TBR pile: noun. A “To-Be-Read Pile” is a stack of books of large proportions that have not yet been read by its owner.

The TBR pile: a stack known to all bookworms as the pile of dead trees & ink that never. stops. growing. It is a result of bibliophobia (the fear of running out of reading material) and the motto by which many bookworms live by: “If you have enough book space, I don’t want to speak to you.” – Terry Pratchett 

The writer of this blog, as a Professional Bookworm (who is determined to find out HOW to pursue this emotional roller coaster as a career someday) had never heard of a “TBR” pile until joining the book blogging biz.

As a young bookworm, she often had several books upon her shelf that disappointed her. Did she try to read them? Yes. Did she dislike them? Sometimes. Did she refuse to try something that wasn’t the last best book she had read? Definitely. (The book blogger also happened to be the Queen Of Re-Reading Books 12 Hundred Times.)

Then, when this dedicated bookworm began her blog in 2014, her small world was turned upside down. There were “upcoming releases!” And “Advanced Reader’s Copies!” And whole websites devoted simply to spread the word of awesome books. The Queen Of Re-Reading was now The Queen Of Wanting To Read New Books.

Now she “binge-holds.” This is what she calls it when she scrolls through her list on Goodreads of (as of NOW) 221 books she wishes to someday read. Then she searches them on her library website and clicks “place hold.” And “place hold.” And “place hold.” And place hold and place hold and place hold. 

She buys books. The For the Bookish blogger, when she is not buying used books, saves her money for books. (Like right now, she is saving every bit of her money for the 13,000,000,000 books that she wants to read that debut in 2016.) It is exhausting. There is a whole shelf in her room for the books she has yet to read.

Sometimes, the blogger feels overwhelmed. It’s mind-boggling, she thinks, when you really sit and dwell on the massive amounts of books there are still left to read. And sometimes, the blogger feels energized. Encouraged! Hopeful! Excited! THERE ARE MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF BOOKS STILL LEFT TO BE READ, always.

She thinks: my next favorite book might be just around the corner.

She thinks: this one could change my world.

She thinks: why shouldn’t I always have books to read? Think of all the possibilities. 

what do you think of tbr piles?