The Indecision Games

I am indecisive. This is not a revelation, you guys know this. And you also know that I tend to over-request books, and that it actually helps me read things on time.  But when I do a really good job and finish the books like a good little blogger, I am left with literally hundreds (no joke, over 450 at last count) books on my physical shelves alone that aren’t review books! So what’s a girl to do? I tried a few things. Things like…

  • A TBR Jar. This was an epic fail because I would just get mad at whatever I picked out of the jar and end up picking like, 30 times and finally giving up.
  • Asking my friends to choose! But they all wanted me to read different books- there just weren’t enough opinions to break the ties!
  • Making a shelf with my most-anticipated. You’ll see these below, but the problem is, even narrowed down to 40-50 books, I still couldn’t pick at all.
  • Forcing myself to just pick one. I always got mad at my choice, and ended up making 17 trips back and forth to my shelves. Exercise, people!

Clearly, none of this works for me. And that is where this post/game comes into play!

So, you guys know how Cait @ Paper Fury is a genius, right? Of course you do, we all do. Anyway. I was lamenting on Twitter about my inability to pick a book to read, as you do.-3

And Cait responded to my nonsense with what became the inspiration for this whole thing:

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And I loved it, of course. And after thinking for about 2 minutes, I came up with this:

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SO here is how we are going to do this: YOU are going to pick 12 of these books. The 12 Districts, if you will. Straight up by votes. I am going to read them. (They are going to play the games. May the odds be ever in their favor.) It might take me awhile, but that’s okay. THEN, I am going to kill them off, and instead of cannons and their faces in the sky, I shall review-kill them, one by one, until the winner survives!! I think the last one will be a dual review, because how else can I make such a thing work? It would take the fun out of it, no? I am also kind of hoping that you guys pick a few “wild cards”- you know, the lesser-known, not as much hype books? So you know, mix things up, friends 😉

So the fate of these 45 books (or something like that, I don’t know) is in your hands! All you have to do is click the little thumbs up or down button, and who doesn’t like to judge stuff?

Do you have a terrible time deciding what to read too? Or are you a bit more decisive? And how the heck do you decide anyway!?

Posted June 3, 2016 by Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight in Discussion, Discussion Challenge, Funsies / 69 Comments

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69 responses to “The Indecision Games: The Reaping

  1. I did my voting duty! I didn’t know what some of them were about, so I voted based on the covers for those lol. But I feel you about the indecision. I am TERRIBLE. Like, I talk about my indecision on my blog all the time. So I also have a terrible time picking out books. But funny enough I’ve noticed that it’s also not as bad for me when I have review copies because my choices are narrowed and I can just grab the next one that needs to be reviewed if I really can’t decide. This is a fun idea though!

    • Aw thank you! And a cover vote works for me- hell, that’s how I decide half the time 😉 And YES- review copies are SO easy for me- I just read them by date! But when I actually DO get the chance to read a book of my own purchase… well, all bets are off 😉

  2. This is such a great idea! Hopefully “The Indicision Games” can finally help you plow through your TBR haha. I’m terrible at decision-making too. I’ve tried all four things you listed above and it ended the same way as well (especially the TBR jar one. Unfortunately I can’t just let fate decide for me.) What I do instead is just go with the flow – I don’t do monthly TBRs. Instead, when I finish a book, I look at the books I’ve yet to read and pick up the first one that makes my eyes glitter and read it immediately before my brain says otherwise. xD

    • Aw thank yoU! I hope so, though with like 500 books just sitting around.. well, I probably will NEVER finish my TBR, even if I stopped adding books (which of course will never happen bwahah)

      I am impressed that you are able to gravitate toward one! I can’t even get my eyes to focus on one, sadly- or maybe I do, but my brain notices and puts the kibosh on it before I have a chance to react 😉

  3. Sam

    I read Tell Me Three Things a while ago, and I loved it! It’s a sweet, adorable romance, but it also has depth. So, if you are in the mood for that, I suggest TMTT. Gemina was also incredible!

