How do you choose your next book?

[Alex Hormann]

I think it's happened to all of us at some point: You've looked at the tbr stack and nothing jumps out at you. So, how do you decide what to read?

Recently (past two years) I've developed a random system to shake things up a bit. Stacking each book alphabetically by author, I assign each book/series a number. Then I roll dice to see which one I'll read next.

I expect I'm the only one who does this, but it's really helped me conquer Mount tbr. Any other ways people choose?

[ScarletBea]

ooohh I don't know....
Normally one does jump at me when I'm looking at the tbr stack, or if not, I end up going to the library and browsing through the SFF shelves until one does, hehe

Your system is far too random for me, it might lead to DNFs because they're not the right books for my mood...

[NedMarcus]

Normally I just know, but if I don't I click on the first unread novel I see and begin that.

[Elfy]

I don't have a system. I generally read 3 books at a time. 2 new ones and 1 that that's been on the TBR pile for a long time (years in some cases). The 3rd one I go alphabetically, I'm currently up to the letter S. The other two and I tend to pick up whatever's on top of a pile (we have actual piles), although I try not to have 2 similar in genre. At present the genres are biography (Jimmy Page), a fantasy satire (Jasper Fforde's Early Riser) and epic fantasy (Rise of Empire by Michael Sullivan)

[cupiscent]

I've talked about my profoundly unnatural TBR method before, but to reiterate: I add things to the bottom of my to-read list on GoodReads, and when it gets to the top, I read it. (Sometimes I might read #2 or #3 on the list if I'm really not feeling #1 right now, but basically that's how it goes. Every now and then when a book gets to the top of the list, I look at it and don't think it looks interesting any more, so I remove it without reading.) My to-read list is 303 books long, but in terms of effective list (i.e. books available from libraries or that I have bought or intend to buy) it's only about 130-odd long.

At the moment I'm on a small hiatus from that because my physical pile of books to read became a little too hefty, so I'm knocking that lot off before I return to regular mode.

[Eclipse]

I try to finish series I’ve started off with.

I now try to read the oldest book with a publication year with the story finished as that means I no longer have to wait years for the next book to come out and forget what I’ve read, Unless something really jumps up at me.

[Lu Kudzoza]

I've talked about my profoundly unnatural TBR method before, but to reiterate: I add things to the bottom of my to-read list on GoodReads, and when it gets to the top, I read it. (Sometimes I might read #2 or #3 on the list if I'm really not feeling #1 right now, but basically that's how it goes. Every now and then when a book gets to the top of the list, I look at it and don't think it looks interesting any more, so I remove it without reading.) My to-read list is 303 books long, but in terms of effective list (i.e. books available from libraries or that I have bought or intend to buy) it's only about 130-odd long.

At the moment I'm on a small hiatus from that because my physical pile of books to read became a little too hefty, so I'm knocking that lot off before I return to regular mode.

This is exactly how I pick which shirt and shorts to wear. Everything goes in the closet on the right (the back of the line/queue). I wear the first thing on the left (and sometimes I might wear #2 or #3 if I'm not feeling #1 right now).

[Alex Hormann]

I knew I was special. 

There's a few authors who I read straight away (like Sanderson), but I can't imagine waiting until the mood strikes me to read all my books.  I don't think I'd ever get through my tbr like that.

Though I will say, I do try and shift genre if all I've been reading for a while is Space Opera, for example.

[S. K. Inkslinger]

Look at cover. Look at Goodreads. Look at content. Look back here on the FF forums. If I didn't have a clue by then I just went in randomly.

[Slaykomimi]

I randomly pick some book and read the first chapter, back than I was like "omg that title sounds so cool as well as the short description, I need to". Now I am like, they all sound the same to me so I really need to read at least the first chapter and decide if I want to go on or not.

[Rostum]

By picking up what I want to read either online or from my TBR Simples.

[Alex Hormann]

By picking up what I want to read either online or from my TBR Simples.

But how do you choose which tbr book to read?


At this point I fear I'm overcomplicating things a little. 

[Rostum]

I look at the titles and choose a book that appeals at the time. Sometimes it may be the next in a series sometimes it may be random

[Peat]

I fast for 24 hours before undergoing a deep meditative state in which the spirit of Odin advises me.


But when I can't be arsed with that, I just pick up the first thing to catch my eye and read it until it either catches or I get bored.

[Lanko]

Pure randomness.

Most of the time the TBR has no effect on me. Most of the time is some random new book that catches my interest in the exact moment I want to read something or had just finished a book.
Meanwhile, the vast majority of what's added to the TBR list is when I'm already reading something, and unless it's some major title from some major author from a series I'm a major fan/had been eagerly awaiting, it just gets added and most of the time remains in the TBR closet accumulating dust.