Read What You Own 2026

[ÚlldemoShúl]

This is a brand shiny new thread for those of us who want to continue reading what we own in 2026.
My aims for 2026 are:

• At least half my reading will be from books I already own on 1st January 2026
• I will buy less than a quarter of my reading new including kindle deals😱 and book club books
• I will wait when prize lists are released to see if the books appear in the library within a week. I will not read full longlists unless I love the sound of each and every book on it.
• For the first two months I will only read what I own- focusing on the older books on my kindle while allowing myself to read newer (but already owned) physical books

What are your RWYO aims for 2026?

Off to google The Glass House. EVEN THOUGH am only buying one book this year...eek!

The Running Grave was definitely a return to form

Was that the one before the latest? I forget which one is which honestly. But if it’s the one with the cult I enjoyed it too.

I already have The Glass House. Purchased in 2020! So you can all see why I absolutely must abide by my 'only purchasing one book this year statement'.

Yes @AliasGrape . I thought the latest was not as good. But I shall read it again. I tend to read the Strike ones too quickly and then read again slowly..so appreciate them more. If you know what I mean.

yeah that’s the one @AliasGrape

I really enjoyed The Glass House. It was the first book of hers that I read. Also enjoyed The Midnight Hour.

I’ve just finished my first book of the year, All Together for Christmas by Sarah Morgan.

I think I shouldn’t have started a Christmas fluff book so late. It was feeling distinctly out of season in the second week of January and I wasn’t reading as much as I usually do.

I hope I've spurred you on to read it soon and you enjoy it as much as I did.

And I've got far too many books lurking on my kindle entirely forgotten about, some of which I have embarrassingly also subsequently bought a paperback copy 🙄

Me too..

Ah ok, I really enjoyed the Running Grave too then. The latest I did enjoy - with all the usual caveats and complaints - I do find I get on much better with them on audible these days, or some combination of audible and kindle where it synchs up. I perhaps lose a bit of detail, but find myself getting immersed in a different way and I do enjoy Philip Glennister’s narration.

I’ve stayed up late to finish The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods. Look, it’s not a great book but I actually quite enjoyed it in the end. I had to skim and overlook a lot of clunky bits, the dialogue and interaction between character never really rang true for me, and the magic realism didn’t work especially well, but there was something kept me reading and a satisfying enough ending.

I too already have The Glass House by Eve Chase on my TBR pile, and I also have The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods.

@SilverShadowNight - I like to google reviews after I’ve read something and there were lots of really good ones for The Lost Bookshop so you may love it!

4 This Must Be The Place by Maggie O’Farrell - topical & enjoyable read but one where I found the plot somewhat problematic (the degree of the problems can be judged by the fact that it took me a day to work out it was RWYO).

I have another Maggie O’Farrell on my list for RWYO but might have a break from reading her before I tackle it!

I’ve posted on the 50 books thread, and it does go against the spirit of this thread 😁, but The Correspondent by Virginia Evans is on the kindle daily deal today - along with Chris McCausland’s autobiography.

I have finished Bournville and just starting the Glasshouse.

I've made a small start on The Running Grave, via audiobook. I've got the chunky paperback alongside so I can cross check details if needed, but otherwise it will be keeping me company whilst I get on with my crocheting.

I also went to see Hamnet at the cinema this afternoon. Thoroughly recommend. It was beautiful and, as I thought, emotionally draining.

Listened to garth matenghi bursted earth audiobook earlier.
Read 50 pages of A month in the country.
I got 2 x Agatha christies for Christmas, so one of those next, I think.
I bought 2 x christmas mystery books with every intention of reading them during advent but didnt, so they are going to the bottom of the pile for this Advent! 🫣

The L-Shaped Room - Lynn Reid Banks

Another paperback off the RWYO list and into the charity bag. Rather Dated, but a strong portrait of Jane - pregnant, unmarried and thrown out by her father - finding a new independence in a room of her own in a boarding house.

Brilliant idea to buy paperback aswell...am finding that miss quite a lot just relying on audible

I was doing so well resisting the kindle 99p books till I saw The Correspondent was on offer. Going to try and read it before the library gets it in. Think it might be a good present idea for my mum. Haven't bought any other new books this year despite being in three bookshops.

Finished The School At Thrush Green by Miss Read. Set in 1976 at a guess as the drought was mentioned, and various types of cars.
It was gentle and used a lot of interesting words that you don't hear so much in more modern books. One glorious phrase jumped out, which I can't find now, but it referred to a lady wearing "sturdy undergarments" to keep out the cold. It made me smile!

@WinterFrogs I loved Miss Read, they were the first 'adult' books I read.

Read Araby by Gretta Mulrooney. A son remembers incidents in his childhood with his eccentric London Irish mother (full review on 50b). Worth reading but it’s going out.

I finished Milkman by Anna Burns on audio. Great read. Tense and evocative. That’s four RWYO so far. Still reading Palace Walks, and The Ghost Orchid by Jonathan Kellerman (though close to finished both) also both RWYO.

This is definitely the thread I need I am accumulating so many books but then keep seeing new ones that I want to buy! And my Kindle is stuffed full too

I've made myself a storygraph challenge in the hope that it helps motivate me to keep going with reading books I already own this year. I'm going to try and read at least 26 books that I already own this year I will see how it goes! I read about 80 books last year so I figured this is at least a fairly realistic target

Question- does it count if you are reading a newly downloaded Kindle version of a book that you already owned in hardback for, or is that cheating?! I own a hardback David Copperfield but have a broken arm at the minute so I'm reading it on my Kindle instead