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 Unsticky by Sarra Manning today. Trashy.

Finished Shy by Max Porter. Very short, didn’t take long!

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit I agree there's barely a redeemable character in Polo.
I haven't re-read Riders so have that on my TBR but I seem to remember there was an opera series and it all went downhill after that so you've probably picked the best.

2 more shorties- Blackwater by Michael McDowell- supernatural southern gothic- I have 6 of these (all 99p deals) so I’ll read the next, then either finish or delete depending on that one- first was okay.
Second shortie was The Ice by Ryan Cahill. Also part of a series- fantasy this time. Enjoyed it.

Finished A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning-Wroe and also Satan in St Mary’s by Paul Doherty - I bought the latter in 2014.

Finished 2 more- one of my oldest kindle books from 2012 The Making of Modern Britain by Andrew Marr and one of my oldest audible books A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay.

Read (or re-read) one of my longest standing kindle books - Pride and Prejudice which has been on my Kindle since 2014.

Just finished the shadow sister brought the set of these a while back and then stopped reading

Another one down- The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler- good read.

Have finished The Turn Of The Screw by Henry James. Wish I hadn't bothered.

I finished Lady’s Well by LJ Ross

2 more audios done- Life on Earth by Sir David Attenborough (great) and Old Bones Lie by Marion Todd (meh)

Another one down - Starling House by Alix E. Harrow. Spooky haunted house read for this time of year, but set in modern times as opposed to a period setting, which is what I thought it was going to be. Enjoyed this more than I expected to.

I've had reader's block for a week which means every book I've started was put down again. I have finally, after three attempts, DNFd The Cazalets.

Chums - Simon Kuper. Paperback. Bought in July 2023. Quite a short book, so didnt take me so long. My next NF is a CHUNK at 544 pages, The Anarchy by William Dalrymple.

I need this thread! I have 22 audio books, about 70 on my kindle and 20 odd paperbacks -all unread!
Currently reading The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. A nice straightforward read and perfect for bedtime.

Audiobook: Tides by Jonathan White. I listen with a pillow speaker but then nod off and miss most of it so I need to start using headphones during the day.
I missed a lot of Rebecca, Mrs Dalloway and two Christy Lefteri books by going to sleep to them. But there is something quite lovely about being read a story at bedtime, even when you're pushing 60 😆

Finished Miss Marple's Final Cases - Agatha Christie
which I bought in May 2022.

Well, thanks to this thread, when an audiobook I liked the look of popped up on my audible page, I listened to the preview and put it on my wishlist instead of using up a credit.

I managed ten minutes of Tides before falling asleep! It's going to be a looong story if I don't start listening during the day 🙃

Good going @WinterFrogs

I read The Story Spinner by Barbara Erskine. I enjoyed it and want to read some others of hers but am resisting buying any more just yet.

Have started Maybe In Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Read which should be a quick easy read.

@OurMavis - I loved the Cazalets. Read the whole series.

Hello @WinterFrogs! I don’t do audio books as I know I’d fall asleep! I listen to stories on the Calm app to fall asleep and I’m older than you! I did download a freebie audio book from the Sunday Times a few weeks ago to listen to on my walks. Figured I wouldn’t fall asleep that way.

I really need to crack on and read some more - I have 169 unread books on my kindle and still have a lot of actual books too.

Audiobooks are my secret weapon against insomnia but what i really need is one long and boring one @Peridot1 !
Good to see you here 👋

Welcome @WinterFrogs I've managed to really cull my Kindle books and to stop buying more, just because they are only 99p. On that note...

The Key To Rebecca – Ken Follet. Bought July 2023 and I was glad to get it off the Kindle. I'm down to 14 books on the Kindle. I have bought another few books, but I have been sensible and only bought ones that I really want or have been highly recommended on 50 bookers. I am going on holiday in January, so I do want to keep some back in order to read then.

@WinterFrogsI listen to audiobooks on a night too, and fall asleep to them. I select for them to stop after a couple of chapters, and work to where I remember I got up to. I listen during the day when I can.

I have finished a Verity Bright - A Royal Murder and have just started a JD Kirk now.

14 books left is awesome, @Tarragon123 !

Into the Darkest Corner - Elizabeth Haynes - apparently I bought this in 2015, at the same time as a few others by this author. It was OK!

Bit slow on the RWYO as listening to The Hallmarked Man and it is going on forever but I have finished A Short History of Russia by Mark Galeotti and The Wife by Sigrid Unset - second part of the Kirstin Lavransdatter trilogy.