Book Nudgers

Compulsive book buyers always have shelves full of "to be reads". Why not invite help from fellow LibraryThingers when it comes to that tricky decision of exactly what to read next?

Step One: Select a number of your tbr books. I know... you've got hundreds! But you need to restrict this to a viable number - I'd suggest no more than twenty.

Step Two: Take a digital photo of them in a stack and post it here as a new thread (use photobucket or flickr to put the photo on the internet - flickr, I know will generate a bit of html for you to include it in your LT thread, photobucket probably does too!)

If you need to, check out a few of the threads as examplars. You could just post a boring list but the photos are a bit more fun I think.

The latest popular suggestion is to date the thread in its title e.g. Nov12 Fred needs a nudge.

Step Three: Wait for other LT'ers to "nudge" a book (or two or three, who can resist!) by posting replies in your thread saying why they recommend their nudge for your next read.

Step Four: Have a wander through the threads and go and nudge a book from someone else's tbr stack!

Step Five: When you are ready, close off your thread off with a final courtesy comment to thank your nudgers, let everybody what you have chosen to read and... start reading that book. Don't forget to update the Books Nudged in WhateverMonth thread with your choice. Perhaps you might post more thoughts after having read it? Will you beam or tut at your nudgers?

Step Six: Think about what your next tbr stack might include and, like Michael Finnegan, begin again!

Glossary of Terms (inspired by Kiwidoc)

nudge - to recommended a book
nudger - the person providing the nudge
nudgee - the person getting the nudge

shove - a large nudge
fudge - to ruminate over all the titles in the pile, declaring that they are all wonderful, without offering any nudge whatsoever.
sludge - a book that you should read but is a bit of a slog.
nudgoid - an educated guess nudge such as you might give to a book you haven't read by an author you love.
nudgette - the gentlest of nudges indicating a compulsion to contribute rather than a knowledge of any of the books featured.
denudge - for the sake of all that is innocent, beautiful and good in the world, don't choose this book - it lays a malevolent curse upon every reader.

Please feel free to make any suggestions you have for improving or refining the concept of tbr stack nudging.