2026: Clean Up Your Old TBRs > 5 Years > Likes and Comments
date
newest »
newest »
This space has been reserved to list the members participating and linking to their comment.Pam
Angela and Msg2
Richard
Bam cooks the books & July
Victoria
Pamela
Books on my TBR that have been there more thLouise Pennyan 5 years that I've finally read:Clean Up > 5 Years TBRs
Duration: 06/01/2026 - 12/31/2026
Achievement Level: Ongoing
Progress: 6 / ?
✅Vanished by Joseph Finder - Added to GR TBR on Jul 11, 2019 - Comp. Jun 27, 2026
✅Witch Is When It All Began by Adele Abbott - Added to GR TBR on Apr 11, 2020 - Comp. Jun 25, 2026.
✅The Long Call by Ann Cleeves - Added to GR TBR Jun 17, 2019 - Comp. Jun 25, 2026.
✅Made a Killing by Zach Abrams - Purchased Mar 03 2018 - Comp. Aug 18, 2026.
✅ Eleven by Carolyn Arnold - Added to GR TBR on Jan 26, 2020. - Comp. Sep 15, 2026.
✅Still Life by Louise Penny = Added to GR TBR on Apr 06, 2019 - Comp. Oct 27, 2026.
Books on my TBR that have been there more than 5 years that I've finally read :1.The Moonflower Vine
. 4 stars . My thoughts : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... On my tbr for 9 years ! Purchased kindle.2. Love Begins in Winter: Five Stories.
3.5 stars. On my tbr for over 5 years .My thoughts : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... purchased Kindle.3. Wake
, one of the best debut novels I’ve read. On my tbr for 10 years. 5 stars. My review : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... purchased Kindle.4. Three, which was on my tbr for not quite 5 years - over 4 years . Another beautifully written novel by Perrin . 5 stars . My thoughts : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
5. Himself
. 4.5 stars .My review : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This has been on my kindle and tbr since 2017!
Books on my TBR that have been there more than 5 years that I've finally read (and where I got them):
For June, I'm reading these NetGalley arcs still on my TBR list from 2016/2017:1) Echoes of Family by Barbara Claypole White, published September 27, 2016 ✅: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
2) Fatal by John Lescroart, published January 24, 2017 ✅: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
3) The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker, published January 31, 2107 ✅: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
All completed as of 6/21/26! And I have to say I enjoyed them all.
A non-fiction bonus to my June challenge:
4) The Plant-Based Solution: America's Healthy Heart Doc's Plan to Power Your Health by Joel K. Kahn ✅: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Bam cooks the books wrote: "NetGalley arcs still on my TBR list from 2016/2017: ..."Welcome to the challenge.
PamG wrote: "Bam cooks the books wrote: "NetGalley arcs still on my TBR list from 2016/2017: ..."Welcome to the challenge."
Thanks, Pam! 😊 📚
Welcome to the challenge to Angela and Richard as well.
One more over 5 years on my tbr that I finally read Love Begins in Winter: Five Stories.
3.5 stars. My thoughts : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
For July/August and to welcome Summer, I plan to read some summer-themed books from my very old arc list: 5) Hello, Summer by Mary Kay Andrews, published in May, 2020: ✅ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
6) Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner, also published in May 2020: ✅ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
7) Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland, published in July, 2020: ✅
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
8) Montauk by Nicola Harrison, published in June, 2019: ✅
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Bam cooks the books wrote: "For June, I'm reading these NetGalley arcs still on my TBR list from 2016/2017:1) Echoes of Family by Barbara Claypole White, published September 27, 2016 ✅: http..."
Congratulations on Completing the Archivist level in June. Here is your badge.
PamG wrote: "Bam cooks the books wrote: "For June, I'm reading these NetGalley arcs still on my TBR list from 2016/2017:1) Echoes of Family by Barbara Claypole White, publishe..."
Wow, thank you! You made my day! 😊
Bam cooks the books wrote: "Wow, thank you! You made my day! 😊..."😊
Bam, using a seasonal theme to clear older ARCs is a smart way to make backlog reading feel intentional instead of dutiful. The summer titles also let you compare how books published in different years use the same season—as atmosphere, escape, or pressure—while still moving four long-waiting books forward.
Vera wrote: "Bam, using a seasonal theme to clear older ARCs is a smart way to make backlog reading feel intentional instead of dutiful. The summer titles also let you compare how books published in different y..."I began season-themed reading years ago with Christmas and/or winter books and have always enjoyed that so it occurred to me that I could celebrate summer by choosing books with that setting while whittling away at my old TBR list.
Clean Up > 5 Years TBRsDuration: 06/1/2026 - 12/31/2026
Achievement Level: Not Yet Started
Progress: 0 / ?
