Why We Buy Books We’ll Never Read

Have you ever thought about your TBR pile? In Japanese, there’s a word called Tsundoku. It refers to the habit of buying books and letting them pile up, usually unread. There’s something quite comforting in that, actually, for many book lovers.

If you’re reading this, you probably have a shelf, a stack, or maybe even a whole room full of books you haven’t read yet. These are books you meant to read, just waiting for their turn.

You’re not alone. Every book lover goes through this at some point.

The Curator Instinct

Here’s the thing about buying books: many of us aren’t just readers - we’re collectors. We curate. We arrange. Our bookshelf reflects who we are and who we aspire to become.

The writer Umberto Eco famously kept a library of 30,000 books, most of which he never read. His friend N. Nicholas Taleb called this an “antilibrary,” meaning the books you haven’t read might be even more valuable than the ones you have. Your TBR pile keeps you humble and eager to learn. Seen this way, your shelves are treasures for you and for future generations. My maternal grandfather curated a library for himself, which is now useful to my cousins living in that home. It was his personal space and a way to express his independence as a reader.

A Promise to Your Future Self

A book is a promise to your future self. You buy a book with the idea that you will read it someday. It’s never wrong to fill your shelves with good intentions, because some day, the right book will reach you at the right time from that shelf.

The Bookshop as an Emotional Experience

Let’s be honest: buying books feels good. Walking into a bookshop, browsing the tables and shelves, reading blurbs, and carrying a bag is a sensory and emotional experience, unlike any other.

You do buy online, and yes, it’s much more accessible nowadays. Useful too, for people who do not have access to a good bookshop or library. However, when we enter a bookshop, we buy books as if we were carefully choosing ingredients for a good recipe to cook at home, at our own pace. The intention, the possibility, and the pleasure --- these are part of the joy.

So Should You Feel Guilty?

No, absolutely not. But if your TBR pile genuinely bothers you — it creates more anxiety than joy — here are a few gentle ways to make peace with it.

• Do a shelf audit once a year before you buy new books: Pick up each unread book and ask honestly, “Do I still want to read this?” If not, donate it with gratitude and let it find a reader who loves it.

• Try the “one in, one out” rule: For every new book you bring home, let one read or unread book go. It won’t fix everything, but it helps you pause and consider your choices.

• Allow yourself to stop reading books you’re not enjoying. The quickest way to shrink your TBR pile is to let go of books that don’t interest you. Life is too short to force it.

• Think of your pile as a world of possibilities. Every day, you have dozens of new worlds waiting for you on your shelf. That’s not a problem; it’s an abundance.

The Shelf as a Living Thing

Perhaps the most honest thing to say is this: a TBR pile is never really finished. It grows, shifts and changes as you do. Books fall off it because you outgrow them. Books leap to the top because suddenly the moment is right.

Occasionally, on a rainy Sunday with nowhere to be, you pull one down at random and read it in a single sitting, wondering why it took you so long.

The unread shelf isn’t a failure. It’s proof that you’re still curious, still collecting, still dreaming about the reader you’re becoming. And that’s a very fine thing to be.

Remember, every unread book is a promise to your future self—a reminder that the best stories are yet to come.

How big is your TBR pile right now? Do you feel guilty about it, or do you wear it as a badge of honour? Share your TBR stories in the comments or tag @theliteraryorder with the #TheLiteraryOrderTBR on Instagram to join the conversation!