Spotlight Sunday – Deciding What To Read Next

When the four of us are together, in person or via the magic of the internet, the conversations almost always come back to books. We love them. We love the people who write them, the people who publish them, and the people who read them. In fact, we have so many feelings about books that we wanted to find a way to share our conversations with you!
This is the seventh week of our new feature, hosted by Fiction Fare (Erin & Jaime) and Swoony Boys Podcast (Kassiah & Meg). Spotlight Sunday is about ALL things bookish. Each week we’ll post a topic, we’ll start the conversation by telling you some of our thoughts, and then it will be your turn to sound off in the comment section.

Have a topic you’d like to discuss on Spotlight Sunday? Fill out the form here.

How do you decide what book you’re going to read next? Or what order you’re going to read your TBR list in? What makes it change?

Erin: This is not a simple question – mostly because my to read list is borderline ridiculous and there really isn’t any method to deciding what I am going to read next. It usually comes down to what I have to read for review and when is the post due. Then I throw in what I am in the mood to read. More often than not, I have a bunch of books started at one time which means I can jump from one book to the next if I am in the mood for something different. The only thing that really makes it change is if something came out or I was approved to review something that I really want to read more than what I am currently reading.

Meg: I used to just read whatever I wanted,whenever I wanted. But this year I made it my goal to get more organized. At the end of each month I make a list of the books that I want to read the next month (99% of them come out the following month) and then I put them in the order I want to read them in. I love having it organized, knowing what I’m going to get to read, and being able to check them off as I go! I also think it’s been great for the blog to have stuff ready to review and talk about! I’m not going to lie though, there are certain things that will throw my schedule off if I get my hands on them. There are some books you just can’t say no to.

Jaime: UGH my book list is ugly… just like everyone else’s I’m sure! I, like Meg, used to just pick up whatever I wanted, but with the amount of reviews we do for the blog, I found myself scrambling a bit and I wanted to be a bit more organized since the blog isn’t just me anymore. I currently have two bookshelves in my goodreads that I select titles from when I’m reading. One is ‘On Deck’ – which is a list of all books that need to be read for review either I’ve been asked to read or I’ve asked for a copy of the book. The second is ‘On Deck But Not Time Sensitive.’ Over the last year I found myself pushing aside books that I wanted to read and purchased, for ARCs. I made a promise to myself this year that I was going to incorporate more books that weren’t requested reads. Books that I’ve been meaning to read, but didn’t make the time for. I think I’ve done pretty good so far this year! I’ve been trying to read an ARC or two and then pick one on my personal to read list so that I make sure I get through the stack! I am determined to finish!

Kassiah: I have a list like ya’ll do for upcoming reviews. Lately though, I’ve found that I just want to read what I want (read: smut most of the time), and that throws my whole schedule off. I also find that I feel guilty when I get my hands on something I really, really want to read but I feel bad that I’m not reading what I should read next. It’s like…can I move that to the top of the pile and push aside my “homework”? #dealingwithguilt

Erin: Oh my god Meg…I need to get organized like you but I feel like I have too many lists as it is. I like to think I am getting better about it but sometimes I’m not really sure what I am in the mood for and start a bunch of books to find what catches my attention. I am trying to be better about reading older books though and try to mix them up.

Jaime: What do you guys do if you’re not really in the mood for the book you have coming up next on your pile? Do you pick something else or make yourself read it? I try to read something with enough lead time that this isn’t an issue, but it sometimes happens to me … sometimes powering through it really isn’t good for the book ya know, especially if you’re writing a review for it!

Kassiah: I just keep reading unless I have enough time to take a break. Otherwise, I find that I give them more leeway for issues with content or grammar because I know I’m just tired. I’m weird.

Past Spotlight Sunday Topics

Do You Prefer E-Books or Physical Copies?
Love Triangles: Love Them Or Hate Them?
Can You Judge a Book By Its Cover?
Self-Publishing–Love It or Hate It?
What’s the Next Big Thing?
Memes…All That or Just Filler?
What to Do When You and Your Friends Don’t Agree About Books

Now that you’ve read some of our thoughts, let us know what you’re thinking in the comments below! We’ll be back next week with a brand new topic and lots more to talk about.