A Week In My Reading Life! 📚 Reading Vlog

[@jenvcampbell]

Thanks for being here, everyone ☺️ let me know what you’ve been reading recently/if you’d like to pick up any of the books I mentioned here x

[@rudy679]

I have recently read Address Unknown by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor and The Lost Spells by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris. Two very short and very impactful reads of 2023 for me.

[@jenvcampbell]

I love Jackie’s illustrations x

[@tirarosaurioreads]

I really want to read Idol Burning thanks to your comments about it :)

[@EmmaCarpenterIllustration]

We had the books with the yellow duck in too. Find the fox sounds fun 🦊 I’m currently reading A Conjuring of Light by V E Schwab. Excited for the new one soon. Also I’ve never tried watermelon in a salad

[@jodiesimone8291]

Hi Jen. I've been listening to your videos for some time now, enjoying every minute. Thank you for such thoughtful, articulate content. I'm embarrassed to say that although I have read many books you've recommended, I hadn't actually read any of YOUR books until this month. Started with The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night. (So GOOD!) Just finished Franklin's Flying Bookshop, which I now plan to buy for every book lover on my gift list (AND their children or grandchildren). And am currently reading The Bookshop Book (with a smile all the while...) Not sure what will be next. yet happy to discover I enjoy your writing as much as I value your recommendations!

[@jenvcampbell]

❤ This is lovely, thanks Jodie! x

[@LauradeArana]

Jen! I had the same experience with Vidgis Hjorth but backwards! I read Will and Testament before and I ADORED it and then when I read Is mother dead I felt that I had already read the book, I still loved it but not so much as the first one. P.S.: Your videos are one of my favorite part of the week :)

[@ameliareads589]

The Wall is translated from the German, but the author was Austrian. I loved Will and Testament as much as Is Mother Dead? if not even more. To someone who doesn't have read both yet, I would recommend to start with Will and Testament though.

[@jenvcampbell]

"The Wall is translated from the German, but the author was Austrian." Yes, you're quite right. x

[@SarahV-se2db]

I just finished reading My Other Life which I had added to my TBR because of your recommendation in this video - I loved it! Thanks Jen ❤

[@jenvcampbell]

I'm glad to hear it ☺ x

[@kreskova1]

Yey! A new reading vlog! I've read Going Postal from Terry Pratchett, The Muderbot Diaries by Martha Wells and Swimming in the dark by Tomasz Jedrowski and they were all great for me in their own way. Have a great week Jen!❤

[@jenvcampbell]

Glad you’ve had a good reading time ☺️ x

[@mariluzgil-cervantes1030]

Hi Jen! I’m glad you reminded me about that Claudia Piñero book, I’ve been meaning to pick it up. I recently finished Oryx and Crake and was very disturbed, which is to say I loved the book hahah! I’m currently on holiday for the next week and made a very silly mistake. I decided to try and pack light by bringing only one book, Milkman by Anna Burns, but am about 3 chapters in and have accepted that I just don’t gel with the writing style. I’m kicking myself but it won so many awards I thought it would be a safe bet! Luckily my partner has a spare book I can try so I hope I like that better. Looking forwards to next week’s wrap up video. All the best ☺️

[@jenvcampbell]

I didn’t get on with Milkman either; definitely a Marmite book! I hope you enjoy your partner’s book more x

[@amym6573]

I've just stumbled on your channel as I was looking for new booktubers to follow. Really love how many recommendations I've got from you already 😊

[@jenvcampbell]

Happy to have you here ☺️ x

[@oshrathalfon442]

Welcome to your new improved life 😅

[@martellc1008]

I already know i am going to love this vlog, the books you read sound very interesting

[@jenvcampbell]

♥️

[@anna6878]

Gods of wants was my favorite book of this year so far, i'm so excited to hear your full thoughts!

[@hausofrhetorika]

I read Untold Night & Day last march, because of your vlog. I absolutely loved it; even if sometimes I could not figure out what was going on, I was so into it! It went directly to my favourites ever, and best of this year. I hope one day it is translated to spanish, so more people can read it.

[@jenvcampbell]

☺️♥️

[@sandeesandwich2180]

I had the same experience with Vigdis Hjorth, except in reverse. I read Will and Testament and liked it. Then I started Is Mother Dead and DNF'd it. I've been planning to return to it, but it was so much like Will and Testament that I got a bit bored. Is Mother Dead felt like the same main character as in Will and Testament, if she just had made different life choices. I just started reading Thorn Hedge by T. Kingfisher, which is a fairy tale retelling, and I am liking it so far, but I am a Kingfisher fan. 🥰

[@jenvcampbell]

Interesting! Thanks for sharing ☺️♥️

[@gamewrit0058]

I just read Thornhedge today and loved it!

