2023 Wrap Up! Stats, Charts, Best & Worst Books! 📊📚🧐

[@jenvcampbell]

Thanks for being here! If you'd like to answer the questions at the end of this video, too, you can copy the text below and paste it into a comment :) xx Questions: 1. Any stats/goals from 2023 that you'd like to share? 2. Favourite cover? 3. Any books you regret not getting to? 4. Did you get into any subgenres in 2023? 5. How did your reading ebb and flow throughout the year? 6. Favourite graphic novel? 7. Favourite poetry collection? 8. What book made you cry, in a good way? 9. What was your most surprising book (good or bad)? 10. How many new-to-you authors did you read in 2023? 11. Did you reread anything? What reread was your favourite? 12. A book you thought could have been longer and one you thought could have been shorter? 13. What was your favourite book by a disabled/chronically ill author that you read in 2023? 14. What were some of your favourite publishers in 2023? 15. Which book had the best ending? 16. What did you learn about yourself as a reader? 17. What were your favourite audiobooks of 2023? 18. What is the book you most vividly associate with a period of your life in 2023? 19. What books are you hoping to find something similar to in 2024? 20. What is a book you wish more people had on their radar? 21. Which books just missed out on your ‘top books of the year’ list? Ie, honourable mentions. xx

[@tirarosaurioreads]

Jen, I am going to start my booktube channel soon, do you think it's ok if I use some of your questions as prompts in my 2023 recap video once I do? I found them very inspiring :) I

[@sandeesandwich2180]

Gonna put my recommendation in for the 1995 Persuasion with Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds. It's not only my favorite Austen adaptation of all her novels, it's also one of my favorite movies full stop. Two bits of trivia about this film: The actors did not wear stage makeup in this movie -- which they weren't always thrilled about! The producers wanted the look to be a accurate to the period as possible -- so this version is not as glam as other treatments. Trivia 2: There are some changes to the plot towards the end, but those changes come directly from Austen's original version of the story! Which is just kind of cool. (Plus you can read those differences in annotated versions of the book.) Happy New Year, Jen -- hope 2024 is wonderful for you!

[@cardiewokerati2609]

Absolutely agree!😃

[@karenmiddlebrook5069]

I intentionally set my goal a little lower to not pressure myself but then end up getting competitive (against myself 😊) as the year closes. Goal was 50, I read 90. Many reads firmly in the 3 stars. The last devil to die my top read of the year. Wandering Souls another 5 star. My lowest rating was 2 stars, for The last heir to Blackwood Library which had every cliche going. Happy "find" of the year, thanks to you, was Celia Dale. I'm compelled to read anything compared to Muriel Spark 😂 my favourite audio started in December so won't be finished until 2024 is Demon Copperhead, which I didn't expect to be humorous.

[@keiichifuruya]

Thank you for another year of reading. Your videos with thoughtful insights always give me comfort ❤ wishing you the best 2024

[@YourTrueShelf]

I also find Storygraph so much better, plus the app is so much more user friendly, the Goodreads app is v annoying. I liked Glass town a lot, really unusual. Omg the film of all us strangers had me in bits! The book sounds pretty similar apart from as you said, a queer relationship in London. I wasn't prepared for the level of heartbreak - my friend and I couldn't stop crying! Must buy some Coralie Bickford Smith books for my kids. Your little one will have a fab library waiting for them! X

[@jennykate10]

Thats so interesting what you are saying about reading Jane Auston. I found Pride and Predjudice so easy to read because I had already seen adaptations but Emma was a struggle. I then loved the film and now feel on a reread I'll probably enjoy it a lot more. I watched the most recent Persuasion adaptation and it is bad but the Mary actress is so perfect, the character was done so well.

[@MargheritaReads]

I started watching your videos in january 2023 and I have enjoyed many books that you recommended, expecially japanese books. Thank you for this reading year 😊

[@rosarodriguez8984]

Excellent video, Jen. One of my favourite books of 2023 is Elena Knows, so thank You for recommending it to us. And by the way, I adore your vlogs. I hope you are feeling well and healthy. Lots of love! ❤❤

[@jillybeanh67]

Huge thank you for all your videos last year. I'm a big persuasion fan (favourite Austin novel) I haven't seen all of the adaptations but I loved the itv one with Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry Jones and Anthony Head. The camera quality is irksome now (when on a hd screen) but I still love it.

[@jenvcampbell]

I think that's the one I'll start with :) x

[@fallenangelz291]

The Amanda Root version is the best!

[@jillybeanh67]

@@fallenangelz291 not watch that one yet so I will give it a go, thanks!

[@tirarosaurioreads]

Wonderful video as usual :) 2023 was the year I discovered this channel and you are by far my favorite booktuber. THank you for everything you do.

[@jenvcampbell]

Thank you x

[@mradcaqbdb]

I paused the video to order Strangers. Sounds excellent and I’m really looking forward to the film as I adore Andrew Scott. Great video! xx

[@jenvcampbell]

I hope you enjoy it! x

[@inkylabyrinth]

My two favorite covers of the year were also two books I didn't really like either, how funny. (Mine were Strega & The Four Humors.) Thank you for helping me inflate my TBR!

