Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

I love how Goodreads introduces me to new authors or additional books by favorite authors and I am never at a loss for an idea about what to read next. But on the flip side, my TBR list grows and grows. What are your secret weapons for finding a way to read all those great books? My limitations tend to be time, physical limitations, and money. Any secrets you can share with the group?

Recently thanks to this group I have discovered just how many audiobooks there are on Youtube. One of my secret weapons is to route the audio from my phone through my car speakers. I have not yet read a book as an audiobook alone. I tend to have a physical or ebook copy as well as listening to the audio. My commute to work is 30 minutes, so as I leave work I listen to a chapter of my book in the car. When I arrive home I switch to the physical copy. It is amazing how excited I am to read when I arrive home after listening to that chapter. The number of books I have read has really increased in the last year!

I usually only use audiobooks for things my kid and I read together - easier to stay at the same pace. We can't do that in the car for longer trips, though, because they put my husband to sleep. :(

My secret weapon is avoidance. I don’t see my reading and book compulsion as an encroachment into my daily life. I choose to see my daily life as the problem. 😉

Also, the library helps keep things at bay.

I check out books from libraries, but if the one I requested isn't available for some reason- Open library is my way. I have a word document recording the books I read or wish to in the immediate future. Sometimes I stick to the schedule, at other times it fizzles out. There are certain genres which I read more often than others like war or historical fiction, so there's that.

Good question Lynn!

Discipline, variety, and a lack of excessive self-judgment. The occasional reading challenge gives a nice boost.

Ila wrote: "I check out books from libraries, but if the one I requested isn't available for some reason- Open library is my way. I have a word document recording the books I read or wish to in the immediate f..."

I have never used Open library before. What a great resource! https://openlibrary.org/.

Aubrey wrote: "Discipline, variety, and a lack of excessive self-judgment. The occasional reading challenge gives a nice boost."

I agree Aubrey. Reading challenges help me narrow down choices. It is easy to spend hours browsing possible books instead of reading them.

Aprilleigh wrote: "I usually only use audiobooks for things my kid and I read together - easier to stay at the same pace. We can't do that in the car for longer trips, though, because they put my husband to sleep. :("

I can see how that would be a problem for your husband. I use the audiobooks in short bursts, like a daily commute. But it would also be a great way to keep the kids happy and engaged in the car.

Patty wrote: "My secret weapon is avoidance. I don’t see my reading and book compulsion as an encroachment into my daily life. I choose to see my daily life as the problem. 😉

Also, the library helps keep things..."

I'm with Patty!

I'm a chronic complainer about not having enough time for everything, and people have often shared the old (and unwanted) advice "You can always make time for what you really want to do." Well it turns out what I really want to do is read, so if my "to do" list is looking for me, I'll be at the library. ;-)

Patty wrote: "My secret weapon is avoidance. I don’t see my reading and book compulsion as an encroachment into my daily life. I choose to see my daily life as the problem. 😉..."

LOL
What a great answer.

Patty wrote: "My secret weapon is avoidance. I don’t see my reading and book compulsion as an encroachment into my daily life. I choose to see my daily life as the problem. 😉

Also, the library helps keep things..."

Me too... 😋

Kathleen wrote: "Patty wrote: "My secret weapon is avoidance. I don’t see my reading and book compulsion as an encroachment into my daily life. I choose to see my daily life as the problem. 😉

Also, the library hel..."

Ha!

Kathleen so true about library time. I sometime get texts from family members that say something like "We looked for you at your home and could not find you. We assume you are at the library again!"

Katy wrote: "Patty wrote: "My secret weapon is avoidance. I don’t see my reading and book compulsion as an encroachment into my daily life. I choose to see my daily life as the problem. 😉..."

LOL
What a great ..."

Perfect attitude!

My secret weapon to getting reading done is probably having a variety or sources and motivations. I have book lists that I like to check off, as well as challenges here on Goodreads and within our group. Plus a tbr shelf that I keep in check and the Goodreads reading goal that tracks my progress (currently 5 books behind for my goal of 100 books this year).