[@sandeesandwich2180]

@@gamewrit0058 I loved it, too! If you read her author's note, the germ of the idea came when she was writing Harriette the Invincible, which is also wonderful, though quite different. (Written under her real name, Ursula Vernon.)

[@aejlindvall]

Loved hearing your thoughts on Vigdis Hjort. Read them in the same order as you, but very close toghether so in the end it became very much a game of comparison. Will and testament resulted in this enromous debate in the scandinavian countries (am swedish), so it was interesting is have finaly read it. What made me prefer this was how amazingly she writes the scenes with the family, and the family dynamics here, how severe some are, but sensitive others. I've has some not at all as severe family events myself, and found it also very helpful, like soothing the wounds. Also I perfer the place art take in this book and the thoughts presented on that

[@ghanshyamsingh3653]

Awesome Video, as always Jen! 💙👌💙👍👍 Love the recommendations... I'm reading a bunch, quite late tho but still... Tomb of Sand (+the original hindi Ret Samadhi), Idol Burning, Wind That Lays Waste, Diary of A Void and a few more! Hope I finish em soon! 🤞💙🤗

[@whatsthetemma1308]

Finally getting around to reading Black Butterflies andTrespasses.. Excited as Yellowface is ready for collection from the Library.

[@jenvcampbell]

Happy reading! x

[@nolawernicke9078]

Hi Jen, thanks for the vlog, great way to relax after work. I've read a couple of books from the British Library Crime Classics; The Cornish Coast Murder by John Bude and Murder in The Mill Race (A Devon Mystery) by ECR Lorac, and enjoyed both and I've just started reading Angela Carter's 'Book of Wayward Girls and Wicked Women'. I've had Alice Thompson's book The Book Collector on my list for quite a while... 🙂

[@jenvcampbell]

Glad you’ve enjoyed some of the BL Classics ☺️ x

[@NamasteH]

I love your vlogs! As for what I've been reading - I just finished my first Nicci French novel and I'm hooked! I kept thinking I'd figured it out and then, oh... well... never mind. I'm so glad I listened to you! (My TBR is now groaning under the influx of all their books).

[@jenvcampbell]

Ah, which one did you read? ☺️ x

[@NamasteH]

@@jenvcampbell I read The Favor. It was so amazingly quirky. Like everyone in the book I kept asking 'Why would you DO that??"

[@paulamarieart]

I'm so interested to know what you think of the new Janice Hallet. I had to cheer myself on to finish it but really loved The Appeal.

[@jenvcampbell]

I’m about a third of the way through at the moment and enjoying it so far x

[@ameliabarlowbooks]

Will and Testament sounds great! I love discovering the context of books in that way, adds extra depth to the reading experience 💖

[@jenvcampbell]

Definitely a lot of added context to this one! x

[@amongstthebookshelves]

Another brilliant vlog, Jen 😊 thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us. I’m currently reading Life Ceremony and unsure about this collection - like you, I really enjoyed the opening two - A First-Rate Material and A Magnificent Spread but the other five I’ve read just aren’t doing anything for me. I also DNF’d Greek Lessons 😢 I shall definitely check out Is Mother Dead (I think that’s in my library) and can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Real World, Cleaner and Chimera (loved The Book Collector). I hope you have a wonderful reading week ahead 📚x

[@jenvcampbell]

Spoiler: I did not love Chimera. Will speak about that next week. Woe! Seems like we have very similar thoughts on some of the others xx

[@amongstthebookshelves]

@@jenvcampbell oooh, I shall hang off on reading this then until I hear your full thoughts 😅xx

[@leabhairagustae7279]

Great video as always Jen! I recently read 'The Wall' and loved it. Little to no plot but great vibes. I hope you enjoy it too!

[@jenvcampbell]

“No plot, great vibes” is a vibe all of its own, ha x

[@AshleyZieman]

I love Vidgis Hjorts writing especially Will and Testament. I would love to read more of her books. Question. Why do we say from the (import language). I haven't heard this before your videos and am very curious now! :) Thanks for a great reading vlogg again.

