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…

My biggest problem is reading the books threads on here, so many great recommendations

So true!

@HolidayHattie I agree not except Kindle 99p as that is virtually all I buy! My exception is if it is both 99p AND on my Wish List.

@HolidayHattie I know that there are always books available for 99p, however my exception is on the first of the month when the new deals come out

I’m going to use @Welshwabbit ’s version of the kindle deal.
the challenge doesn’t start until midday on 1st July which will allow anyone who wants to pick up July’s kindle deals free reign even if they don’t have that as an exception in general 😁

@OurMavis I am culling too (moving into a 'maybe not' folder)

I added a column to my spreadsheet this year to note the % of books read that were bought before 2024 (i.e. the RWYO books) - it's at about 35%, I have a definite newness bias!

My TBR pile is down to 2 and I am worried I may run out on holiday in a couple of weeks.... May end up buying more!

Library backlog after ordering lots of crime from Granite Noir also cleared now, only a couple of reservations not in yet.

I need to work out how to do a collection on Kindle for iPad. I think I am going to have a lot of DNFs. Starting with the bottom of the mountain, I think I’m beginning with To The Letter by Simon Garfield which is non fiction

I'd like to target what's on my shelves already. I have them gathered in one place so I can eye them up. I can't quite bring myself to go as far as a complete book-buying ban. I'll aim to reduce purchases to "I really really want this" rather than "Might be interesting". I almost never buy new, so it's the 99p deals plus charity shops that are the temptation for me.

@OurMavis I like your idea of a "probably won't read" folder and may start there. I think about 10 years ago, when my oldest TBR Kindle pile starts, I had a much higher tolerance for fantasy and SF which I rarely read now. I am also mucho more optimistic about how much I want to read non fiction so have a load of NF at about 20% complete.

@HolidayHattie Demon Copperhead is actually quite a page turner despite it's length. I would definitely give it a go.

I’ve made myself a pile on my bedside table of oldies including- Our Man in Havana, Summerwater, The Little Friend and about another 10.
move made two folders on my kindle- up next and later- both of which are full of older books (10 in one 50 in the other)

@ÚlldemoShúl Swerve The Little Friend - I read it over a 13hr period and those are 13hrs I will never get back! It pissed me off no end!

I’ll join! I need to stop getting new shiny things from the library and start reading the massive TBR pile.

Thanks Eine- I’ll give it 50 pages then DNF if it’s not doing it for me. I feel very free to DNF in this challenge too- and we often agree on books.

The thing is, it starts really well….AND THEN

I’ve narrowed mine down to a First Group of about 8 that were at the bottom of the Kindle To The Letter seems to be a dip in and out book so it might take a while and I might get rid of two lightweight books first :

Fangirl and Love In A Cold Climate

Me too! I've just had a mini cull and have a stupid amount to read on the shelf, and on kindle. I have rules that if I don't enjoy, I won't finish and once read, it's leaving the house, unless I LOVE it. Oh and I'm not reserving anything at the library.

I'm in and I'd also like to add one rule for myself, stop watching BookTube and the endless book unboxing videos!
I'll never reach the end of my tbr so I certainly don't need to add to it.

That’s a good rule @ObtuseMoose I’m not sure I could stick to it though!

I’m in, just as soon as I’ve finished looking at the monthly deals 😏

Bought too much on the deals but now everything counts as RWYO so yay!!

Yep me too about the deals- there were actually 8 that were on my wishlist which never happens so I had to. From here on in, it’s read what you own.
I’ve started numbers 1 and 2- Still born by Guadalupe Nettel and The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes (this one’s a monster and will take a long time)

I inherited my late sister’s kindle - between the device and the cloud she has over 500 books!!!

the vast majority I haven’t read. That me sorted for a few years!

@ÚlldemoShúl I also have The Fatal Shore and daunted by the size

Wow, that will keep you going, @wrackmybrain I hope you have the same taste in books! I can see how it's a way to stay connected with someone you have lost.