Read What You Own 2026

Thanks for the new thread @ÚlldemoShúl. I had some success at the start of last year and the two months leading up to the Booker, but then reading the prize longlists really messed up my last few months. I have about 100 unread books on my Kindle and about another 20 in real life.
So my initial rules are

• No new Kindle books until Woman's prize longlist is announced on 8 March
• Exceptions for book club and audios as I don't have a back log there
• After March will review but may try and alternate one old and one new

Yes it is pretty awesome and you can spend hours in there and it runs for two days so you have to make at least two visits… I think I may have to leave town that weekend, it’s my only hope.

My aims:

• do not buy any books except the one book that I need to buy for a book club meeting - and only then if I don’t manage to borrow it from someone/somewhere
• read some of the 203 😮 unread books I have on my Kindle - they definitely appealed when I purchased them so I have no excuse!
• delete free books from Kindle that I only "bought" because they were free
• read the many books I bought second hand when I was in the UK this summer before I am allowed any more!
• stop reading "What we’re reading" as it is responsible for about 90% of my purchases 😆

@LadybirdDaphne Prob not helpful BUT that charity book sale sounds fab. How will you resist??

@LadybirdDaphne - the charity book sale sounds awesome 😂.

I need to do this too! I’m one of those people who acquires books as a separate hobby from reading them.

Resolutions:

• I’m doing a ‘summer reading challenge’ from the local library where you have to read 15 library books by the end of March. After that, concentrate on own books.
• Stop trawling through kindle monthly deals. Only make kindle purchases if it’s something I’ve already heard of and really want.
• Buy no physical books unless get given a voucher.
• DO NOT GO TO THE CHARITY BOOK SALE IN FEBRUARY!! This is a highly dangerous event with masses of second hand books in a big sports hall, most of them only NZ$1 - about 40p

my first task is to go through my kindle books- I have a lot I bought years ago and I’ve no idea why and I’m just not picking them to read now.

@Boudy - I loved the Cazalet series. Will definitely be buying the new one. And might have to re read the originals!

I really would like to aim for NO books purchased other than book club books. It’s a big ask though.

I have a couple of large piles sat beside our bed yet I carry on buying others .
this year I'm determined to read them all .
I buy ones I really want to read and they are added to the pile . Yet I buy 99p offers on Kindle , Prime books , and charity shop buys and read those whilst the ones I buy at full price still lie unread in the pile !

Thanks @ÚlldemoShúl .

My aim is to read 8 books I own before I am allowed to buy one new one and/or borrow one from the library (which I tend to read straight away). And then another group of 8. I find it helps me be quite choosy about what I buy - and can have maybe one from the monthly deals but have to resist most from the daily deals.

My current TBR pile is 198 (down from 264 this time last year!). I'd love to reduce it by a third this coming year.

Signing in. Need to read some physical books and make some space. Need to be accountable. Also have more Kindle books than the total of adult fiction books in my local library so need to make a dent. Thanks @ÚlldemoShúl

Well will see eh?😱😁

I'm in too. I've read hardly any physical books I own this year and I really need to get to some of them before they deteriorate. I'm contemplating turning off the kindle daily deals email to save money. I don't like that feeling of coming across books at the library I've paid for and haven't read yet even if it was only 99p. I do have loads of books on my kindle. I always want to try and read books when I'm at the peak of my excitement for them.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/nov/15/elizabeth-jane-howard-niece-louisa-young-cazalet-chronicles-books

I’m feeling slightly twitchy at this idea even though I know it’s a good one!
As well as RWIO, I also need to get back to my routine of 2 fiction to 1 other. I have a lot of biographies & historical books on my kindle as well as various self help style books

@Kayemm oh yes sorry! It is a follow on from the Cazalet Books. Written by the author's ( I think niece) I will go and find title now.

@Boudy what is it?

I do really want to read The Correspondent. It's out in May, I can clear my TBR by then...

I'm in definitely.

I'm not counting the size of my TBR pile but I shall clear it before I spend more money on books, apart from my 6 book group books. ( We meet each month but me and a mate always share the book).

Apart from a few gifts all my books come from charity/second hand shops and I think that part of my problem is I buy a lot that once I get round to them I can't remember what interested me in the first place.

I have an 'Abandoned ' shelf on Goodreads!

What a good idea. I am putting it out here that I am going to buy ONE book this year.!! It is out in Sept. I am going to read through my physical and kindle piles( as much as possible!).Will I be able to buy only one book🤔

Thanks for the new thread.

Enjoyed the previous thread, and that it helped me to reduce my massive virtual TBR pile.

Will continue in the same way, focusing on the books I already have (especially the oldest ones), but if I spot any interesting bargains I give myself permission to snap those up 😆.

I'm in!

In line with it, I'm also going to dedicate 4 hours a week to reading books that I already own.

This means that I don't have to deprive myself of new or library books completely but at least means I will be getting through what I actually own.

Every week=4 hours on my own TBR, no matter what.

Joining goodness knows how many books I have but that’s a good aim read half of what I own. But allowing myself to borrow books from BorrowBox p.s will also fail miserably too but the thoughts there lol

Such a good idea! Especially as I just got given a tonne of books for Christmas and have literally no where to put them but a windowsill 😂