After a particularly spectacular reading month back in June (you can read more about it in this post), I felt I could conquer the reading world. I saw how much I could accomplish if I dedicated the time to reading. And after finishing one book, the next thing I wanted to do was to finish another. So having read 9 books in June, almost double the amount of my best reading month ever, I was pumped! At that moment, I made a decision. I was going to read my entire TBR, both physical and digital.

This decision was not motivated purely by an exceptional reading month. My first reading experiment of the year made me realise the books I buy are based on my mood. Although, I tend to feel guilty for prioritising a shiny new book over the ones collecting dust on my shelves. And if I avoid reading the new book straight away, I’ll forget about it. This cycle keeps my TBR growing and my will to read those books decreasing.

TBR shelves are just like wardrobes. At one point, we’ve all said the words “there’s nothing to wear” while looking at dozens of pieces of clothing. The same thing goes for books. I’ve looked at my shelves and thought “I have nothing to read”. Yes, I do. I have that book I bought 2 years ago that “I really wanted to read” but never got to it. There’s also that second-hand book I thought was intriguing but never got to see for myself. My shelves are full of stories I wanted to read at one point in my life. But if I keep blocking my view with shiny new covers, the older ones will keep collecting dust. It was settled. I was going to read every single book I own. And so it began Project TBR Zero.

The Rules

To accomplish this task, I can’t increase my TBR. So I’ve put myself into a book-buying ban since June. A buying ban isn’t hard for me to deal with because I’m not an impulse buyer. Although, I have to admit, since then, I’ve read a couple of books that made me want to break that ban – I’m looking at you A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. And knowing I’ll have to wait until I read everything else, it’s heartbreaking.

I will also allow DNF-ing (Did Not Finish) and putting books aside that I never wanted to read, in the first place, mostly free books or gifts. My focus is on the books I was interested in reading. I’m not going to push myself to waste time on a book I’m not enjoying. The purpose of this project is to enjoy reading even more, so why do I have to torture myself in the process? No. If I don’t like the book, then DNF. If I don’t even want to open it, then DWTR (don’t want to read).

For the sake of not bumping into a reading slump wall, I’ll allow myself to read outside of my TBR. The publisher Simon & Schuster has a website dedicated to their YA titles with a new selection of books to read every month for free: Riveted. They won’t always have something I want to read, but since I’m a mood reader, there’s the probability of them having a specific genre that I don’t have on my shelves anymore. But even if they don’t, then there’s also Spotify. It’s no secret that some books are available to listen to for free, and one of them can be what I need to jump back into reading the rest of my TBR.

I know that bringing other books will only delay me from archiving my goal. Although I also know that my TBR is very limited in some genres. For example, I don’t have any YA romance, in fact, I don’t even have any Adult romance. Even though I don’t read it that often, sometimes it’s just the right thing to read. And if I’m in the mood for it and I don’t have it, then things might get complicated. I might find myself starting I-don’t-know-how-many books to find something to grab me, failing, and getting into a reading slump. It can be so easy to get yourself in one. And the hardest thing is to get yourself out of one.

The First Quarter

At the beginning of June, I had 96 books on my TBR, from paperbacks to hardcovers and ebooks (I don’t own any audiobooks). I read 7, which left me with 89 books to read in the upcoming months. I was determined to reach a zero book count by the end of the year. Meaning I had to read 14 books every month to accomplish that goal. I knew I couldn’t do it (spoiler alert: I barely read anything in July and August). I couldn’t read that much in a short time. Although I stood my ground. I was determined to not have a TBR shelf. I wanted to reach a point where I have to buy a book, otherwise, I have nothing to read. I wasn’t and still am not lacking any motivation to accomplish this. Although the rhythm I’ll be doing it will be different.

In June, I read a little bit of everything. Started the month by finishing the Project Nemesis series by Brendan Reichs with Chrysalis, the best and the saviour of the entire series. A talk for a future post. Then I read Sharp Objects by Gillian Flinn and Sarah Killian: a Serial Killer for Hire by Mark Sheldon, which was short, fun, and left me wanting to read more about her. I also read Artemis by Andy Weir, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green, The Chalk Man by C J Tudor, A Pho Love Story by Loan Lee (on Riveted), The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt, and listened to Fortuna Sworn by K J Sutton (on Spotify).

Although in July and August, things didn’t go as well. I allowed myself to slow down reading so much that I stopped altogether. The little I read, I enjoyed it a lot, but none were motivational enough to bring me back to reading. I started by reading Rainbirds by Clarissa Goenawan, which was captivating to read, and I can’t explain why. Then A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson, my new favourite mystery series, 10 out of 10, is perfect if you enjoy armchair mysteries. And finally, The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan, a book written for readers and very dangerous to read. You will want to buy a van and walk around selling books. So read at your own risk.

But August wasn’t over until I DNFed LA Confidential by James Ellroy. I was 3 quarters of the way through when I realised that I didn’t care anymore. I was enjoying the book, but the story was repetitive and took a long time to get to the point. I got an idea of the author’s writing style, and now I know the story behind LA Confidential. I just don’t know the ending, and I can live without knowing.

When September rolls around, I’m well aware I’m in a reading slump. In normal circumstances, a trip to the bookstore could help. A shiny new book I really want to read might be a way to break free. Although I can’t. And I won’t. So I need to work with what I have.

Started the month by finishing They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman, a YA drama mystery that was… okay. I was expecting a thriller but instead got a drama. It wasn’t bad, but also wasn’t what I needed to put me back into reading. Then I gave in to my desire and curiosity for Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve. Listened to the first book in the series on Spotify and realised how sh*ty the movie actually is. Now I have a new series to add to my shopping list once this project is over. And because audiobooks are handy, I also listened and read along to 1984 by George Orwell. This book became public domain last year, which means it can be read and, in this case, listen to for free. And I recommend the audio version since some parts of the story can be dense.

Then I heard about the upcoming new book from Lucy A Snyder based on one of her short stories. After a quick search, I found Magdala Amigdala, which was published in a horror magazine and is available to read online. It was discussing, so explicit, and I loved it! Mutating zombie-y infection might not be appealing to me, but since I want to dive into more horror I need to branch out. After the short break, I got back to my TBR. I read probably my last YA romance novel, Love & Other Train Wrecks by Lean Roden. And finished the month with my first Murakami book, After Dark. It was short and oddly captivating. There isn’t much happening in the story, but for some reason, I kept coming back for more. Now I understand why Murakami receives so much love. His writing has a way to capture the reader and keep you engaged.

To Recap

In the first quarter of Project TBR Zero, I started June with a TBR of 96 books. I read a total of 14 books from my TBR. I DNF-ed 1 book. And read/listened to 3 novels and 1 short story for free outside of my TBR. As it stands, my TBR is now at 81 at the end of September.

1st Quarter	TBR	Read	DNF	Free reads	TBR left
June	96	7		2	89
Jully	89	2			87
August	87	1	1		85
September	85	4		2	81
Total:		14	1	4

Even though I got back to reading more frequently and read a book per week, I still don’t feel like I’ve shaken off the reading slump. It’s still here somewhere. And probably will be around for a while. I want to read more, and every time I look at my TBR shelves, I want to finish off all the books, but I know this process will take time. I can’t read them in one or two days each. Some will take over a week and others are part of a series, meaning I need to reread before I move forward. Maybe the rainy weather will bring back my reading mood to devour every single last book. And the next time I update will be the last. It won’t.