TBR PICKER
TBR picker: let chance choose your next book
Can’t decide what to read next? Paste your to-read list, one title per line, and let chance decide. It works like a TBR jar, minus the scissors.
How the TBR picker works
Paste your list
Titles from your notes, a spreadsheet or copied off your shelf. We strip numbers and bullets, and a repeated title only counts once.
Press “Pick a book”
Every title has the same chance, wherever it sits on the list. The draw happens in your browser.
Notice how you feel
Pleased with the result? Start reading. A little disappointed? That’s an answer too: you probably want a different book on the list.
Three ways to use it
A monthly TBR jar
At the start of the month, add five books you’re in the mood for, tick “don’t pick twice” and draw the next one each time you finish.
A challenge prompt
Put reading challenge prompts in instead of titles and draw the one you’ll take on this week.
Settling a buddy read
You each add three suggestions, and the draw decides without a long debate.
When picking at random won’t help
If your list has hundreds of titles, a random pick only postpones the problem. First choose 10–20 books for the next few months, then draw from those.
If the book you drew still hasn’t hooked you after a few dozen pages, put it down without guilt and draw again.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Talemi
How to keep a TBR list Reading glossary Reading challenge 2027
Is the TBR picker really random?
Yes. Every title has the same chance and the order of the list doesn’t matter. The draw uses the random number generator built into your browser.
Is my list saved anywhere?
Only in your browser, so it’s still there when you come back. We don’t send it to a server. “Clear the list” removes it from your browser, and you can still restore it until you start typing.
How many titles can I add?
Up to 500. A short list of 5 to 30 books works best.
What does TBR mean?
TBR stands for “to be read”: the list of books you plan to read. We explain it, and other bookish terms, in our reading glossary.
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