[@jenvcampbell]

Always happy to help 😂 x

[@jodiesimone8291]

Happy New Year, Jen! I read Elena Knows by Claudia Piniero based on your recommendation and thought it was brilliant. (I then read a few more of her novels which I also enjoyed). Also, based on your review, I picked up Untold Night and Day by Bae Suah. The experience was like diving into waves on an incoming tide. Quietly seductive AND a bit overwhelming at the same time. (Loved it, though knew I wasn't getting it all.) The novel's strange, dream-like world is inviting me back for 'round two.' Thank you for all the good content you share!

[@jenvcampbell]

It’s a bit of a ride, isn’t it? Such a hypnotic book! x

[@booksgurrsandpurrs]

I absolutely adored the Garlic duology.

[@jenvcampbell]

It’s adorable, isn’t it? x

[@alphabuild6904]

Thank you for this very insightful video. I really enjoyed it too! ☺ I had an amazing reading year. It specially helped me dealing with the passing of our dog. I'd like to answer some questions, it made me reminisce about a lot of great books I read 💪 🟠Any stats/goals from 2023 that you'd like to share? Apparently I read 83 books / 21,763 pages. Twice the amount of 2022. 🟠Favourite cover? The Haunting Season - the edition with the shimmering golden leaves. 🟠Did you get into any subgenres in 2023? My favourites: Thriller, Dystopian, Speculative, Mystery 🟠What was your most surprising book? Good: I who have never known men Bad: The Pallbearers Club 🟠How many new-to-you authors did you read in 2023? 68 🟠A book you thought could have been longer and one you thought could have been shorter? Longer: Creatures of Passage Shorter: My year of Rest and Relaxation 🟠What were some of your favourite publishers in 2023? Granta, Serpents Tail, Titan, Picador, Hodder & Stoughton, Faber & Faber 🟠Which book had the best ending? Ghost Wall 🟠What were your favourite audiobooks of 2023? Stories from the Tenants downstairs, Kindred, Lanny, Briefly A delicious Life, Braised Pork, The Good People, Our Wives under the Sea, Sum, The Haunting Season 🟠Which books just missed out on your ‘top books of the year’ list? Ie, honourable mentions. When no one is watching, Five Tuesdays in Winter, A Spell of Winter, Foster

[@jenvcampbell]

Thank you for sharing your answers ☺️ x

[@jackiesliterarycorner]

TBR's don't seem to work for me either, because it's pressure on me to read the books, and I don't want to read them anymore. Plus, I always want to add more books and that's too overwhelming.

[@jenvcampbell]

So many books, so little time! x

[@jackiesliterarycorner]

It’s especially hard when it’s 500+ pages in length.

[@linamekawatches214]

When you clarified not adult adult books, it made me laugh because my job title is adult librarian and I always feel like I have to clarify that even though, unfortunately, it says adult librarian on my business cards. I know it means *not children's librarian*, but it still makes me giggle and gives me pause every time I look at it LOL.

[@originaltwyla4991]

I recently watched Persuasion with Sally Hawkins and enjoyed it!

[@jenvcampbell]

I think that’s the version I’ll start with ☺️ x

[@ghanshyamsingh3653]

Jen is the Loveliest! Period. 👍☺💙💯💙☺👍

[@sarahs7763]

Hi Jen, do you have tinnitus? I've recently developed it after some complicated health and it's affecting my reading😢

[@jenvcampbell]

I’ve had it before for a short period but not something I’ve had much experience of. I hope you feel better soon x

[@ellakae7]

I read the midwhich cuckoos for the first time this year and it ended up being one of my favourites! Excited to read more from the author

[@jenvcampbell]

Hurray! x

[@sinaseas]

does strangers press ship internationally? id love to check them out

[@jenvcampbell]

I believe so; their website is linked in the description box, so take a look x

[@EllenFelicity]

Nice! I've been meaning to read the midwich cuckoos for years, need to prioritise it. I find the time taken to read feature of storygraph very interesting. Im getting better at DNFing but it showed me that i took 100 days to get through a 300 page memoir I eventually gave two stars 😂 😂

[@jenvcampbell]

Ah, that’s frustrating! x

[@PustaLiteratka]

Unfortunately, Storygraph is not really a alternative for Goodreads because it is only for those who read English-language literature as it has almost no books in other European languages ​​in its database. For me, who reads in English, Russian and my native Polish, Storygraph does not allow me to track my reading at all. So, Goodreads still wins!

[@jenvcampbell]

StoryGraph has a barcode scanner which allows you to import any book, as far as I’m aware? Does that not work for books outside of the English language? x

[@sinaseas]

im pretty sure you can import them! i know that that can be irritating to have to do but the more people that do it the more books will be in their database

[@PustaLiteratka]

​@@jenvcampbell I guess you can scan the code or enter the ISBN, but if the book is not in the database, you have to enter all the information yourself (title, publisher, author, cover, etc.), I can't imagine doing it for every book I read.

