How to Organize Your TBR Shelf in a Guilt-Free Fashion

This year I've been lamenting the fact that most of my reading lately has been obligatory.  That isn't to say that everything I've read has been uninteresting, but rather that there is a reason I'm reading it beyond my mood.  Declaring that my reading needed to be more whim-tastic, I immediately instituted a two-pronged approach.

Not sure if this balancing act could be solved by
rearranging my bookshelf...though I'd still try!
(photo credit)

First, the books I took on my impending vacation were not allowed to be "guilt" books (need to read, obligatory books for whatever reason) I could only take books that I had a bubbling interest in reading (I ended up cheating a little bit by taking Anna Karenina, which ended up being quite difficult to read in the Caribbean--duh).

Second, I did what I always do when I need to get my life in order: reorganize by bookshelf.

For many readers, acquiring books is a balancing act.  It starts with the realization that there are more books being put on the list than are being crossed off the list.  For some people that isn't a problem: they are blessed with the ability to view bookcases of unread books as opportunities rather than responsibilities.  Others fear that the mood or the interest will pass and so begin feeling antsy or guilty.  And then there's always that mysterious breed that is so moderate they don't even understand the concept of book hoarding.  We'll not be talking about those people. Nor the first group.  We're here to discuss those that feel guilt when the unread books they own seem to be multiplying on their own in the dead of night.  This is about justification, people.  Own more books, guilt free!

Before:
Me, furrowed brow, reloading my TBR pages on Goodreads and Librarything to see if the number of books I haven't read has changed since I looked at it an hour ago.  Quickly scrolling through the list, I keep an eyebrow cocked on the lookout for a book I've read--a stowaway silently undermining my mission.  HUNDREDS of books.  How did we get here?

After:
Curled up on a couch, steaming coffee in hand, cozy blanket wrapped around my legs, quietly traveling to another time, another place.  There is no other book in the world than the one I'm reading.  Life is organized, under control.  The days of the sagging TBR shelves are a thing of the past.

Wait, how did that happen?
It's all in the organization.  Looking at the shelves filled with books you haven't yet read and organizing them alphabetically isn't going to do anything to soothe your conscience.  Sorting them according the colors of the covers might be a fun puzzle and pleasing to the eye, but won't be much help beyond that.  Maybe you don't keep your unread books apart from the ones you've read, on a shelf of their own, but if you do (or want to) this is how I go about it.

Start here:
The main step, (and it may be a large one,) is deciding on some general types of To Be Read books you have.

• Nonfiction: are you planning to read it straight through? or is it a coffee-table book? a reference book?  Unless you specifically plan on reading the whole thing from front to back, get it off your TBR shelf.
• Collections: 
• Type 1--sometimes I acquire books more for the beauty and collectability than for the simple fact that I'm dying to read it.  I don't do this as often as I would like, but it happens.  These books should be on your beautiful-books-shelf, not your TBR-shelf.
• Type 2--personal goals/interests/challenges may not consist of a predetermined collection of books, but they should be grouped as one nonetheless.  Whether it's my growing collection of Willa Cather books or Pulitzer books, these need to be separated from the general TBR riff-raff.
• Obligatory:  Chances are, some of the books you "need" to read are not books that you've bought for yourself.  They might be ARCs or book club selections, they might be books loaned/given to you my a friend or family member.  These need a special spot on your shelf to help with prioritizing and deciding on your next read.
• Genres: I may be nit-picking, but I like to separate my books a bit further.  All of my classics are on their own shelf, (not shown below,) whether I've read them or not.  For me, they are like a collection of their own.  The craving to read a classic is different than a craving to read nonfiction or current adult fiction.  In the picture below you can see how I've done this: Junior Fiction on the bottom shelf, Collections and NonFiction on the 2nd shelf, followed by Adult Fiction, and the top shelf is for the more transient books: those lent to me, those needing to be returned, and obligatory reads.  (I have to be honest and say that I have more books TBR than just these...but they are at a different house right now--something I do not recommend! How am I supposed to read them if they aren't even around me??)

Simultaneously:

With your super-stealthy multitasking balancing mega-powers, as you are sorting your books, why not take the time to cull some unwanted books?  I actually do this quite often, which--I'm discovering--makes it quite difficult to build a massive library.  BUT, it has the side affect of not becoming an "extra stuff" burden.  Some of the books on my TBR shelf are there for some really flimsy reasons. (Most often they were passed on to me by a well-meaning friend or family member, and I kept them out of obligation, not interest--if you aren't interested in it, get rid of it!)

How does that feel?
I may be a bit more nuts-o about organizing my shelves than you, (it's okay, you can laugh,) but having my books properly sorted makes such a huge difference for me!  My TBR books seemed to go from an entire bookcase down to one measly shelf (the Adult Fiction is the genre I feel guiltiest about for some reason...those are the ones I worry about my tastes changing.)  A whole bookcase full of books I haven't read is overwhelming, but I can handle a shelf.

What books seem to be the most guilt-inducing for you?  Do you have any special tricks for preventing over-whelm-ation?  The end of the year, as you are putting together goals and ideas for next year's reading, is the perfect time to do some decluttering and reorganizing.  And I'm not just saying that because I love to organize.  :)