My reading sources are a mixture of physical books (from my shelves or the library), audiobooks (Audible, librivox, BorrowBox) and ebooks (project Gutenberg, Apple Books, BorrowBox, serial reader, Scribd) so I always have a choice of resources.

My main secret weapon is not watching television. I always take a book with me to an appointment or any place I have to wait, to concerts and live theatre, and to coffee shops, as well as when I ride public transit.
My husband and I are both retired so we have enough opportunities to chat at home.
My tbr list never seems to get any shorter. 🥴

Rosemarie I so agree!

My top secret weapons for reading include Axis 360, Hoopla, the clearance shelves at the used bookstore (1 to 3 dollars), thriftbooks.com, and betterworldbooks.com.

My favorite top secret weapon for reading is a 24-hour readathon that I do twice a year. I can knock out 100s of pages/several books a day. Good way to work through my tbr.

Mine are my Kindle, Project Guttenburg, and the LA county library system. My TBR list here on Goodreads helps as well.

Lynn: “I tend to have a physical or ebook copy as well as listening to the audio. ”

I like that way of reading very much too. I spend two hours gardening today and started Veronika Decides to Die (linking seem not to work??)

As a Dane I can use the national ereolen.dk - an online library with both ebooks and audiobooks. Free. The collection is somewhat odd and dictated by what publishing houses that wanted to join.

For instance Solzhenitsyn has two books and one audiobook. No Cancer Ward.

Bulgakov has two other books than The Master and Margarita. On the other hand Dostoyevsky is very well covered: all his major (and some smaller works) as both audiobook and ebook. This has made a huge difference for me digging though 3 of his 4 door-stopper books.

On the other hand it is a bit of a trap too: I have never read Victor Hugo: Les Misérables. I keep hoping the audiobook will show up someday.

My to-read list is every growing. I have ended up dividing it into to-read and looks-interesting. This has helped it stop growing and has actually sunk from 220 to 215 the last few months.

I usually have a plan, but as some others have said, if I swerve away from the plan, it's OK! I try to tell myself that there are no rules to this plan, and no one will know if I stick to it or not! I have to have a conversation about this with myself every once in awhile ;)

But I usually have an audio book, an ebook, and a print book going all the time. I try to get good audio versions, but for certain books, if LibriVox volunteer readers are the only way I can get it, I'll settle for that.
If I have a book that I've really been putting off, I sometimes go with the Serial Reader app which sends approx. 15 min./day of the book. So then I'm still reading the book but can read some others at the same time and all my time isn't going for one long book (I think I'm going to start The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling that way at the first of June & finish in September!! But I've been putting it off way too long!).

If I'm listening to audio, I usually like to have print book available so that I can see the bookmark move! And also look at words that I might have missed.

Anything to keep my reading life interesting and exciting -- which sometime takes some work!! ;)

I am sure you all have more experience with this than I do. This year, I am trying to have several books going at a time — one on audio for my work commute, at least one real book, and sometimes one on my iPad.

I try to read several times a day, but most especially at night with extra time on the weekends.

The challenges are great. They motivate me to read books that I otherwise might not get to. But I also give myself latitude to throw in what I call a wildcard book, a book that I pick on a whim.

My TBR list is out of control — what can I say! I think I should probably pare it back.

I keep learning new things. I had never heard of the serial reader app. That is so cool. Thanks Terris.

Oh there is one more gadget I use that I should have mentioned. Last year I bought a book stand online. It cost less than $15. It is the sort of thing I have seen cooks use to hold open their cookbooks. I use mine everyday. It is great for holding either an ereader or a physical book. I keep a book open on it all the time.

My secret weapon is spending literally all my free time reading.

Lynn wrote: "Ila wrote: "I check out books from libraries, but if the one I requested isn't available for some reason- Open library is my way. I have a word document recording the books I read or wish to in the..."

I've never heard of this one! Thanks for the info!!

Terris wrote: "I usually have a plan, but as some others have said, if I swerve away from the plan, it's OK! I try to tell myself that there are no rules to this plan, and no one will know if I stick to it or not..."

