Reading in Public No. 19: My number one tip for combating end-of-the-year book overwhelm

Oct 03, 2023

I recently came across this Reel from a Bookstagrammer I love named Sam in which she bemoaned “that time of the year again when I’m stuck on a loop, continuously plotting and calculating how many books I can squeeze into the end of the year…” and I found it incredibly relatable. As someone who shares book reviews and compiles best-of-the-year lists, I’m often overwhelmed with the feeling that I’m missing out on something great and that I need to read alllll the books in order to weigh in. What if my best book of 2023 goes unread?!

If you aren’t a public book reviewer you might not have the same anxiety around this issue. But perhaps you’ve been staring at a small stack of unread buzzy books on your nightstand for months. Or you’re feeling like you need to read all the prize list books before the year ends. Or you know that best-of-the-year lists are just around the corner and that those are those are going to completely blow up your reading plans.

When I start feeling this onslaught of bookish FOMO and kicking myself for not reading as many buzzy books or new releases as I want to, I have one sure fire trick that always calms me down and makes me feel better about my reading life.

I read a book that I haven’t seen anywhere else.

I can’t be sure why this magic trick always works, but here’s what I suspect:

It forces me to prioritize my reading mood.
It helps me choose a book I genuinely want to read, not something I think I should read.
It gives me the chance to recommend a book I haven’t seen around much.
It reminds me that all the books that are big this year will still be around to read in future years.
It cleanses my palate and helps me recalibrate my book picker.
It reminds me of the pleasure of reading books off-the-beaten path, which is the perfect antidote for a fear of missing out.

So how do you find a book you haven’t seen anywhere else? How significant of a challenge that poses depends whether or not you’re a very online reader. My recent “no one else is talking about these books” came to me from shopping my shelves (browsing my unread books for things I was once excited about but never got to) and a review in The Atlantic (yes I know that means someone was talking about it, but they were the only person). I also love a good indie bookstore browsing session as a means of discovery, or even asking a librarian or bookseller to recommend a favorite under-the-radar read.

While I do still want to get to more of the big books of 2023, I’ve been really happy with a stretch of quieter, less-hyped books. We’ll see what the next few months bring, but I’ll be keeping this tool in my pocket for the next time I start feeling itchy and anxious about all the books there are to read.

Do you battle with the final-quarter-of-the-year reading FOMO? Do you try to fight it or give into the buzzy books? What are your favorite ways to avoid overwhelm?

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