Setting up monthly TBR lists can be tough, to say the least. There's a lot to take into account while selecting certain books - and a certain number of them - to be on your TBR.
Hopefully, this post will help out a little with that. I plan to have tomorrow's post be on what I do specifically for my monthly TBR lists, so stay tuned.
Tip 1: Give yourself "reading bar".
It can feel overwhelming to pack a large number of books into one month, especially if some of the books are 500+ pages. Even if the books are short, it can feel like you're rushing to get through every book you set for a TBR if you have a large monthly TBR pile. So give yourself a "reading bar" as I call it. Have a certain number of books in your TBR list that is manageable for you and your schedule and not what other people are doing. You can read more than what you put in your monthly TBR, but have a bar - a goal - that you can reach despite what's going on in your life.
Tip 2: Read what you can.
I put this as the second tip, and deliberately after the first tip, for a reason. Read what you can in a month. If you read all of what's on that month's TBR, that's great. If you read more than that, that's also great. But don't mentally beat yourself up for not meeting your monthly TBR goal. There's no point in that when you have other months to read.
Tip 3: Include multiple book formats.
This is something I've stated in a lot of reading tip blog posts, so I'm not going to go too much into this tip. But allowing for multiple book formats (physical, audiobook, and ebook) may be of some help to you. There might be a time where you want to read, but you don't want to pick up a physical book - then there's you can still have an ebook accessible. If you're a little too busy to take a reading break, then listening to an audiobook may help, depending on what you're doing.
Tip 4: Don't force yourself to read.
This is another tip I mention in a lot of these blog posts: not forcing yourself to read. If you don't want to read a particular book on your TBR, you don't have to read it. It's okay to pick up another book not on your TBR and read that instead. If you don't feel like reading at all, that is also okay. Just don't force yourself to read.
Tip 5: Choose a variety.
Whether you choose multiple genres, authors, etc., try to have a bit of variety on your monthly TBR list. If you're not feeling like the fantasy or a particular author on your TBR quite yet, then maybe read the contemporary or another author on your TBR. Having some variety on your monthly TBR lists, even if it's minor, can make a big difference.
Tip 6: Make your TBR list based on how you're feeling.
I know what I put in Tip 5, but hear me out. You can still have a variety of books in your TBR while having a theme going on in your TBR. Let's say you're setting up you're April TBR, you're setting your reading bar at 7 books (Tip 1), and you're feeling more like fantasy books. Then have 3 fantasy books, 2 contemporaries, and 2 YAs planned for your TBR that month. See? There's still variety, but you have more books of what you're feeling like reading.
Tip 7: Start small, then go big.
Start with your smaller books, and then go into any big books you have. That way, you can ease into a new reading month without feeling pressure to finish a 500+ page book at the beginning of March (unless that is your smallest book, then you go for it!). Start out small, then go for your big books.
Tip 8: Use the bookish internet community to your advantage.
Look at Booktuber's monthly TBR videos, look up Bookstagram posts of monthly TBR lists, book blogs, Goodreads, etc. The bookish internet community is a great source for finding new books and authors to add to your general TBR list, and then to your monthly TBRs.
Tip 9: If you're not liking a book that's on your TBR list, it is okay to DNF it.
You don't have to finish a book just because it was on your TBR list for that month. You're not liking it for whatever reason? Set it down and move on to the next book.
Two of my blog posts on this topic: DNF-ing a Book: Why It's a Good Thing and DNF-ing a Book: When to Do It and What to Do
Tip 10: If you get to one of your anticipated books, make sure you sit down and have long periods of time to read it.
This may seem a bit obvious, which is why I had it as the last tip. But if you finally pick up a book you're excited to read, make sure you have a decent amount of time that you can sit down with the book and read it. This way, you're not setting it down every 5 or so minutes to do something else, and you can really get invested in it for a good amount of time.
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