[@jenvcampbell]

It’s the standard as far as I’m aware. It’s because you’re saying ‘translated from the (original) German’ or ‘translated from the German (language)’ we’re just omitting a word. Here’s more: english.stackexchange.com/questions/562258/why-do-translations-refer-to-the-original-language-with-a-definite-article-e-g#:~:text=In%20the%20case%20of%20a,Translated%20from%20the%20Spanish%20text.%22 x

[@AshleyZieman]

@@jenvcampbell I discussed it with my husband and that was the only conclusion we could think of but just thought I would ask someone who actually works within the industry. Thank you for the link I will check it out.

[@fionaclaffey-kelly3333]

I'm very interested in the sound of Will and Testament, I'm currently reading My Father's House by Joseph O'Connor, set in Italy during wwII. Also, you'll be pleased to hear that I've just recently read Poor Things FINALLY and it is a masterpiece and I should have listened to you YEARS AGO and just read it. Why does it take the threat of a film coming out and me not wanting to watch something before having read it to make me finally pick it up?? Because Jen you have TASTE. I ADORED it!!

[@jenvcampbell]

Yey! I’m glad you loved it ☺️ x

[@spexi513]

Read The Wall last month and was so excited for it . I really loved the animals and was overall into the slowness of it, but sometimes it felt arduous bc it’s written like one huge diary entry w no breaks. Blahdiggityblah

[@gamewrit0058]

Jen! Today I read a new favorite that I think you'd enjoy, the novella Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher. I went in knowing nothing other than the blurb on the inside of the front cover, and I'm glad I did: There's a princess trapped in a tower. This *isn't* her story. Meet Toadling. On the day of her birth, she was stolen from her family by the fairies, but she grew up safe and loved in the warm waters of faerieland. Once an adult though, the fae ask a favor of Toadling: return to the human world and offer a blessing of protection to a newborn child. Simple, right? But nothing with fairies is ever simple. Centuries later, a knight approaches a towering wall of brambles, where the thorns are as thick as your arm and as sharp as swords. He's heard there's a curse here that needs breaking, but it's a curse Toadling will do anything to uphold…

[@nolawernicke9078]

Hi , this sounds like a great read. 🙂

[@tirarosaurioreads]

I didnt know Yuko Tsushima had a collection of short stories... now I need to know more about it!

[@jenvcampbell]

It's called The Shooting Gallery and Other Stories xx

[@tirarosaurioreads]

@@jenvcampbell Thank you so much

[@meganlucas935]

Hi Jen, I love your videos and learning about different books. Just out of curiosity, how many books do you read in a week on average? Do you ever get burnt out reading? Hope you’re doing well ❤

[@jenvcampbell]

Every week is completely different; it depends what else I've got on :) And, sure, I've gone through slumps. There were two months last year where I didn't read any books at all. x

[@ChemicalPenguinn]

The food you make always looks delicious!

[@jenvcampbell]

♥️

[@oshrathalfon442]

Currently reading The Long Dry by Cynan Jones. Bewitching. Recommended to me by a book seller in Edinburgh who follows you too so I trusted him 😂

[@jenvcampbell]

Haha, which bookshop? ☺️

[@oshrathalfon442]

Argonaut Books, in Leith

[@jenvcampbell]

Ah, that opened recently so not one I’ve been to. Hurray for new bookshops ☺️ x

[@mradcaqbdb]

Here comes my “I adored” list! Tokyo Euno Station by Yu Miri. Gorgeous but deeply sad book. I was sooooo excited to see that she had a new book coming out when I heard about it a few months ago, but 700+ pages is just a no for me, sadly. I will look for more by her. A Little Luck by Claudia Pineiro. OMG, how I loved this book! It gave me all the intense feeling that Elena Knows did. I even read it the same way, in short bursts of a couple of chapters then putting it down, repeating until I hit a point where I could not rest until I finished it. I think the depth of feeling and hurt her characters experience might just scare me a bit. I am definitely heading to All Yours very soon. I see that her next book is coming out next summer. I will be all over it. Janice Hallett! She has become one of my favorite crime writers. I know you saw bad feedback about The Twyford Code, but honestly, it’s fantastic. Much more serious than The Appeal. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, well, I adored it too! And I just finished The Christmas Appeal early Saturday morning and it was fabulous, so, so funny. It’s a holiday novella with most of the same characters as The Appeal. It doesn’t come out until the end of October, but Blackwell’s sent it to me early for some unknown reason and boy, was I grateful. I needed the giggles, guffaws, and just the joy of her writing. Is there a recipe for your hummus? Is it really just blitzing all the ingredients? Looked so yummy!