This all sounds just like me!

Lynn wrote: "I keep learning new things. I had never heard of the serial reader app. That is so cool. Thanks Terris."

I don't understand what it is about. Is there anything there you cannot find on Project Gutenberg, manybooks.net and feedbooks.com ?

They just send you some minutes of a book daily...
Like 50 pages daily at the time you have set the app..so the reading is done regularly, in bite size pieces...

J_BlueFlower wrote: "Lynn wrote: "I keep learning new things. I had never heard of the serial reader app. That is so cool. Thanks Terris."

I don't understand what it is about. Is there anything there you cannot find o..."

Ok I just learned about something else! This is great.
My ebook experience is primarily with Kindle and
I had not heard of the site that you use.

My “secret reading tip” I’ve learned to be MUCH better at this year is allowing myself to DNF books. I used to make myself finish them and really, for what purpose? I enjoy reading, books are a huge part of my life, so if I’m not enjoying what I’m reading, then what’s the point?! I’ve seen my tbr go down this year, not something most book lovers can say!

When it comes to reading, I really just pick and choose. With 5,000 books on my tbr, I don’t need to spend time scanning shelves in the library. I know what I’m there for (unless I want to scan the shelves, of course). I’ve been trying to do more group and/or buddy reads so then I have a clear cut plan of the books I read every month. I also have a tbr jar. I bought different colored construction paper, cut them into squares, wrote book titles on each one, and folded them all up. Each color is a different genre so I just need to pick that color when I’m in the mood for that type of book.

Also, I always have an audiobook going for when I want to read but can’t: when I’m doing my makeup to either go out or go to work, when I’m painting my nails, doing dishes, folding and putting away laundry, etc. Used to find my audiobooks on YouTube but just this month I downloaded the Libby app onto my phone and I don’t know what I was doing without it before lol.

I love your "tbr jar!" That is such a fun idea!!
And it sounds like you listen to audio books just like I do. Now I almost don't dread cleaning the bathroom, because "I'm reading a book!" ;)
I am going to look into that Libby app. I have not heard of it, and am not sure that I need it, but it looks interesting. Thanks for the info!

I use the Libby app to get ebooks from our local library system, including audio books. It's easy to use for me on my ipad.

Terris wrote: "I love your "tbr jar!" That is such a fun idea!!
And it sounds like you listen to audio books just like I do. Now I almost don't dread cleaning the bathroom, because "I'm reading a book!" ;)
I am g..."

Thanks. My dad had this vintage glass jar he’d collect change in. When he passed last year, I couldn’t throw it away. So I washed it out and that’s now my tbr jar.

Libby is the upgraded version of the Overdrive app used by libraries. You can download it to a tablet, iPad, phone, etc. It syncs up with whatever device you’re using. Overdrive didn’t, I think. It was VERY easy to set up and I’m clueless about everything computer/electronic wise.

Allie wrote: "My “secret reading tip” I’ve learned to be MUCH better at this year is allowing myself to DNF books. I used to make myself finish them and really, for what purpose? I enjoy reading, books are a hug..."


I agree your TBR jar is a fun idea. I also think your DNF policy is very healthy. At some point we learn what we like and what we don't. Life is too short to waste on things we don't like.

J_BlueFlower wrote: "Lynn wrote: "I keep learning new things. I had never heard of the serial reader app. That is so cool. Thanks Terris."

I don't understand what it is about. Is there anything there you cannot find o..."

Thanks for the manybooks.net mention. I spent the afternoon looking at their classics. I downloaded 25 different books in pdf. Many of them were books from our shelf that I have not read and did not own.

Allie wrote: "Terris wrote: "I love your "tbr jar!" That is such a fun idea!!
And it sounds like you listen to audio books just like I do. Now I almost don't dread cleaning the bathroom, because "I'm reading a b..."

Thanks, Allie & Rosemarie, for further info on the Libby app. I think I'll like it!

Lynn wrote: "I love how Goodreads introduces me to new authors or additional books by favorite authors and I am never at a loss for an idea about what to read next. But on the flip side, my TBR list grows and g..."

