Paring Down my "To-Read" List

I happened to notice last week that my "To-Read" list on Goodreads was nearing 300 books. It was 287, to be precise. That is way too many! Maybe half of the books I read come from my "To Read" list, but even assuming I did nothing but choose books from there, it would take me more than 2 years to read them all. That's not taking into account the fact that I frequently add to the list!

I know, I know. It's not like there's a limit on the number you can have on the list, or anything. At least, Goodreads does not limit that, but I decided that I needed to get it back down to something reasonable--say 100 books. For my own sake. I would at times get overwhelmed looking at the list, feeling like it was an unmet obligation.

I love having the list, because I can always find what to read next, but when I can see that several of the books have been on the list for 2-3 years, it also tells me that they're not a very big priority for me right now--and haven't been for awhile. I'm not going to force myself to read something just because it's on the list.

So, I started deleting things left and right. It was a time-consuming process! While adding something to the list takes one simple click, deciding to delete it took some time. I wanted to read the synopsis--and any reviews by friends--to decide if I would really read this, or not. I checked to see if my library had it. If not, I would check Amazon to see how much it cost to buy.

After several passes through, and much deliberation, I got it down to 194, and I can't see how I could possibly cut out 100 more. Hey, I'm breathing a little easier, at least.

Curiously, the books I owned were some of the first to go. I guess I figure if I have the book I can read it any time I want--it's not like I'm going to forget about it. The pressure's off, in a strange sense.


Okay, my Goodreads friends--confess! How many books are on your "to-read" list? Do you have rules for what gets deleted (or for what goes on in the first place?) Or are you like me, and click in haste only to read in leisure?