  4. I’M A GENIUS I KNOW I KNOW. *flails majestically* So you are very welcome for this totally good idea *nods* and I cannot WAIT TO SEE THE SURVIVORS!! *cheers* You have sooo many good ones there too!! Although I got clicky-happy and accidentally down-voted Red Rising and I FEEL LIKE I BETRAYED MYSELF. WAH. But anyway A Gathering of Shadows = ??? by the way. JUST SAYIN’.
    (Also eeeek, the struggle of picking is REAL. I’m currently procrastinating my whole TBR because HOW DO I EVEN CHOOSE IT’S TOO HARD.)
    (Actually the real reason I’m procrastinating is because I fell into manga and can’t get up. #noregrets)

    AHH GOOD LUCK WITH THIS. 😀

    • You ARE a genius, obviously! I am so sorry that you betrayed Red Rising… mostly because I really do want to read it! I will anyway, okay? Just for you, since you helped make it a thing. It can be District 13 😉

      And thank youuuuu! At last check AGOS was in a commanding lead, but Val told me I couldn’t look anymore. But now I think voting is probably over, right? I mean, I didnt really specify, but the post is a week old soooo.. I can totally look.

  5. Cait has the best ideas. I LOVE this! I’ve definitely voted for a lot of them, but you should most definitely read A Gathering of Shadows (or was it A Darker Shade of Magic? I’m tired). I hope this leads you to some unexpected but great reads!

  6. I was about to say that I want your problem after I saw your TBR but then I realised I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. Omg why do I have so many review books when I have no inkling what to read? This is so fantastic though, props to Cait for the idea and to you for putting it together XD I shall wait in eager anticipation to see who the Mockingjay will be.

  7. This is so genius. I just stopped asking people what I should read. I pick the closest book or one I really want to read. Most f the time I use blogger faves to help me decide what is next. Like right now I am reading something Lexxie recently reviewed. It is petty damn good and I probably wouldn’t have picked it up except her review intrigued me. I hope you love the books that are chosen.

  8. this is such a great idea! i have really hard time deciding what to read next not because i’m indecisive, it’s just i feel all the books i own doesn’t really attract my attention XD I hope the winner of this game really suits your taste! XD

  9. This is a great idea! I’m terrible at picking books too! But I’m such a mood reader that I never can decide ahead of time. I was happy to see Red Rising and one other book, which I’ve already forgotten what it was… I hope you like the books we chose!

  10. You KNOW I slammed that button for AGOS.
    This is such a good idea! I would do it…but I’m in such a reading slump that forcing myself to read it goddy awful.
    May the odds be ever in your favor. 😛

  11. Hey this was fun. Everyone likes to vote right? I have to admit I voted down on a couple of really popular ones, just to give the underdogs a chance 🙂 but what a great idea- and there are so many on that list that look good, you almost can’t go wrong maybe. This will be fun to see what you end up with. And I voted up The 100 one because… well The 100. Should I read the books?? I’m almost afraid to- what if they suck? lol

    • So I have to answer this now that I read book 1- and I will talk about it more in depth soon- but it’s kind of like reading fan fiction! Like, yes, the books came first but… and I feel bad for saying it… the show is SO much better. At first I was getting angry at the book because “hey wait, she shouldn’t be dead!” or “who the hell is Glass!?” or “MAN I am glad they killed off Show Wells”. But then it just gets SO different that you don’t even feel like it’s the same anymore. It’s actually a SUPER quick read too. The entirety of the book is basically the Pilot of the show. That’s IT. So… yeah. I mean, they will suck, I assume the others will too, anyway, but that’s why I am also doing a show rewatch 😉

      • Aww that sucks tha the book isn’t any good- but I’m not surprised. I’ve heard bad things. And I didn’t know the first book was just the pilot- ack. I didn’t hate the pilot but I definitely liked the show more as time went on- they got to Earth and the character development, the surprises. Killing off Wells, Jasper getting speared, all those oh shit moments- I was hooked. 🙂 If I read the book I’d probably get annoyed too!

        • I agree completely- I almost stopped watching after the pilot (thank goodness I did not, of course!), so yeah, it was underwhelming. It’s like… say we crossed the show with some kind of cheesy teen dramady. THAT is what you’d have. It’s like… Dawson’s Creek in space… I dub it “Clarke’s Apocalypse”.

  12. I try to read at least one of my own books per week which isn’t nearly enough, but it’s better than nothing. I always start a lot of books at the same time as I’m eager to read them all. That doesn’t always work very well though. I love your game and hope you’ll be able to read a fantastic set of books.

  13. THE BOOK THIEF. THE DREAM THIEVES. A TORCH AGAINST THE NIGHT. A GATHERING OF SHADOWS. UPROOTED. GEMINA. omg so many good ones here. I hope they’re winning.

    Yessss at least 3 of those are in the top 4. I AM SO HAPPY. But I won’t tell you which ones.

    also I say don’t look at the results until it’s over. THEN YOU CAN BE SURPRISED.

