Read What You Own 2026

Now read a 2023 purchase - A Bird in Winter - Louise Doughty. Worth reading although slightly inclusive ending which always annoys me. Will put full review on 50B thread.

Just finished Patricia Brent, Spinster by Herbert George Jenkins which was sweet and charming.

I loved Moon Tiger @CutFlowers , hope you enjoyed it.

I finished The Correspondent last night, but I bought it this year so not classing as a RWYO. I've decided to only include anything I already owned on 1st Jan, though the itch to buy/ download more does keep striking me I'm still being fairly restrained.

I have finished 5 more RWYO in March (helped by some long train journeys). 3 booker winners - Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively , The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes and The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, all of which I enjoyed. I have also read a memoir of an Afghani girl Defiant Dreams by Sola Mahfouz which was excellent and The Midnight Library by Matt Haig which was less so.

Managed to finish another one - The Racketeer by John Grisham - but was tempted to make it a DNF. Only the fact I was up with DD being ill and needed something easy meant I finished it.

Finished Lies to Tell by Marion Todd - enjoying this series so far.

Just finished Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister.. it was ok

Finished Desperate Undertaking by Lindsey Davis, another whodunnit set in Ancient Rome. This one was relatively dark in tone but I love the setting and characters. It was a birthday/Christmas present some years ago and is a keeper. Full review to follow on 50B at some point.

Finished a 2016 purchase, JM Gregson - Making a Killing. The second in the Lambert and Hook mysteries. Cosy crime and easy reads, I enjoy these.

Finished Babel by RF Kuang which has taken bloody ages. I really liked it, but I am fascinated by etymology so there was lots for me here.

Finished Tom Lake - Ann Patchett which I bought in 2024 and really enjoyed it. Review to follow on 50B thread.

Just finished my 10th RWYO of the year, 14th book overall, All the Birds, Singing - Evie Wyld which has been on my kindle since 2015 - think it’s the oldest unread one I had on there (as in one I’d had the longest rather than publication date!)

Brilliant, unsettling read - not sure what took my so long!

Im sure I have another of her books - I saw her talk at Cheltenham festival and bought a signed copy I think. I’ll have to see if I can find it, some of my books have still not surfaced since we moved last year.

I loved Dreamland @ÚlldemoShúl one of my standouts from last year!
No RWYO going on here, I'm on prize lists as well, doing the Women's Prize for Fiction and the Climate Fiction Prize. In both cases I already had a few read so a bit of a head start! And I'm getting most of the rest from library reserves so not buying!

@ÚlldemoShúl the first - and I think the second - are a bit more like crime novels in the spy world than spy novels. I liked the book.

Just finished Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix, based on the sinking of a small boat crossing the Channel and the drowning of 27 refugees. It was long-listed for the International Booker last year. It is a very thought-provoking work.

I managed to finish another book tonight, Parable of the Sower by Octavia E Butler. I’m really enjoying my reading at the moment.

I have a book or two by Alan Hollinghurst, which I’m sure I will get to at some point, but I get the feeling he’s someone whose books I feel I should like, rather than them actually appealing to me.

I’ve just finished the next book in the Ruth Galloway series (The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths). I am so far into the series I am going to finish, despite really disliking the two main characters

Read “Our Evenings” by Alan Hollinghurst amazingly boring the most boring book I’ve read since the Lucy Worsley Queen Victoria book! Could contest it actually. Memorable because it was so dull

Finished A Fatal Crossing - Tom Hindle
@ÚlldemoShúlI also have some of the Malabar House books on my TBR. Haven’t read any so far but now tempted to pick the first one as my next read.

I just read Purple Hibiscus, another book lurking on my Kindle for ages. I am so glad I read it. I won't risk any spoilers but the depictions of an outwardly respectable person who is also very abusive in private were powerfully resonant for me.

I am not managing to stop myself buying more books though, there are just so many I want to read!

It's taken a while to get through but now finished Lessons - Ian McEwan which I bought in 2024. Not sure why it took me so long as not a difficult read.