8 Tips for Setting Up a Monthly TBR Pile

Going along with the theme I set for these last September days, I'm doing another TBR-related post. Yesterday's post focused on setting up a yearly TBR pile. Today's post will be on setting up a monthly TBR pile. Tomorrow's post (Sept. 29) will be on setting up a weekly TBR pile.

Just a couple of notes before we get into today's post (yes, I copied and pasted these here because they're important):

1. It is okay to feel stressed about your TBR pile. Sometimes, you just need to fully trash it and go with your gut/mood if you're feeling stressed about it.
2. Your TBR does not need to be finished by the end of the week, month, or even year. If you don't get to a couple of books, that is fine. You're not doing anything wrong as a reader.

Here are 8 tips for setting up a monthly TBR pile. (Note: if any tips are repetitive, I will just leave them as a tip without the extra details.)

Tip 1: Have a Goodreads account.

Tip 2: Create a TBR jar.

This is similar to Tip 2 from yesterday's post. However, setting up a TBR jar can help you decide what books to include in your TBR for that month.

Tip 3: Be open to TBR changes.

Again, this is similar to the corresponding tip from yesterday's post. However, I want to make it more specific to monthly TBRs. Sometimes, you include a book you want to read in a specific month at the month's start (or right before the month starts). However, you may not be able to get to it in that month, or you may just decide you don't want to read it in the end.

Tip 4: Only set a minimum number of books for that month.

This may seem a bit contradictory. You want to reach a certain number of books by the end of the year, so you want to read as many books during a particular month. However, setting a minimum number of books to read in one month can help you reach it rather than trying to read a bunch of books in one month.

Tip 5: If you read over your minimum, that's great.

I intentionally included this tip to bounce off of Tip 4 (and leading into Tip 6). If you read more than the minimum that you set in your monthly TBR, then that's great. If you can read more than what you set for your TBR that month, then go for it. Just remember to not push yourself.

Tip 6: If you don't hit your minimum, that's also great.

Again, I intentionally included this tip to contradict, in a sense, Tip 5. If you don't hit your minimum, that's also great. If you don't reach the minimum number of books you originally set for your monthly TBR, that can be a good sign. You didn't force yourself to reach the minimum, and you didn't push yourself.

Tip 7: Be flexible with your TBR.

This is another similar tip that I included in yesterday's post. However, being flexible with your monthly TBRs can really help you out in the end. It's also why I included Tip 3, and Tips 5-6.  And as I mentioned in this past Sunday's post (why TBRs are stressful), life happens. As a result, when life does happen in ways you don't expect, being flexible with your monthly TBR can really help you out in the end.

Tip 8: If you borrow from your local library, school library, or the Libby app, you may not be able to include these books into your TBR until the last minute.

I mentioned this yesterday, but this tip also helps out with Tip 7. Sometimes, you're able to loan a new book from the library, and you don't want to pass up the chance to borrow and read it. So you loan the book, read it, and return it. This is why it's good to be flexible with your monthly TBR, and why it's good to be open to possible TBR changes.