Free TBR List Template: Plan What to Read Next
TBR means to be read. Keep the books that interest you, why you saved them and where you can get them. Then choose a small ready-now shortlist. A recommendation is a possibility, not a promise to finish another book.
A ReadersGuild guide. About the publisher. Revised .
My to-be-read list
ReadersGuild
readers-guild.comFUTURE BOOKS Title and author | Why I saved it | Where to find it ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ READY TO READ NEXT 1. Title / author: ______________________________ Copy or format available: ____________________ Why now: _____________________________________ 2. Title / author: ______________________________ Copy or format available: ____________________ Why now: _____________________________________ 3. Title / author: ______________________________ Copy or format available: ____________________ Why now: _____________________________________ WAITING OR REVISITING Title: _________________________________________ Waiting for (loan, time, next volume): ___________ Revisit when: ___________________________________ A title I can let go of: ________________________ Keep finished books in a separate reading log.
Copy into your own notes or print a blank sheet. Nothing to sign up for.
From a saved title to an available book
Keep the reason
Why did I save this?
Check access
Owned, borrowed or waiting?
Choose for now
What fits this week?
Save the reason, not only the title
Record the author and a few words about what caught your attention. A friend's recommendation, a subject or a scene in a sample gives you something to judge later. Include a series volume if reading order matters.
Separate interest from availability
A book on hold is still a future possibility. Mark a title as ready only when you can open your copy, borrow it or get a suitable edition. Keep library due dates and loan conditions in the record that manages your actual loans.
Make a small shortlist for the time you have
Choose a few books you can access now. Consider format, interest and any real deadline. A three-book shortlist is a suggestion, not a required system. If several appeal equally, use the free picker linked below.
Move or remove a title when its job changes
When you start a book, mark where you are reading it. When you finish or set it aside, put that outcome in your reading log. Remove a saved recommendation if your interest has changed. A long TBR is not reading debt.
The same book can be in different planning states
- Future shelf
- An interesting title and the reason you saved it.
- Waiting
- A hold, missing series volume or another clear dependency.
- Ready now
- An available copy you would actually open next.
- Started or finished
- Move the outcome into your reading record; keep the original recommendation if useful.
A recommendation is not always the next read
Fictional example: Mina saves The Lantern House because a friend likes its setting, but the library copy is on hold. Letters from the Orchard is already on Mina's shelf, so that goes on the ready-now list. The first title stays in waiting; it does not have to block the next sitting.
Illustrative example, not a reader testimonial.
ReadersGuild for iPhone
Make room for your next reading session.
Keep a record of what you read, or invite a friend to read alongside you. Everyone brings their own book.
See reading on iPhoneFree to start. Optional paid upgrades. Android is on the email waitlist.
A few quick answers
How many books should be on a TBR list?
There is no required size. Save possibilities in a longer list if that helps, and use a smaller available shortlist when deciding what to open next.
Is this a reading log?
It is a future-reading planner. A log records sessions, dates or finished books. You can keep both, but they answer different questions.
Can I use it digitally?
Copy the template into your own notes or document. This page does not save your entries, check library stock or send reminders.
ReadersGuild for iPhone
Make room for your next reading session.
Keep a record of what you read, or invite a friend to read alongside you. Everyone brings their own book.
See reading on iPhoneFree to start. Optional paid upgrades. Android is on the email waitlist.
Any session lengths or routines suggested here are starting points, not a formula.