[@jenvcampbell]

Thanks for sharing all of this ☺️ I may give the Twyford Code a go, too, once I’ve finished this. The hummus recipe is linked in the video description x

[@actual-spinster]

how do you package cakes that your post to people! i would just be worried they would get totally destroyed. i just read crimson by niviaq korneliussen and was also not..... very positive about it. i didnt dnf it but i did come close. as someone with asthma my other life sounded rly interesting !

[@jenvcampbell]

Tbh I wouldn't package most cakes, they do get destroyed! But a loaf like this which isn't decorated and can sit snuggly in a tin seems to survive well enough. It tastes good, even if it's a little bashed, ha. x

[@jeannareadsbooks8475]

Would you be interested in doing a video on books translated from more 'obscure' countries? I know obscure isn't the right word, but when I look up translated book recommendations, the vast majority is stuff from Japan, Latin America, Korea or France, and when you're doing a Reading Around the World challenge you need stuff from everywhere. When you mentioned Crimson I added it to my storygraph and downloaded a preview immediately because I'd never heard anyone recommend a book from there before

[@jenvcampbell]

I’ve made lots of videos with recommendations over the years. Which countries are you particularly looking for? I’ll reply here x

[@jeannareadsbooks8475]

@@jenvcampbell I've fulfilled 35 out of 200 of the prompts on my challenge on storygraph so that's a lot of countries to play with. From what I've done so far there's definitely a lack of books from Africa (I have done Zimbabwe and Nigeria though). The Carribean and also Eastern Europe definitely need filling too (I've done Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina) Bonus points for any books from the middle east that aren't sad books primarily about war and refugees. I understand it's hard to get a book from those places that isn't coloured by that, but working with refugees and hearing those stories is part of my day job and I read to escape from work. Surely there must be some books from those places that are kind of nice and happy?

[@jenvcampbell]

Swahili: www.tiltedaxispress.com/store/no-edges Turkish: www.tiltedaxispress.com/every-fire-you-tend/ Plenty of others on the Tilted Axis website: www.tiltedaxispress.com/books Poems on the Edge of Extinction: 50 'nearly extinct' languages translated: www.whitehorsebooks.co.uk/poems-from-the-edge-of-extinction Check out these presses, too: commapress.co.uk/books epigrambookshop.sg/collections/fiction zubaanbooks.com/product-category/books/ balestier.com/books/ www.peepaltreepress.com/about-us www.dedalusbooks.com/our-books/ www.seagullbooks.org/ jacarandabooks.co.uk/collections/in-translation

[@phormidable]

I've had similar struggles with Crimson, but found it so cool to read one of the only translated novels from Greenlandic. If I remember correctly, the only other novel that has ever been translated from the Greenlandic was over 100 years ago. So to have someone write in their native language, which is not usually done and takes a lot of creativity, was what made the book so special to me. And how cool, in light of previous Greenlandic fiction and its themes, that it's a book about queer teenagers!

[@jenvcampbell]

All of this is true, and I appreciate the book for those things… but still not a fan. If you haven’t read Poems on the Edge of Extinction, give it a Google. I loved that project, translating poems in languages that are either rarely translated or going extinct. It might be up your street, too ☺️ x

[@phormidable]

@@jenvcampbell thanks a lot, I'll check it out!

[@knapalo]

Enjoying your channel. Heard about you from Steve Donogue. How many hours a day do you read? Interesting content.

[@jenvcampbell]

Not really a question I can answer, as every day is completely different x

[@ameerahalgohary]

❤

[@jenvcampbell]

♥️

[@jackiesliterarycorner]

I liked Mrs. March, maybe I'll try My Husband.

[@spexi513]

I’ve been 👀 at my Husband & A Little Luck and have heard no feedback on the former yet, so excited to hear yours ! 📚 🪱 💚

[@jenvcampbell]

Here you go: www.toa.st/blogs/magazine/women-in-translation-month-book-club x

[@river3516]

I was anxiously waiting for your reaction to Greek Lessons, and I have to say I had the same feelings. (I finished the book; it gets worse.) I also read in a Goodreads review that Han Kang fully intended to use disability as a metaphor, so yeah, I was a bit angry about that for a few days.🥲

[@jenvcampbell]

That’s a shame. ☹️ How does it get worse (if you have the energy to share ☺️)? x