The worst part about finishing a book is trying to decide what to read next. It sometimes takes me DAYS to decide on something to read. Anyone else?

I usually take a break for about 3 - 5 days after finishing a book. Then just got down the list I have on my Kobo. Make it easier for myself. Just go to the next book without even thinking about it.

This is why I started using a booktracking app. I keep a TBR list based on books I've heard about/seem interesting to me. I alternate between fiction and non-fiction and only read books on my TBR, and solved the issue of choosing the next book.

I buy books aspirationally. I have more that I want to read than I'll possibly finish. If I'm near to finishing a book and none of the ones I already have are appealing (I've been on a tear on a particular historical topic lately), I'll order something that fits.

I couldn't wait to start a new book on Monday after finishing the last one on Friday. They are from competing scholars with opposing views. I read 60 pages of the new one yesterday (I mostly only read when I'm at the office, which is three days per week; I'm online when I wfh).

Well, not really. The 'to be read' list is long, and the amount of unread books in the shelf is large. It's just on to the next.

It's true, I have a shitload on my tbr shelf. Still takes me way too long to decide what to read. I always get dread that I'll read something i don't like. Same with movies and tv shows. I get this kind of dread that I'll watch something i don't like, so I just end up not watching anything new.
- I'm like this with videogames, I need a 3rd party website to keep track of what I'd like to play, but end up playing what my friends are
- Ah, that does make sense. I understand the feeling.
How do you track your tbrs?
- I'd wish I had a fancy answer. Would've made for better conversation. But thank you for asking. I just keep a bulletpoint list, in my notes. It's not too long to manage like that.
  
  How about you? And others?
- This is what I use Goodreads for... I'm constantly adding new books to to 'want to read' list, and I generally add them faster than I'm reading, so I never run out. And when I do get to a time when there's nothing on the 'want to read' list that I want to read at that moment, I'll come to Lemmy and look at a 'books' community and there's always a 'what's everyone reading' thread where I can find something good.

Just pick something off the too be read shelf and get at it. If it's not the vibe put it down and pick up something else. No need to overthink

overthinking is what i do best heh
- Just remind yourself that you already did the hard work of overthinking when you started keeping a TBR list and adding books to it, and randomly choose one to start next😄
- Is this a book whose message I agree with or want to explore right now? ...Do I really want to read <insert theme> for 300+ pages.... Do I really want to read <insert theme> for 200 pages? ....Should I go with something high concept, or settle for trope-y genre fiction? ....Let's look at reviews on goodreads...the average is 4 stars, but this person says this book is a GIANT waste of time, do I want to chance it? ....I really like <insert author>'s books, but am I tired of hearing the same voice and themes explored? ...I'm reading too much fiction, I need to read some non-fiction. ....Non-fiction is just some author spending 300 pages trying to sway me to a particular point of view, or their just explaining on concept verbosely and repetitively for 300+ pages.... Maybe I'll just read a comic, eh all these series are just spins on older, better drawn and written ones.... I'll just grab ten different books from the library, one of them has to be good, right? ....All ten of these books look like they're just a damn waste of time! Why do I need to muse on the history and sociological implications of the toothbrush for 400 pages?! ....Maybe books are just overrated, why do I think I need to read anyways? ....What am I really getting from all of this reading? Is someone awarding me a prize at the end? Is this like those old book competitions in school where I win a pizza party after reading 200 hundred books? Aaaaaaaaagggggghhhh!!!
- Understandable

I don't go in person to the library super often any more, but when I did I got in the habit of grabbing one book semi at random off the shelf. I say "semi at random" because it's probably from a section I enjoy (likely fantasy) and I'll quickly vet it as something I would at least possibly enjoy. But otherwise, just grab a random thing.

Pair that with a willingness to stop reading a book if you're not really into it, and sometimes you find gold where you'd normally not have thought to go looking. (A willingness to not be stuck with a book can go a long way toward making it easier to start one, in my experience.)

I’m usually reading at least 3 books at any given time, so when I’ve finished one or two, I still have time to pick up the next one.

I don't have the dread of choosing what comes next, but I'll wait a few days after finishing a really good book before I start to read something else. I think some books need those few days to be properly digested, and cycled out of your system. After a few days, I just pick something that looks at least okay. If it's fun, I'll read it whole, if not, I'll drop and move on to something else. In the meanwhile, before picking the next thing, I'll just enjoy some of my other hobbies. Play games, go deep into a rabbit hole of knowledge I had no clue it would be interesting, touch some grass... Also, it helps to take a look at discussions surrounding the book, it helps me connect through the book.

I read a really good book at the end of last year and it kind of put me in a reading slump. I had to let it sit for a moment and then I kind of didn't feel like reading anything else for a while.

This happens rarely to me but I've actually come to appreciate it when it does. I am trying to get into a "quality over quantity" mindset after a few years of just reading as much as I possibly could.

I feel like we should give books more time to "breathe" in general after we finish reading instead of always jumping into the next one straight away!

@aeternum I participate in a bunch of games/challenges that help me narrow things down.

My wife bought a bunch of books to keep herself occupied at work

She wasn't able to choose a book to read next and ended up having a mild anxiety attack.

So I made a chart of books, gave her a d20, and once she finishes one series she rolls the die and reads whichever book she rolled, or rerolls if needed.

Absolutely. Which is why I like medium sized series of books that way the next book is usually clear, but I don't have the secondary issue of never feeling like I'm "done" you get with long series.

Start looking when you get to the last book and by the time you're through you can hop right in

I always dread finishing a really good series, going back to the dregs of "not bad but not great" books is depressing.

Recently I've been on a "litrpg" kick, and let me tell you there are a few winners and a whole slew of mediocre novels in the genre.

I use a random number generator to select my next read from my tbr.

Do you use software for your tbr?
- I use thestorygraph.com to manage my read history/TBR/etc.
- I just keep a numbered list on the Notion app and Google a random number generator. When I add new books to the list, I put them at the top so it keeps the titles rotating.

It’s so stupid, there’s more great things to read than you can ever possibly finish.

But yes, I do the same thing.

No. I just read whatever is on top of the stack of books waiting to be read, unless a new book in a series I'm already reading just came out, then I'll start that.

If there isn't a book that is screaming your name from the shelf, then you aren't going to miss out on some life changing moment. Books aren't instantaneous moments that you'll miss out on. Your experience might be different if you read a book when you are in your teens vs when you are in your 20s vs in your 40s, but if you read a book now vs in a few weeks, I think you'll be OK.

Often enough my library will make this decision for me. You can't read what's not available

I have this whole system where I alternate between poetry/non-fiction/fiction and contemporary/classic, so I always have about fifty books on my shelf and there's always an obvious next one to read. Like right now I'm reading some classic prose fiction so my next read is contemporary poetry.

@aeternum I am kind of the other way as I have 2 or three books on the go at a time; a none-fiction comfort, a fiction comfort, a none-fiction new and a fiction new so I tend to flit about a bit.

Thats why I pick my books randomly from my to read list