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’m on holiday and have brought some paper books with me in an effort to reduce that RWYO pile!

Another 1 down !! After You’d Gone by Maggie O’Farrell near DNF due to how chaotic it is

Just finished Helena Dixon - Murder at the Enderby Hotel - an easy to read crime book

Finished lion hearts and am moving on to Death in the Arctic by Tom Hindle.

2.Marianna Sirca by Grazia Deledda.

Review on the 50 Bookers thread.

Read another last night : Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi

So tomorrow I reach what I planned to my original finish date (and go back to work 🥲) so here’s how I’m going to RWYO going forward.

1. Stick to buying only kindle deals on my wish list or specific recommendations (damn you @EineReiseDurchDieZeit 🤣🤣) on kindle and where possible other books on W’stones double points events or charity shopping. Keep physical books to no more than 10 by the end of the year.
2. Read at least 2 old books for any new book (last 6 months) with the exception of Booker reading.

What can I say? I’m an enabler!

I would like to join in. I have:

1. 301 unread books on my Kindle (mainly ones from my wishlist and from daily deals).
2. Actual books that I’ve bought other members of the family but I want to read them too.
3. Books that I’ve been bought as presents but haven’t read.

I would also like to reduce my Borrowbox loans so I’ve got space to borrow / reserve books recommended on here / the 50 books thread.

My main rule for me is to find 15 minutes (or more) to read earlier in the day - my main time for reading is late at night & I just don’t have the energy to tackle non-fiction or more literary books at that time.

Welcome @Benvenuto Some good plans there.

Just started A Room of One's Own, that's been on my TBR list for a looooong time!

And now finished The Man who makes Husbands Jealous - Jilly Cooper thanks to airport/flight - only on my Kindle since December last year.

Just finished the sleep walkers by scarlett Thomas. One of my more recent purchases. Very disappointed and definitely didnt live upto my expectations. Going away for 4 days next week and have so many books I cant decide what to read

I have DNFd 3 books but have cracked and bought Polo which was on offer at 99p. I have my original old paperback but can't read the print, so maybe it doesn't count as a new book.
Going to Whitby next week so I've just started a crime novel set in Whitby. I love a book set in a place I know.

The Country Girls Trilogy: Edna O'Brien.

Review on the 50 Bookers Thread.

Dnf reconstruction by mick herron

Finished Broadland by David Blake.

I was paralysed by indecision on where to start, but have now got into the swing. Finished a couple of Penguin Crime Classics - Frequent Hearses by Edmund Crispin and Look to the Lady by Marjorie Allingham. Both enjoyable. DNF The Man In the High Castle and DNF The Gunslinger (Stephen King/ Dark Tower).
Now on The Count of Monte Cristo (missed the read along earlier this year) and loving it. After that, something shorter!

I finished one more (The Officers Lover) and have made some progress with the non fiction and classic I've had on the go for a while. Hoping to make a good dent in those this weekend.
I think I'm going to try and keep going til Christmas. My rules will be I can use my gift cards and as I am making good progress, I can buy a book of it's one I intend to read as soon as I can.
The challenge has definitely made me more mindful about mixing newer and older reads and I'm hoping to really get the rest of my unread books under control by the end of year.

Hello to all the familiar faces and the new ones!

I'm a 50 Booker regular and have attacked my Kindle with enthusiasm to read lots of the books that have been lingering. I'm doing really well there and am down to 14, including my current read.

However! I have finally counted and logged my physical books and I have 44. This isnt great, but given that I can read at least 50 books in a year, I will manage to get through most of them by next Summer. I do have some HUGE books included in this, the biggest is Simon Sebag Montefiore's The World at 1,344 pages. I'm also not afraid to DNF books, which I was always averse to doing before now. I only have four books on Audible and have cancelled my subscription.

Have finished Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout. This is my fourth Strout novel and the one I've liked the least I'd say. Back to the Booker list as a couple of reservations have come in at the library but next up on my RWYO will likely be Disney's Land by Richard Snow.

I have cancelled my audible subscription.

Welcome @Tarragon123 Nice to see you here 🙂
If you cancel your Audible subscription, do you keep all your books?

Yes - though you lose any unused credits.

Thanks @SheilaFentiman I could spend them easily enough I reckon. I’ve built up quite a reading list over there and it doesn’t help that I keep picking things up in 2 for 1 offers. That said I do love an audiobook.