Read What You Own Challenge

[ÚlldemoShúl]

I’m going to start a Read What You Own Challenge on the 1st of July to try and reduce down my ridiculously huge TBR both physical and kindle.
My rules for me are-

• No buying any new books after midday on July 1st
• Unsubscribe from the kindle daily deals email
• I am allowed to break it for the Booker Prize longlist when it’s announced, but must check my library for the books first.
• Keep going until August 21st as my first goal. (Maybe until 2026 in total)

These rules are specific to me and anyone who wants to join me is free to make their own set of rules for their challenge. I’m going to log each book I read here to keep me accountable. Anyone else up for it? I know some 50 Bookers are considering it…

I finished Long Island by Colm Tobin today. Follow up to Brooklyn. I felt it was a bit frustrating p.

Now to pick something else. Might try one I’ve had for a long time.

I finally finished The Fatal Shore (history of transportation to Australia) long but so good. Well worth the read.

I’m still very daunted by its size so well done you!

@Peridot1 it felt like the middle of a trilogy to me rather than a sequel. I would quite like him to write the two granny showdown back in Brooklyn book though!

Just finished Daughters of Sparta from 2022. Meh.

@Stowickthevast - yes it feels unfinished. But the main characters drove me mad! I know small town Ireland and what it used to be like but it was totally weird in some ways. But yes the two grannies in NY would be interesting to say the least! Have you read Nora Webster? Very similar and she is mentioned in this one - she sold the house in Cush to Martin. Same area and we used to holiday there as kids and she goes to a pub we used to go in Blackwater in the book.

So my pick from books I’ve had in my kindle for a while is A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar. Which I apparently purchased in March 2013!

Looking through some of the older books made me realise I definitely won’t read some of them so I’ll do a bit of a cull I think.

Yes I really liked Nora Webster. Nice that you can picture it so clearly. Cush also features in The Blazing Heather. I need someone to do a character map for the Colm Toíbin universe like the Elizabeth Strout one!

I think I might have to read some more Colm Toíbin. Haven’t read The Blazing Heather. I agree about Elizabeth Strout too. I do like that they write about some of the same characters in the way that they do but it does get a bit confusing!

Another one down - The Villa by Rosanna Ley which I bought in 2014

I have finished two more books but one was a library book - so 1 down for RWYO. Am going to avoid the library for a bit (it is my favourite place!)

I’ve finished two more - an audio I’ve had for donkeys years- Blackwing by Ed McDonald and an ebook I’ve had for around a year from a recommendation on here- Music in the Dark. Both pretty good- full reviews coming up on 50 Bookers. As planned, I temporarily broken RWYO to get any books I didn’t have on the Booker shortlist, so will be alternating those with RWYO for a while.

Agree, I liked Eilas less in this book, I thought Brooklyn was better too

Another two, well sort of
Read All About It by Paul Cuddihy
and DNF The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper. Not my kind of thing at all.

I've finished two more since my last update. Which is 8 overall for July with a couple of the go still and a a couple put to one side for now as not sure how I feel.
I have added 3 books to my pile this month, but considering that was a birthday month I'm calling it a win! One of those was The Wolf Den though so I'm nervous now @SilverShadowNight 🙈

Read the first of 2 by Solvej Balle, yes I broke and paid for them, in my defence they were 99p and I now own them!

To be fair I would have too only I already had them.
kindle deals tomorrow- I am only getting things already on my wishlist.

I can but hope that I’ll manage to stick to that @ÚlldemoShúl

We need the laughing emoji back 🤣🤣

I’m deliberately avoiding the Kindle daily deals for a while. Too tempting!

I cracked and bought two 99p deals today (as they will be out of the July deals as of tomorrow) and I also did a re-read of The Fear Index - I guess at least I already owned that 😀

@Peridot1 you have willpower of steel! @SheilaFentiman I got a few 99p deals in the August deals this morning too. I stuck to my wishlist though so I’m still counting it as a win 😜

I stuck to my Wishlist but there were so many on it this month it’s definitely not a win

@ÚlldemoShúl - not so steely! Just spotted the Barbara Kingsolver offer! Haven’t succumbed as yet…….. the day is yet young!

I did succumb to a BK and 3 from my wishlist. Tempted by The Cranes Fly South too.

I have managed to buy more books than I've read this month allowing for my own Booker and wishlist rules 🙈

I have broken even @Stowickthevast but only because of Booker. This month should be much easier.

I have finished five books this week for RWYO: Prophet Song by Paul, Lynch, A History of the World in 21 Women byJenny Murray, No-one Saw a Thing --a twisty thriller by Andrea Mara, The Visit by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (v.short but excellent) and
The Migratory Painter of Birds by Lydia Jorge translated by Margaret Jull Costa. I have also tidied up my kindle and found two duplicates so have deleted those. That puts me at 15 from the Kindle pile for July.

Less good on the physical books - have finished one I own & two library books and charity shopped three. But I found a bit of a stash I hadn't counted which puts me up 10 more unread.

Am currently resisting the kindle deals as there are 12 I would like to buy. They have been moved to my wishlist but they look so shiny and new ....