Reading challenge: tackle the book that you have owned the longest

[bibliomania]

Its time has finally come - pick up the book that has accompanied you through the last umpteen house moves, or the one that has languished longest in the depths of your kindle. The challenge is simple: to read it between now and the end of June.

If you start it and it's not for you, maybe it's time to let it go to a new home.

With physical books, you won't always know which you've owned the longest, but go on - pick one!

I'm going with Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, by Jack Weatherford. It was published in 2004 and acquired by me in December 2015. Its time has come!

I’ve had my dog eared copy of the hobbit since I was 5. It was originally my dad’s and as a child I whined him into giving me it because I liked the pictures and maps in it. I took it with me when I moved out at 17, and it’s proudly lived on every bookshelf in every home I’ve had ever since.

I’m mid 40’s now and it’s still one of my favourite books.

So I’ll go with Desperation by Stephen King. It moved out with me at the same time but I don’t think I’ve actually ever opened the thing.

It’s entirely possible to know the book you have owned longest on Kindle, because Amazon will tell you.

Otherwise, as you can see from the posts, people are estimating it :-)

After seeing your challenge on the 50 books thread I found my oldest book.on my kindle was Bones of.Avalon by.Phil Rickman. I started it but OMG it's a DNF.

The next.oldest is White Tiger by Arvind Adiga bought in 2011 so I will move onto that

Nice to know you can clear Bones of Avalon off your shelf, @minsmum !

I also have a long-neglected copy of The Shadow of the Wind on my bookshelf, @RolandOnTheRopes .

I'm over 60% through Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, marvelling at the fact that the Forbidden City in Beijing was once a private area where the Mongol rulers recreated the tent homes they used to have on the steppe.

Finished Genghis Khan and found it a very enjoyable read, although I gather that there are questions about its reliability as a work of scholarship. Will review on the 50 book thread. I'm going to take a break from long-owned books for now, as I need to catch up on some library books, but I might gird my loins for a long-owned physical book in June. The Corner that Held Them, by Sylvia Townsend Warner - your time has come.

Well done, @bibliomania - I am sidetracked by Precipice but I will get back to the Bryson soon...

Thanks @SheilaFentiman . There's nothing wrong with a bit of side-tracking - alongside the book on Genghis Khan, I've been reading a book about one of Queen Victoria's daughters, which is quite the contrast.

Loved Winter in Madrid!

Really great thread. I’ve got 100s of books (and then there’s the kindle). I’m going to have a sort. Our local estate agent is collecting kids books for primary schools so I could definitely purely find some for them. I’m in my 50s and have books older than me. I’m not a hoarder but where books are concerned, I am a bit!

Today’s main objective is to find 3 old books to relocate to the top of the reading pile.

Today’s main objective is to find 3 old books to relocate to the top of the reading pile.

Sounds like a plan, @Radiatorvalves Enjoy picking them!

@Radiatorvalves I loved everything else I’ve read by Sansom- don’t know why it’s taken me so long to get to this one!

I’m 50% of the way through She-Wolves. I have lots of other reads on the go too. The next one I plan to tackle from my list is A Fraction of the Whole - maybe in a week or two.

I loved Pure

Is *She- Wolves" good, Ull? Not that I want this thread to increase my tbr!

@bibliomania It’s interesting but if you’re knowledgeable already about these female leaders I’d say there’s not a lot new here.

Thanks @ÚlldemoShúl , I definitely wouldn't claim to be that knowledgeable about them.

DNF Skagboys - Irvine Welsh. Misogynist and fat phobic, no thank you.

I still havent logged my physical books yet. Maybe over the weekend.

@bibliomania I’m finished She-Wolves now. It was just okay in the end. Sometimes I think she stretched it a bit- these women really didn’t have that much control in their lives at many times. I enjoyed the Matilda and Isabella sections because I didn’t know a lot about either. Eleanor and Margaret not so much- I knew too much about them already and I found myself skimming a bit.

planning to start my second oldest book A Fraction of the Whole after the weekend.

What a great idea!

Mine is The Peppered Moth by Margaret Drabble. I bought it in 2001!!! First year of uni.

@TattiePants I have a soft spot for Love in the Time of Cholera as an ex holiday romance recommended it to be as we were saying goodbye.

Im starting with The 39 Steps on my kindle.

This thread also inspired me to delete a lot from my Kindle (looking at you Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire).

Excellent work @AgualusasLover !

Thanks for not entirely enthusiastic review, @AgualusasLover - I have a bit of a soft spot for it (despite some attitudes that have not aged well, to say the least).

I've just reread my message above and it makes no sense. Thanks for unenthusiastic review was to Ull.. I don't have to add She Wolves to my tbr. The bit to Agualusa was about The 49 Steps.. The Internet took a bite out of the middle of my post.