My TBR pile is out of control!!

Although books are my happy place, currently my TBR pile has been a major source of anxiety.

I know that I now own enough books to fuel my reading habit for years to come. This does not stop me from buying more. I know where to find the good book sales! I try to stay away, but I keep getting sucked back in. Where else can you find hours of entertainment for $5.99…how could you pass that up?? There are so many awesome books coming out all the time! I plan to read so many of them immediately, and then somehow they get pushed further down the TBR list. I also moderate a book club once a month, so there is no getting around that inevitable purchase.

I know what you are all thinking! Borrow it from the library. Well, I simply cannot. I have this uncontrollable urge to own the books I read. I used to go to the library all the time, but I just ended up buying the books I liked anyway, and there are very, very few books that I dont like at least a little. I like knowing I can pick up a title at any given time and re-read! Also, I do lend out books to trusted friends so they can experience and share feelings as well!

And I know what you are thinking now! Digital books Lindsey! They take up no room and they are much less expensive! Well, friends, e-books are just not for me. I have tried them. It’s not like I’m not even going to give them a chance. I own 2 e-readers, but absolutely nothing beats curling up on the couch with a hot cup of tea and an actual, physical book in my lap. I love the way they smell! I love the way the book spine feels in my hand! I love the way they look displayed on my many, and multiplying, shelves!

However, the problem is not running out of space for my many books. Well, it kind of is. It will be. But I am prepared to deal with that problem. The problem is the anxiety I feel when I look at all the books and realize that I cannot speed read and I have to do grown up things like work and sleep. The desire to read all of the books at once is overwhelming. I almost always have an overly ambitious monthly TBR pile. I usually only accomplish about 1/3 if I’m lucky. I just ALWAYS get WAY too EXCITED!!! There are so many epic sounding, potentially life altering stories to discover!!!

Another source of my stress is shelf organization. I would love nothing more than to organize my shelf by color, but my insides scream NO!!! when I think about my series like divergent and beautiful creatures being separated. I had my books separated by age group, and that seemed to be going just fine until I decided to make it harder on myself. Then they were separated by read and not read, reviewed and not reviewed, and age group.  And the prettiest and most important books are displayed at eye level if I can manage. Of course. I just keep shuffling them around. I suppose that is half the fun though 🙂

I am going to be moving soon! Which means that I have to re-locate my books! Sooo, I’m going to try out the whole dividing books by color thing. Worst case scenario I go crazy for a little while and then I put them back in the obsessive order I know and love. I’ll let you know how it goes!!

I want to know what book stressors you are facing! Also, do you divide your books into categories? Which ones?