Culling TBRs, confronting detestable plot choices, and getting into lit fic on audio

Ask FictionMatters Vol. 5 - April 16th, 2024

Hey readers,

It’s time for another round of Ask FictionMatters! Today I’m weighing in on the conundrum of letting go of books from your TBR and giving advice on how to expand your audiobook listening when it seems like only one thing works. I’m also sharing my best tip for what to do if and when you want to appreciate a book for the craft despite really hating some plot choices.

If you’d like me to answer one of your book and reading queries, please fill out this form. This series happens sporadically, but I love to have great questions on hand!

Question: How do you cull your unread books? What’s your timeline and process for letting them go versus keeping them?

If you could see my office you would know that I am probably the wrong person to ask about this! While my shelves may look picture perfect on Instagram, the rest of the room is filled with piles upon piles of unread books. It is very very hard for me to let go of unread books because having the books is part of how I keep track of what I want to read. Plus I have lots of reasons to keep all of these books for work purposes. The book that’s been languishing on my TBR might eventually become a book club selection, a Paperback Summer Reading Guide book, or the perfect pairing for a Novel Pairings classic.

But while I don’t do a lot of culling, there are three things that have been helpful for me when I do need to make space on my shelves floor. First, I ask myself if I’m still excited to read the book. If the answer is no, I let it go. Even if I think it might be a good book club pick or perfectly fit a PSRG category, if I’m not excited to read it, it’s not worth it. There are plenty of book club and PSRG possibilities that I am excited to read. Second, I remind myself that getting rid of the book doesn’t mean I can’t ever read that book. Maybe five years from now it will end up on my radar again and I can always check it out from the library or even re-purchase it if I want to read it then.

And third it’s essential for me to feel like my books are going to a good home. I really struggled letting go of books when Goodwill was my only place to take them because (at least at my Goodwill) they didn’t want them, and I wasn’t sure what was actually happening to those books after I dropped them off. But once I found places that made me feel good about handing over books, it became a lot easier to let them go. I like putting books in my neighborhood Little Free Libraries because it feels like being part of my community. I like taking them to local used bookstores because I want those bookstores to stick around. And I like donating books to schools that don’t have the funds to stock a full library. There are lots of great charities that accept books like the Prison Book Program and Operation Paperback, as well as potential local options like local libraries and retirement homes. Nothing has made more of a difference in my ability to and interest in culling my shelves than deciding on where I want them to go when I’m done.

Question: How can I appreciate well-written novels when my distaste for the plot overshadows its quality?

I’ll start by saying, you don’t have to do this! It is perfectly okay to simply not like a book because you don’t like the plot—even if you can see that the book is “well done.” (For more on that, check out my post on Auden’s verdicts.) Unless you are a professional book reviewer getting paid to say whether or not a book is good, you can absolutely stop at letting your gut guide and your personal taste guide you without considering the context and literary merit of a book.

But if you do want to think through that question and maybe find more to like or appreciate about books outside your personal taste, here is what I recommend. For everything you don’t like about a book, ask yourself: what effect does this have on what the book is trying to do? Maybe the book makes use of cringey romantic tropes that make your eyes roll…but is it using those plot points for effect? Are those moments offering some commentary on romantic expectation in our contemporary culture? Or maybe there’s a disturbing sexual encounter that you absolutely hate. Fair! Might that encounter be symbolic of something larger the author is exploring thematically? Perhaps you hate magical or supernatural elements in a book, but considering how those elements are enhancing a theme might just be the key to appreciate the book for what it is.

I find that thinking through this question helps me appreciate and understand more books more often, but that doesn’t mean you have to then like the book more or make excuses for something poorly done. Maybe you now see what the book was trying to do, but you felt it failed or you think an element of the plot was gratuitous. Maybe you see a connection to something larger but it’s so tenuous it isn’t really effective. But asking this question—what effect does this have on what the book is trying to do?—is, I think, a way to engage with books in a fair way that helps us take them for what they are while still leaving plenty of room for personal taste and space to simply say, “I didn’t like that.”

Question: I love literary fiction but usually listen to lighter books on audio because it’s easier. How can I improve my audiobook life?

My answer here is a bit paradoxical because in order to cultivate a rich and satisfying audiobook life, I think you need to both take risks and know/stick with what works. Let’s dig into that.

Obviously exploration and risk taking is important because you want to work towards listening to and enjoying a wider variety of books—specifically literary fiction—on audio. If you’re not already using the Libby app to listen to audiobooks, now is the time! When you’re trying out new types of audiobooks, you’re likely to do a lot of DNFing so you can’t worry about “wasting” a precious credit. Once you’ve got your Libby settled, it’s time to start experimenting with differing types of audio.

What I would recommend doing next is thinking about what types of literary fiction you like to read. Literary fiction is an incredibly vast category and I’ve found that some types lend themselves well to audio while others are less effective for me. For me personally, quiet, introspective literary fiction is excellent on audio—especially if it’s written in first person. I also love expansive family sagas or community novels on audio, as well as any sort of literary genre fiction (literary mysteries, literary Westerns, etc.). Books that are particularly experimental in form usually don’t go over well for me on audio. Neither do books where I have to (or want to) pay close attention to the diction and writing style.

When you’re experimenting with what works well for you on audio, try to consider as many details as possible rather than thinking about books in broad genres. In addition to what I mentioned above some other aspects of the listening experience to consider may be point-of-view, number of narrators, number of timelines, whether the book uses cliffhangers, chapter length, and tone. Tone is a big one for me! For example, I love a satirical audiobook, but I cannot tolerate quippy banter on audio.

Once you have one or two things that you know you tend to like, spend some time sticking with what works. Keep listening to those lighter books you love, but work in more introspective lit fic or satirical novels. This will help you make the most of your listening time and come to think of yourself as an avid, eclectic audiobook reader. When you’re ready to try a new type of audiobook, think again about what works for you. Maybe there’s a narrator you’ve fallen in love with who can help you make the leap to a new style or genre. Or maybe you’ve learned that your audio sweet spot is 9-12 hours so you only look for books in that window. Through a balance of experimentation and sticking with what already works, you’ll have the strategies in place for ongoing discovery.

Note: For the month of April, Libro.fm is offering new members three audiobooks for the price of one with the code SWITCH. You can use my affiliate link to sign up, start experimenting, and support your favorite independent bookstores.

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Happy reading!

Sara