How to Choose What to Read Next When Every Book Sounds Good
When every book on your TBR sounds good, choosing your next read can somehow become the hardest part. Here’s how I narrow it down and when I let fate decide.
THE READING NOOK
The Struggle of an Overwhelming TBR Pile
Finishing a book should make choosing the next one easy, right?
In reality, when I finish a book, I look at my massive TBR pile, stare at the insane number of books I've accumulated, remember three more I want to add, and end up with even more options than I started with.
The problem isn't that nothing sounds good. It's that everything sounds good at the same time. As I've mentioned before in My TBR Was Out of Control, So I Put It in a Bag, I'm a Libra, so indecisiveness comes pretty naturally to me.
Do I read the fantasy I've been saving? The book everyone keeps recommending? Something short? Continue the series I'm almost finished with? Or should I reread an old favorite instead?
Before I know it, I've spent more time trying to decide what to read than actually reading. I could be halfway through a book by now!
If you do this too, don't try to figure out which book on your shelf will be the absolute best. That's an argument I can have with myself for way too long. You just need to figure out which book sounds best right now.
I've tried everything from narrowing my choices by mood to literally writing book titles on scraps of paper and pulling one out of a bag. I still sometimes stand in front of my bookshelf hoping something will jump out at me, but I have a much easier way to narrow things down now.
Here's how to choose what to read next when everything sounds good, without turning it into another twenty-minute chore.
Mood Reading: Start With the Energy You Have
Before looking through your TBR or staring at every book you own, take a step back and think about what mood you're actually in.
If I'm tired, the last thing I want is to start an elaborate high fantasy with strange names I can't remember.
Maybe you just want to disappear for a little bit. Maybe the vibe is a gripping mystery that keeps making you say "just one more chapter." Or maybe you're leaning more comfy-cozy, where an easy read in bed sounds best.
Or maybe it's a good day, and that 800-page fantasy with a diabolical plot about a villain trying to take over the world is exactly what you need.
That is highly useful information. Choosing a book by mood is a lot easier than asking yourself the overwhelming question: What book do I want to read next?
Try asking a smaller question instead to help narrow down your massive TBR: What sounds good tonight?
Cozy?
Fast-paced?
Weird?
Romantic?
Dark?
Funny?
Familiar?
You don't need to pick the exact book yet. You are simply narrowing down the possibilities.
Block Out the Noise (and Stop Browsing)
This step is crucial. Once you have figured out the mood you want, pick three books that fit the vibe.
Then stop.
Do not go back to your entire TBR pile.
Do not browse Goodreads one more time.
Do not check upcoming releases.
And absolutely do not decide that what you really need right now is to buy a thirteenth option.
You already have three books you want to read. That is enough.
A lot of book indecision comes from continuing to look after we have already found books we want to read. I am definitely guilty of this! There will always be another book that might be better, but that is just the life of being a reader.
At some point, you have to block out the noise and trust that you have already found three great choices. The other books on your shelf aren't going anywhere.
Sample a Few Pages Before Committing
If you are still unsure between your final options, don't just rely on the description on the back cover. My advice is to actually read a few pages of each book.
At least a page or two.
This works especially well because a premise can sound incredibly good, but when you start reading, you just don't care for the writing style. The opposite happens, too. There have been times when a book I wasn't particularly interested in starting sounded completely different - and way better - once I actually heard the author's voice.
Don't put too much pressure on it. Just pay attention to which book makes you want to turn another page.
If you reach the end of your little sample and realize you've accidentally kept reading, you have a pretty convincing winner for what to read next.
Want a surprise instead? Try a Blind Date with a Book →
Let Yourself "Fail" (It's Okay to Put a Book Down)
I think some of the pressure comes from treating our next read like it's do or die. That's simply not the case.
You are allowed to pick a book and then realize you're not feeling it. You're allowed to put it back on the shelf. You're allowed to start something else.
And none of that means the first book was bad or that you'll never read it. Sometimes, a perfectly good book is just the wrong book at the moment.
This is also why I try not to turn reading into another thing I have to perfect. I already have enough things in my life that come with schedules and goals. I have a career. My hobbies do not need to become one, too.
I've had to remind myself of that enough that I wrote an entire post about how to enjoy hobbies without turning them into another to-do list.
Reading is supposed to be the break from all of that.
Still Can't Decide What to Read? Let Fate Decide
And this is how I eventually ended up with the Bag of Fate. Yes, I mean an actual bag, not just a TBR jar.
I write book titles on little slips of paper, toss them in, and draw one when I've reached the point where choosing my next read feels like a struggle.
There is one important rule to this system: I get one repull.
I guess I believe in conditional fate! The funny thing is that sometimes the first pull tells me exactly what I don't want to read. I will pull a title and instantly think, Ugh. I don't want that one. Which is actually incredibly insightful.
Now I know what I want to avoid, and I usually realize what I was secretly hoping to pull instead. That is exactly what the one repull is for.
Other times, I am perfectly happy with the random result, grab the book, and start reading. Either way, the debate is finally over.
If you would like to hand your own reading decision over to a randomizer, you can try my free Bag of Fate tool here.
Start Reading Your Winner
Just start it. Give it a chapter. Twenty minutes. An evening.
Then ask yourself: Do I want to come back to this?
If the answer is yes, congrats! You've officially found your next read.
If the answer is no, no big deal. Go back to your shortlist and try the next one. Now you know.
TL;DR: How to Decide What to Read Next
If your TBR pile is currently overflowing with options, here is a quick recap of the process:
Decide on the genre or mood you are currently feeling.
Pick three books that fit the vibe, and stop browsing.
Read a couple of pages from each if you are still unsure.
Let yourself choose "wrong" and move on if you aren't feeling it.
If you are still hopelessly undecided, let the Bag of Fate decide for you.
Start the winner and see if you actually want to keep reading.
Remember, you are just deciding which book gets to be read first.
The rest of your TBR will still be there tomorrow and probably with several new books added to it, if you are anything like me!
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