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?

Finished Forever, Interrupted - Taylor Jenkins Reid which I bought 3 or so years ago. Easy read, apparently her first. Will review on 50B thread.

Finished another 6 RWYO (and a reread of To the Lighthouse)
Christine Falls by John Banville (not bad)
The Island of Doctor Moreau- HG Wells (okay)
Ghosts by Edith Wharton (patchy- like all short stories but lovely writing)
Double Indemnity by James Cain (fun)
Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter (devastatingly good)
The Familiars by Stacey Halls (entertaining)
Full reviews on 50 Bookers
Sticking with RWYO as much as possible now until December.

I've just finished Dead Lions by Mick Herron.
I bought three in the series in the deals but really wasn't sure about the first one. Still not sure I particularly liked or followed this one! I have now seen it on TV and I think this may be an unusual case of me prefering the adaptation to the original. Am debating not bothering with the third.

You're on fire! I am back on readalongs and book club books so you are putting me to shame!

For the past few months I have accidentally had a theme of books set on islands or partly set on islands.

I’m reading Reading in Bed by Sue Gee at the moment and if anyone ends up on an island I’m going to freak out!

Looks like some great progress all round! I’ve managed a few on my RWYO list.

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker Loved this one.
Women of Troy by Pat Barker Good, but not as good as the previous in the trilogy*
The Voyage Home by Pat Barker Least favourite of the three, I really wanted to hear how the story of Briseis ended.
Dark is the Grave by TG Reid Not great. Horrible, narky detective, stupid mystery and resolution. I won’t carry on with this series.
The Fold by Peter Clines Starts off as an intriguing sci-fi mystery and I really enjoyed the first 2/3 but then it morphed into to some kind of horror / chase thing which was just awful. A waste of a good story.

Latest read both was and wasn't a RWYO - Demon Copperhead. I'd bought it on audible when it came out, and just never been in the mood for it and put it off. Picked it up on kindle when it was 99p recently, and so have both read and listened and loved it all round. Incredible book, why I put it off I don't know.

I love books on islands. Any recommendations?

A few more RWYOs finished (along with two new releases)
RWYO finished-
19 Claws and a Blackbird- Agustina Bazterrica- horror short stories- not great
The Canterville Ghost -Oscar Wilde (novella- fun- would be great for older kids)
White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky (novella- not my cup of tea)
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (been reading it all year, started great but digressions and poor pacing ruined it)
The Daughters of Time by Josephine Tey- classic detective investigates the mystery of the Princes in the Tower- diverting.

If you like crime/murder mystery then Kate Rhodes has done a whole series set in the Isles of Scilly. The first one is Hell Bay

I’ve read (and enjoyed) a good few of these- islands are especially good for murder mysteries I reckon- it’s like a huge locked room!

1. The Wager - David Grann: true story of an 18th century voyage. Trying to round Cape Horn they ended up shipwrecked on an inhospitable island. Amongst the crew was Lord Byron’s grandfather who was only 16 when they set out. Loved this. I don’t know how anyone lived to tell the tale.
2. Worth a Shot - Amy Ewing: American photographer spends the summer working on the Aran Islands where she meets a grumpy Irish man. She supposedly has a job looking after a woman who doesn’t need looking after and they all speak English to each other but whatever! Typical chic lit fare.
3. The Black Dress - Deborah Moggach: Woman whose husband leaves her starts going to funerals of women she doesn’t know to try to hook up with their grieving husbands. Some funny scenes. It jumps the shark towards the end but I really enjoyed it.
4. The Five Star Weekend - Elin Hildebrand: Annoying Americans on Nantucket. I hated everyone. I watched one episode of the TV adaptation afterwards and they come across much nicer than in the book.
5. The Birthday Girl - Sarah Ward: Murder mystery set on a Welsh island during a storm. A bit far fetched and could have done with more editing but it kept the suspense going. I was expecting more of a twist.
6. Happy People Read and Drink Coffee - Agnés Martin-Lugand: French woman decides to move to Ireland after her husband and daughter are killed in a car crash. This is absolutely terrible and I don’t understand why it has rave reviews. The man she meets is an absolute horror and should have his house decked with red flags.

It was only when I got to No. 5 that I realised it was another island. After that I was going to read Daisy Darker but that is set on a Cornish island so I chose No. 6 instead and they ended up spending a few days on the Aran Islands! No. 3 wasn’t on an island but there’s a trip to Goodwin Sands which sort of is.

Thanks so much @JaneJeffer I have The Wager on my kindle so will move it up my tbr.

I hope you enjoy it. Some of it is very bleak.

More RWYO in October. This has been a great month for me clearing the RWYO books
No Name by Wilkie Collins- terrific
Fair Play by Louise Hegarty- not sure how long I’ve had this but I think at least a year- nonsense
The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry (audio) predictable mystery but with good characters and setting
At Night all Blood is Black- David Diop- Horrifying. All full reviews on 50 Booker channel

I’ve read a few books recently but only one was a RWYO, per my rule, as in bought before 2026. The Island House by Mary Considine. Full review to follow on 50B.