I am trying to determine what proportion of readers make plans about what they will read.
I know many bloggers are like me: they join Reading Challenges (or set their own), create lists of books to look out for, or similar.
But maybe you don't: you are one of those people who just go to the library or bookshop to select your next book.
Please take the poll and maybe leave a related comment on this post.
Interesting question, Kerrie! I do list the books I want to read for some things (like the Crime Fiction Alphabet meme). But I don't for everything.
ReplyDeleteI really struggle with the whole 'turn up at the library and see what they've got' scenario. It even bugs me when other people do it :) I think it comes from so many years of having to do that and being disappointed with the results...I used to routinely go along and bring home a dozen books but only find one or two I enjoyed. That's when I learned to DNF
ReplyDeleteI keep a list of books to read of all my favorite authors and possible new authors based on info received in emails and blogs. It is an Excel spreadsheet color coded as to whether it's on my bookshelf, at the library, on my Kindle or an iBook. I also keep track of those books I've read just for my own info.
ReplyDeleteLike Jacki, I have a list of books to get. I keep two lists - books to get and mysteries - those I've read. Otherwise , I found myself purchasing or checking out books I had already read. Book store employees are usually amazed at my list: my list for books I've read is 176 pages and my books to get list is 36 pages. I've kept the lists since 1998 so it doesn't include a lot of the mysteries I read when I was starting out - golden age, Nero Wolfe, etc. I only purchase used books - it's fun for a treasure hunt in used book stores.
ReplyDeleteI may be the most incorrigible of all. I do make a list of books to read from my existing books and then another wishlist of books (that I will get to at some point in my life). And then I go to a library or bookshop and get something else on impulse. So all plans go out the window.
ReplyDeleteI love making lists - of books for reading challenges, books to look at to see if I'd like them, books other bloggers have recommended, books I'd like to buy, but I also love going into the library and taking pot luck. I don't mind if the book is disappointing - I can just take it back - and sometimes it turns out be a great book!
ReplyDeleteOh the whole my lists consist of books I have that I want to read and books that I'd like to read and these I keep a look out for when visiting book shops/sales etc. If I go to the library it is more often for non-fiction so I take a look at what's on offer and pick that way.
ReplyDeleteI do make lists, but I often don't look at them again. I have mental lists of lots and lots of books. I have many crime series that I try to keep up with and actually am trying to catch up on a bunch of them this year. Or ditch them permanently, which is also a little freeing. I don't do challenges because that feels like school to me and pressure. My only "must read" is for my mystery book group once a month. So, I answered "sometimes" to your poll because I do make them and often ignore them. LOL
ReplyDeleteI used to have long lists - books I was looking for, authors I wanted to try. I always had a list in the back of my diary so if I came on a 2nd-hand bookshop I could check out if they had anything I was looking for. then the internet came along, and I was able to get hold of all the lost, obscure, out of print books I wanted. So then I used to use my amazon 'save to buy later' list as a wishlist, to remind myself of books I wanted to read. But nowadays I have a short list of authors whose next book I definitely want - so every so often I check to see if there's something upcoming. But no more of a list than that these days... times have changed a lot.
ReplyDeleteMy list would be more like Cleo's. Not specific to challenges but just books I want to read within the next year. I don't stick to that list though, for various reasons, and then I get frustrated with myself. I always have an ongoing list of books to look for at book sales, but I have a hard time keeping up with it.
ReplyDeleteI have a huge TBR list in my Word file, and I'm always adding to it when I read a good book review or a favorite author comes out with a new book.
ReplyDeleteI asterisk the books I've read are very good.
I'm trying not to buy books, so I'm reading what kind friends and bloggers have given to me or books on my own stacks or library books.
I did cheat and buy two books recently because my library is terrible at buying global books, so we'll see how this goes.
I always have a list on the go, mostly made up of suggestions from reviews (thank you for those!). The list keeps unfamiliar authors in focus and is useful since there is a 3-6 month lag between new book reviews and the book becoming available in our library. It also helps me to spot e-book bargains as they fleetingly become available. However, every time I go to the library (approx every couple of weeks), I pick up at least one totally random book from the displays, to ensure I don't fall into reading ruts.
ReplyDeleteI always have a list on the go, mostly of suggestions from reviews (thank you for those!). It helps keep unfamiliar authors in focus and as a reminder as there is a 3-6 month lag between new book reviews and availability in our library. It also helps me to spot e-book bargains as they fleetingly become available. However, every time I visit the library (every week or two), I pick up at least one book randomly selected from the displays. This stops me getting into reading ruts and some of my best reads have happened this way.
ReplyDeleteI do make lists (usually based on the books I already have or authors I want to read more of), but then the plans go out the window once I am in the library or a bookshop and find something that tempts me. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak...
ReplyDelete