  14. I completely understand the need for this because I am the worst about deciding what to read. My problem is I’ll pick something and read the first couple of chapters and then get bored, but once I’m so many pages in it feels wrong to ditch it for something else so then I become that person slogging through a book that I’d probably enjoy more if I read it later but I’ve committed so I refuse to give up because I am stubborn. There are a lot of good books on your list (and some I’ve not heard of) I’m kind of hoping Exit, Pursued By A Bear ends up in the top 12 because I haven’t seen any reviews on my usual blogs for that and I really want to read it but don’t know whether or not to commit.

    • YESSS I am so, SO much the same as you! I am stubborn and end up reading the whole thing too, and it is definitely not a good plan!

      I hope Exit makes the cut too- I am hoping that several “underdogs” make it, because I dont really want it to be all books with a bagillion reviews already!

  15. Oh wow, this is the best idea EVER! Love it. And I can see why it is so hard for you to decide. There are SO MANY BOOKS on your list that I am dying to read. The Book Thief is pretty much one of my favorite books ever. Oh, and I read Red Rising (finally) and I found it very blah. It was just boring to me and I have no interest in reading the rest of the series. It is possible that you will feel differently. We’ll see. 🙂

    • Aw thank you! And NOOOO you didn’t like Red Rising!!? This is sad… because we are TWINS. And I was bored the first time I tried to read iit so… maybe we just don’t like it. I wonder if it is leading! After I finish some commenting, I shall see who the winners are!

  16. I used to get overwhelmed by all the books I needed to read (for fun – I do pretty well with my review schedule) now I have a shelf that I keep just a few on for the month and try to read at least one. It’s not quite so overwhelming on that smaller scale and I feel like I accomplished something when I read even just one.

    Karen @For What It’s Worth

  17. I am so indecisive about the books I want to read next too! I just can’t determine… Sometimes I have too many books to choose from and I’m interested in all of them while other times I STILL have way too many books yet I don’t feel like reading any of them. I can’t use TBR jars or lists because I choose everything based on whim and my desires at the moment. Great post! <3

    Rachel @ A Perfection Called Books

  18. Shannon, you are BRILLIANT. May I steal this idea, please?
    Also, Tika and Nico join me in voting for Uprooted, so it really should be weighed elevently billion times in favor of yes. 🙂

  19. Tammy V

    I made my decisions on it being summer. If it was a different season I could decide differently.

  20. This is BRILLIANT! Kudos to you and Cait for coming up with this^^ I’m a GINORMOUS mood reader so this would never work for me BUT I had fun voting and can’t wait for you to start killing of some books XD Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor.

    • Aww thank you! I feel like maybe I am a mood reader too, but I can’t even decide based on that? Seriously, the struggle is real! OH you just gave me an idea! I should add these to a Goodreads list so everyone can see what the winners are!

  21. Love it! A Hunger Games style game – could anything be more perfect for you? Can’t wait to see the 12 books chosen. I probably have close to that many sitting on my TBR but I rarely have an issue choosing. We part ways on the indecisive thing. LOL I decide what I’m in the mood for, then what I’m most excited for, and I grab one. And read. It’s not so hard really… 😉

    • Bwhahah thanks! It is SO true! I am going to add them to a Goodreads shelf- and then I will share them at the end of the month (brainchild I just had while responding to Micheline above you!) Wait, you only have 12 books on your TBR!?!?! I bow to you, my hero. Teach me your ways!

      • LMAO OMG, no I do NOT have 12 books on my TBR! I meant that I probably have about the same as you (450 or so). Guess I phrased that wrong before. 12 books on a TBR… probably not since the day I learned to read. LOL

  22. Nice, I appreciate the game Shannon and WHOA that is a lot of books! I have actually been reading ARCs in order of release, which has somehow not driven me crazy yet although I keep wanting to re-read my comfort books. I haven’t given in yet but I so want to! I tell myself if I finish all my ARCs for the month then I can — hasn’t happened yet and we are halfway into the year.

    • Aw thanks! And yeah…. ummmm… that is *maybe* 1/25th of the books I own and need to read that AREN’T review copies. It is BAD.

      I am REALLY good at reading my ARCs in order, but for some reason, books that I don’t have to review are SO hard for me to pick! I think it’s because I know that I have such precious little time in which to read them, so I KNOW I need to choose well? No idea, but that’s my theory 😉

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