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…

Was Zoe the one played by Elisabeth Moss?

Yes! I have a book I have DNF Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky - sci fi, not vibing with it

Yes

Yep! It is. I’ve done it before. Go to a resort in northern Greece that we have been to many times before. It’s somewhere I feel comfortable at on my own. I know how it works. Some of the staff have been there for years so it’s lovely. I go for walks in the morning through the forest or along the beach and then spend the rest of the day on the beach and I read constantly. It’s a great switch off.

Am intrigued as to your DD’s name now…..

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit - yes that is the West Wing book. Loved the series although have only watched it once. The book sounded good.

Ainsley !

It was a good book. Joshua Malina I thought came across as a nightmare to work with though.

M***y

Think I’ve got it!

😃

Late to join in but starting from today will read what is on my bookshelf. First starting with Liar by Lesley Pearse will probably continue until this time next year

@swampwitch0 Nanoo nanoo?

No!
I didn't put the correct number of * in 😫
M***y

Why isn't mn letting me put 5 * in!?

Because it assumes you are trying to bold something

Ah.
M 5* Y

I've been trying for a while now to read what I own, and I'd like to ask people following this challenge, how have you found the books you have read that have lingered for a while? Was there a reason you were avoiding them and they turned out to be not that good? Or did you discover that you had been missing out on some real gems because you had been distracted by something new and shiny?
I have books that I haven't got round to in twenty years, I suppose because they never seemed to be the most interesting one on the shelf. Should I bite the bullet and have a clear out or make myself a reading list of my oldest books?

Hi @Rowena191
I have found a few gems for sure. Some were books I’d put off as not the right time/ not in the mood (Music in the Dark by Sally Magnusson- Moon Tiger- Penelope Lively and Summerwater- Sarah Moss) others were long ones I felt I hadn’t time for (The Fatal Shore- Robert Hughes) I’ve also had a few really enjoyable light reads (Jodi Taylor’s St Mary’s and Marion Todd’s police procedurals). In fact I’ve had more 4 or 5 star books from reading my backlist than I have reading the contemporary ones in between (including most of the Booker Prize longlist so far). I have DnFed a couple though, some I stuck with too long- others I dumped at 10% for no longer being my cup of tea!

Another one down that I bought in 2014! Michael Connelly - The Last Coyote

@Rowena191some of the books I’ve had on my TBR for ages I’ve really enjoyed, others have been DNF. It’s interesting though why some books have grabbed my attention more than others. In some cases I’ve definitely judged a book by its cover or blurb. I am guilty though of snapping up a deal and then having too many books and too little time to read them all.

@Rowena191
I put 2 boxes of my books in the loft at the weekend.
My beloved P G Wodehouse books, Bill Bryson books and various ones I read and liked, so don't want to get rid of.
I don't carry on with books I'm not enjoying anymore...the local school library is doing well from me lately! 😃

@Rowena191 the big success has been the Shardlake books which I had forgotten I owned. But others have been good too and shunting the bad ones into DNF is also a bonus, AFAIC

Two more down for me - Slow Horses by Mick Heron and Soviet Milk by Nora Ikstena. I didn't really like Slow Horses so am debating deleting the next two I have in the series to further reduce my TBR pile.

@Rowena191 I have some that I am still resisting picking up, and I suspect that it's because my reading tastes have changed since I got these and I'm worried I won't enjoy them, but probably would have enjoyed them if I'd read them years ago when I added them to the collection. So far, I've quite enjoyed a few, DNF some and others were ok. Definitely finding it easier to add them to the donate pile than usual though once I'm done.

I've not finished any more yet, just over half way on The Bookshop Murder and my non fiction book. I have made real progress with my classic which is one of the chunkier Dickens and I have struggled to engage with it a bit so pleased to pick up the pace finally. Hope to finish it this weekend.

@CutFlowers yeah I got the first 3 Slow Horses in 1. I really wasn’t interested in continuing.

@CutFlowers@EineReiseDurchDieZeitI didn’t get on with the Slow Horses books either. They had such rave reviews too.