[@whosm4rv]

Story graph has the perk that you can add books that it doesn’t already have in its database, or other editions of already existing ones! As someone who reads a lot of non-English books story graph has been amazing, even better than goodreads on the matter of importing new books!

[@jenvcampbell]

That’s true for a lot of independently published titles in English, as well (I’ve had to manually add many, which I also had to do on goodreads a lot of the time). Although if there’s another language of a book already listed, you just have to click ‘add edition’ and then select the relevant language that you want to log without adding any other details, which takes less than a minute. I totally get that it’s not always the smoothest process but they’re expanding and developing all the time, and I have a lot of respect for them as an independently owned Black business, trying to compete with an Amazon-owned company with all the resources that has x

[@Diaryofabooklover]

- I read 117 books; - 49 audiobooks, 55 hard copies and 13 ebooks; - 34.727 pages, including audiobooks; - An average of 295 pages per book and 94 pages a day; - Longest was War and Peace (1.440), the shortest a graphic novel about Utrecht (32); - 50 men, 63 women and 4 non-binary or multiple authors; - 36 poc and 79 Caucasian; - 70 fiction - 47 nonfiction; - I read 27% in translation (books which have been initially written in any other language than Romanian or English) - Read mostly in English (89), but also read in Romanian (23), Spanish (2) and Dutch (3) - I mostly read books translated from Spanish (6) and Russian (5); - I read from all continents but mostly from the US and UK (54% of total), which is the opposite of my goal at the beginning of this year. But I’ve been reading about native Americans this year, so it’s ok; - I read from 34 countries, out of which 15 are new. So now I’ve read from 74 countries in total, including Palestine; - I read 105 authors, out of which 88 were new to me; - Most read this year were: Joy Harjo (3), Tolstoi (3), RF Kuang (3), Mary Brave Bird/Crow Dog (2), Yalom (2), Rebreanu (2), Allende (2), Jean Menzies (2), Saramago (2); - Average age is 45 years and they been on my shelf for an average of 434 days 🫣; - My only reread is Pride and Prejudice, which I’m happy it proved itself timeless; - I read a book that’s been on my bookshelf since 2007. I got it as a present at the end of my secondary school cycle. Travels with my aunt by Graham Greene; - My average rating was 3,75, out of which 23 5* and 8 DNFs. Now to answer other questions: - My favourite was the Pride and prejudice Masterpiece Library Edition; - I didn’t get into any subgenres but a particular topic: native Americans. My heart; - I had a month in which I only read audiobooks (February) and a month in which I didn’t read at all (March) due to having seen The English and ending up in the most massive emotional hangover. For the rest all went smoothly; - Favourite graphic novel - the book about Utrecht; favourite poetry collection - yours, and I’m not kidding. It broke me; - I’ve reminded myself I don’t like excessively long novels, twee stories, brutality for the sake of gore and misery porn, and that i’d rather have fantasy than soap operas (in the Eighth life not one child is conceived… normally). I find it more far fetched than an ork opening a coffee shop; - My most surprising read was Marina Abramovich’s Walk through walls. It’s been a complete surprise and definitely the best memoir I’ve read in a long time. Plus it was my first meeting with Stephen King, and I was surprised how catchy his writing is; - There are a couple of books I haven’t seen mentioned around that much, mostly non fiction, like Kapka Kassabova’s Border, Wangaari Maathai’s Unbowed or Benjamin Labatut’s When we cease to understand the world, despite it being nominated to some prizes.

[@jenvcampbell]

Thanks for sharing all of this! And particular high five for tackling War and Peace! x

[@Diaryofabooklover]

@@jenvcampbellThank you for sharing yours. Reading War and peace was quite nice actually. So upcoming this year: Les Miserables. 😅

[@jenvcampbell]

😂👏🏻❤️

[@Diaryofabooklover]

@lidia6372 Hi! You are kind. Thank you. I do not have a Storygraph anymore, sadly. Like other comments mention below, it is quite difficult to handle when it comes to foreign literature which has not be translated. It does try to import via ISBN, but it usually fails, and you have to import it manually. So after many frustrating months, I gave up. I only have a Goodreads account now. If that would work for you, i could share it.

[@barbarahelgaker390]

After being intrigued for months by the cover and title Confession with Blue Horses, I finally read it and absolutely loved it. I like listening to your recommendations and read quite a few but not always straightaway......but some are real gems, like this one.

[@jenvcampbell]

I'm glad you enjoyed Sophie's book! :) x

[@alexiarichardson651]

Thank you for this! As I know you've enjoyed Claudia Pineiro's work, I thought you might be interested that there's an article online in the Guardian today about threats to Argentinian feminists under the new right-wing government, and she is quoted. It's a tough time for Argentina and its progressive women in particular.

[@wendyvilla2904]

💚🖤