Acronym for To Be Read: 'TBR.' As in 'books to be read', suggesting they're not read yet. To say I have a TBR pile is an understatement. Also somewhat inaccurate: I have piles of TBR. Or piles of books with some TBR randomly stuffed in between. Just like in the picture. Hideous, isn't it? I'll hold up my hand and admit that while I like to read, I'm not the most voracious reader. I'm mildly impressed by my peers who'll tell me that they've finished reading another book, and I think, 'wow. Y'all must have a lot of time on your hands.' But, I get it. You do what moves you. Don't get me wrong, I like reading. But not so much that I'll zoom through book after book like some readers/authors appear to. Back to the matter. Let's use 'TBR' pile figuratively here. I say figuratively because, in case you hadn't guessed from the picture, there are piles and piles of books here. The picture shows the close up of a few piles on the floor. There are more piles of books on the floor. Because there's no more room with the piles of books on the bookshelves which sit in front of the books standing up on the shelves (as nature intended). That's not even including the stuff on my Kindle; which also has a number of Spider-Man titles on there (with No Turning Back featuring the Lizard a personal favourite). Regardless of whether it's hardback, paperback or electronic - and, no, I don't have any audio-books as yet - my books come from a number of sources/scenarios: 1. Books I seek out and buy from the likes of Amazon 2. Books I'm intrigued by while looking for a specific book from the likes of Amazon 3. Books I see when I'm at a fantasy-lit convention (e.g. FantasyCon, Edge-Lit, etc.) 4. Books that authors/peers/friends/etc. might give to me How many books do I have in my TBR pile? I'm not sure. I'd guess and say it was at least 30. One of the oldest is a biography called Michael Jackson: For The Record, which is a hardcover book I bought back in 2008 (yes, back when Michael Jackson was still alive). I've still not read it yet. Now that I think about, biographies are possibly the only book where I wouldn't mind a hardback. Probably because after reading a John Lee Hooker interview years back (in the Evening Standard), if memory serves, my brother then bought me a copy. 'Boogie Man: The Adventures Of John Lee Hooker In The 20th Century.' A hefty hardback at that, and full of cool anecdotes from the man. Yes: that one I read: the first of many biographies including Aerosmith, ZZ Top, Run-DMC, LL Cool J, INXS, etc. But I digress. Despite the pandemic, I wouldn't say I have more time on my hands. This is because I'm always keeping busy with something. I know there are some creative types who lament that they're not as creative as they usually are, or that they're not creative at all. These are challenging times, so I'd say that as long as you get through unscathed, you're doing well, and everything else is just detail. It just happens that keeping busy is one of the ways I cope so I'm still writing, editing, promoting, etc. That's aside from the lifting, bass playing, gaming and such that help self-isolation go down a little easier. What I'm also doing now is making a concerted effort to read more of my TBR pile. Which I'll admit is slow going, but at least I've made a start. As someone who'd usually read on a commute, I guess this is why my consumption of fiction has taken a hit. Still, I'll have a crack at it. Because, as I'm sure many readers will attest, having a TBR pile doesn't stop them buying more books they've not read yet. I'm no different.