Read What You Own 2026

I have finished four more RWYO - a self help book, a memoir of writing and depression: From my Life, I write to you in your Life by Yiyun Li, a fairly pacy thriller : A Spy Alone by Charles Beaumont, and The Plague by Albert Camus which was excellent, particularly the opening part when the rats start dying. Books on the go now down to 6.

And another one off the Kindle unread list : The Lock Up - John Banville which apparently I bought almost exactly two years ago. Undemanding - review to follow on 50B thread.

I've just finished a helpful book about dyslexia which I bought several years ago and then failed to read despite really wanting to learn more about it so I can support my daughter..
Sadly I want to keep it for future reference so it won't be reducing my bookshelves overload issue but I am glad I read it I don't think it added a lot new as I have read various articles over the years now but it did give me reassurance and feels like a handy guide to go back to

To my shame between reading Kindle books and reading books I then decide to keep I am not really making any impact on my bookshelves ( worsened by a trip to a charity shop where I accumulated more books than I dropped off!).

I think next year I might have to set myself a challenge solely focused on reading books to give them away!

I've managed 3 more - all 2024-5 buys though so not terribly old:
The Fertile Earth - Ruthvika Rao
The City of Last Chances - Adrian Tchaikovsky
Rapture - Emily Maguire.

I really enjoyed them all - reviews on 50 books thread.
I'm going to go for an older one next, though am also reading Wuthering Heights which is a paperback edition that cost £1 and has tiny text so assume it's been on my bookshelf (unread) for many years. Suspect it may date back to the 1990s.

Oh no, it’s staying!

Oh, you can't dispose of THHGTTG, that would be unreasonable

I’m not sure this counts as true RWYO as it’s a reread and for me RWYO is books I haven’t read before. It’s a keeper anyway so failed on both counts, but for some reason it’s been sitting in my TBR drawer for ages. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Shorter than I remember but a joy.

I am so far behind you all!

I have just finished Brimstone by Callie Hart which is the only book I've bought so far this year, and now I'm dedicating myself to RWYO, so I'm going to go back to The Girl With The Louding Voice.
I started it quite a while ago but was struggling to concentrate and left it half read so now I'm going back to finish it.

5 . Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O’Farrell - review on the 50B thread.

This concludes my Maggie O’Farrell backlog, which is good. I’m finding tackling my RWYO via themes a good way to make progress. Next step is to return to my 17th century backlog!

I’m halfway to my annual target, which is good!

Have finished another three
Milly Johnson - The Happiest Ever After - love Milly’s books and she is really down to earth too
Frances Evesham - Murder at the Lighthouse
JM Dalgliesh - Kill Our Sins

The Glass Hotel - Emily St John Mandel I reviewed this on 60B and then realised it squeaked into my (personal) RWYO criteria as I bought it before the end of 2024. Enjoyed the characters but found the time jumps and viewpoint jumps quite confusing.

Just finished Paper Cup by Karen Campbell which I really enjoyed.

Had a brief break from reading what I own to read Heated Rivalry and the follow up, after getting a little too into the tv series.

Back to it and just finished Step by Step by Simon Reeve which was good overall but I found the second half or so a bit of a slog. Love Simon but will stick to the tv shows.

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart, had for 5 years on Kindle did as audio book. Review will be on 50B later

And another one read from my Kindle: Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones. Apparently I bought it in 2020. Will review on 50B thread.

Second RWYO finished - Perspective(s) by Laurent Binet. Bought this when I was on holiday in France last year. If you've read Dangerous Liaisons you might enjoy this.

Third RWYO of the year done - Literary Noir 1 by Cornell Woolrich which was a stand-out read for me. A short story collection of golden age detective fiction, I'd already come across a couple of the stories before but it was still a joy to re-read them.

Beth Is Dead by Katie Bernet
Another RWYO although, strictly speaking, bought in January as the premise of it sounded intriguing. It is a modern YA reworking of Little Women, where Beth is murdered and the sisters come together to work out who was responsible. Not bad.

@ÚlldemoShúl oh I loved Wide Sargasso Sea although it took me a while before I could decouple it enough from Jane Eyre so that it didn’t ruin my love for that book.

I've just finished Americanah. It was a kindle read so doesn't help with.my overcrowded bookshelves issue but I am glad I have read it

We are all going great guns! I’ve just finished another RWYO (When the Dust Settles by Lucy Easthop), and more importantly I’ve managed to extend my no book buying into Feb!

Finished another RWYO - Oh Miriam! by Miriam Margolyes. It's* *part two of her memoirs. Cheeky, rude, outspoken, very sweary, funny, and with lots of frank talk about her sexual exploits. She's unique, wise, and clever. I like her, despite the fact that some of her exploits made me cringe with embarrassment.

I have finished three more RWYO - Breathtaking by* Rachel Clarke, I* am Malala by Malala Yousafzai and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. I keep starting books without finishing others so am going to try and tackle that this month as I currently have 8 books on the go (although that includes three readalongs).