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Going for: TBR Zen Master: 15 or more books and starting with this month. Otherwise if I went back to June I would have 9 done already and it wouldn't be much of a challenge. Clean Up > 5 Years TBRs
Duration: 08/01/2026 - 12/31/2026
Achievement Level: The Purger - still going
Progress: 12 / 15
Book 1: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Bought: March.2002, finished reading: August.19.2026
Book 2: The Summer Guest by Justin Cronin
Bought: February.2017, finished reading: August.20.2026
Book 3: Biography of Silence: An Essay on Meditation by Pablo d'Ors
Bought: November.2022, finished reading: August.24.2026
Book 4: The Best American Travel Writing 2016 edited by Bill Bryson
Bought: March.2017, finished reading: August.27.2026
Book 5: What Have You Changed Your Mind About?: Today's Leading Minds Rethink Everything edited by John Brockman
Bought: sometime in 2015, finished reading: August.31.2026
Book 6: Stonedial by George Konrád
Bought: March.2001, finished reading: September.14.2026
Book 7: Superluminal by Vonda McIntyre
Bought: around mid-1990s, finished reading: September.19.2026
Book 8: Red Star Sister : Between Madness and Utopia by Leslie Brody
Bought: April.2005, finished reading: September.25.2026
Book 9: Identity by Milan Kundera
Bought: August.2000, finished reading: September.30.2026
Book 10: Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen
Bought: probably in 2000, finished reading: September.30.2026
Book 11: Pastoralia by George Saunders
Bought: in January 2002, finished reading: October.19.2026
Book 12: Light from Other Stars by Erika Swyler
Bought: in January 2020, finished reading: October.20.2026
Book 13:
Book 14:
Book 15:
It's been a struggle, but I have now finished 8 books. We'll see if I can get to the next level before year's end. 📚 📚📚
Bam cooks the books wrote: "It's been a struggle, but I have now finished 8 books. We'll see if I can get to the next level before year's end. 📚 📚📚"Congratulations! Your Inspector badge will be coming after the end of the month. Good luck as you work through the next level. I'm still stuck at 4 books.
PamG wrote: "Bam cooks the books wrote: "It's been a struggle, but I have now finished 8 books. We'll see if I can get to the next level before year's end. 📚 📚📚"Congratulations! Your Inspector badge will be c..."
Thank you! Having taken the time to read these last four books will probably put me in trouble with my September commitments but I was so determined to accomplish this goal. Good luck with yours too.
Eight long-waiting books is real progress, even if it creates a scheduling bill for September. The useful question may be which commitments truly have fixed dates and which can move; otherwise one successful challenge simply turns into the next backlog.
Vera wrote: "Eight long-waiting books is real progress, even if it creates a scheduling bill for September. The useful question may be which commitments truly have fixed dates and which can move; otherwise one ..."That's so true. I'm struggling now to meet my arc commitments for September 1st, but sometimes you just have to please yourself and not worry about it.
Bam cooks the books wrote: "Vera wrote: "Eight long-waiting books is real progress, even if it creates a scheduling bill for September. The useful question may be which commitments truly have fixed dates and which can move; o..."I had 3 that will be published on Sep 1st, but I got them read and reviewed in time.) I have 7 more ARC commitments in September that I haven't read. I used to be 1 to 2 months ahead in my reading of ARCs but now I'm getting more ARCs. I used to limit myself to 10 books at a time on NG. Now it seems to stay between 18 and 25 (spread out over some amount of time).
PamG wrote: "Bam cooks the books wrote: "Vera wrote: "Eight long-waiting books is real progress, even if it creates a scheduling bill for September. The useful question may be which commitments truly have fixed..."That's a very good plan. This September seems to be a big publishing month. I have 14 so it will be a stretch to get them all read on schedule, plus my two book club reads and any others that may strike my fancy. 📚📚📚
That is the useful correction to any scheduling system: it should protect pleasure, not turn every book into another deadline. The practical balance may be to reserve fixed ARC dates first, then leave one unclaimed reading slot so a spontaneous choice does not feel like failure.
Himself
. 4.5 stars .My review : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This has been on my kindle and tbr since 2017!
Angela M wrote: "Himself. 4.5 stars .....This has been on my kindle and tbr since 2017!r ..."
Congratulations on reading a book that's been on your TBR so long! It sounds like it was a great read.
Angela M wrote: "Himself. 4.5 stars. This has been on my kindle and tbr since 2017!"
Nine years on the Kindle and it comes out at four and a half, that is the best argument for never clearing a TBR too ruthlessly. Was it the Irish village setting that finally pulled you in, Angela, or did something else remind you it was sitting there?
This is a space to keep track of all those old TBRs that you wanted to read and are just now getting around to reading them.
Achievement Levels:
The Archivist: 1 - 4 books
The Inspector: 5 - 8 books
The Purger: 9 - 14 books
TBR Zen Master: 15 or more books
Notes and Steps
- Books must have been on your TBR for 5 years or more.
- The book can be your Goodreads TBR or an offline TBR or a Physical TBR.
- The Books can be of any genre.
- The books read for other challenges can be used here if they meet the requirements.
- Copy the blank template below and paste it into a new comment to start your challenge!
- Have fun cleaning up your oldest TBRs.
-------------------------------------------------------
Clean Up > 5 Years TBRs
Duration: 06/1/2026 - 12/31/2026
Achievement Level: Not Yet Started
Progress: 0 / ?
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3