Time: Read whenever you are free, even if it is for just a few minutes.
Physical limitations: Depends on what they are. You can always multitask with an audiobook or an ebook (many classics can be found free) with a screen reading program.
Money: Libraries, Project Gutenberg, Feedbooks, etc.
That said, TBR is still over 1600 and growing.

for buying: eBay, Amazon Marketplace and charity shops for used books (I almost never buy a new book), Amazon Daily Deals for 99p Kindles;
for free electronic: gutenberg.org, archive.org

for reading: always having several books on the go at once - these are VERY CAREFULLY CHOSEN to include a mixture of short/long, heavy/light, paper/electronic, so that there is ALWAYS something I am keen to read at every given moment of the day (right down to having a book handy which doesn't need a great deal of continuous attention which you can read in snatches while cooking a meal or during the ad-breaks while watching a TV programme!)

oh, and my over-arching secret weapon is a spreadsheet which allows all aspects of planning to be masterminded,
although this does NOT mean that I have a strict/unwavering "treadmill" of books stretching into the distance - there is always an element of flexibility, allowing for mood-choice and queue-jumping, such that when I come to think about starting my next book there are usually 20-25 to pick from on my "on-deck" shelf

Michele wrote: "My secret weapon is spending literally all my free time reading."

This is the one that works for me. If I don't read at every opportunity I wouldn't read half of what I read every year. God didn't grant me speed in any kind, not a foot, or speed of reading. I have to keep plodding along to read the number of books I read in a year. A number that many people would consider a mediocre year of reading.

Darren wrote: "for buying: eBay, Amazon Marketplace and charity shops for used books (I almost never buy a new book), Amazon Daily Deals for 99p Kindles;
for free electronic: gutenberg.org, archive.org

for read..."

I love this group so much because it proves that I'm not so strange as my friends think I am!! There are other people out there who read just like me -- I just have to look all over the world for "my people!"

Darren, I completely agree with reading in snatches such as while cooking a meal or during commercial breaks -- why waste that time?!

Also, the spreadsheet is exactly how I organize my reading plans, even if I don't always follow them! And I put one or two stars by the ones that are "on-deck," unless someone talks about a good one that they have read recently that I just have to move up to the front of the line! (I'm sorry to say that "you people" are the ones that usually get me off of my plan, because you keep telling me about wonderful books that I need to read! And I Thank You for that!)

I really enjoy finding out about how, when, and why other people read. So interesting -- and fun!! :)

I like to read several books at once. I have books I read at work, ones I read a home, ones I read before bed, and ones that I read on my phone for when I'm out and about. I also try to incorporate books into various times of my day. For example, I read while I'm working out (or listen to an audio book). I also read during lunch and on my breaks at work, first thing in the morning as I'm getting ready for the day, and I set aside half an hour in the evening to read (not including reading in bed!)

TL;DR--Read a couple books at a time, and remember: there is always time to read if you're willing to make the time.

I find that the more I read, the more my TBR shelf expands.

AudioBooks and treadmill. Perfect combination. I also once asked my cousin how she found time to read all the books. She replied: I don’t watch TV. I also have an e-book on my IPhone. So no more glossy magazines at the waiting rooms.

I also have ebooks on my iphone. It does give me more opportunities to read a few pages here and there when I am not at home.

I bring my Kindle everywhere. I try never to leave home without it. And I always have an audiobook or 2 downloaded on my phone.

I think I wouldn't get as much joy out of reading if I didn't acquire most of my books through library sales and used book stores. It gives an element of treasure hunting to it.

Aubrey wrote: "I think I wouldn't get as much joy out of reading if I didn't acquire most of my books through sales and used book stores. It gives an element of treasure hunting to it."

I love that too!!

I love used book stores. I always try to buy a couple of books as souvenirs when travelling too.

Yes, bookstores (heavy sigh). Old books, new books, bright books, blue books! They are a wonderland, are they not?

Terry wrote: "Yes, bookstores (heavy sigh). Old books, new books, bright books, blue books! They are a wonderland, are they not?"

Love it! Yes, oh yes.