it, I might browse Goodreads or something. I like to read the reviews of the books a lot, to see what other people thought of it. I don’t want to read a book that wasn’t good.

I sometimes look at authors that I’ve read a little from and see if any of their other books sound like they’d be something I’d like. And, in the time before COVID, when I could go to the bookstore and the library, I would occasionally ask the workers what they would recommend. I read The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi after a recommendation from them. I’m so glad I did; It was a really good book.

Another thing I do is I read blog posts on reading. I’ve heard of some books that sound like I’d like them by just reading other people’s blog posts.