What I Read in October 📚 | 22 Books

In which I talk to you about all of the books I read in October. Grab a cup of tea! x
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If you like my videos and podcasts, please consider supporting me on Patreon: / jenvcampbell
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MY BOOKS:
THE GIRL AQUARIUM: tinyurl.com/yc...
THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT tinyurl.com/ln...
FRANKLIN’S FLYING BOOKSHOP: tinyurl.com/hl...
FRANKLIN AND LUNA GO TO THE MOON tinyurl.com/yb...
FRANKLIN AND LUNA AND THE BOOK OF FAIRY TALES: tinyurl.com/y2...
THE BOOKSHOP BOOK: tinyurl.com/qb...
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Things mentioned:
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia
The Knife Drawer by Padrika Tarant
Disfigurement playlist • VIDEOS ABOUT DISFIGURE...
The Nesting by CJ Cooke
The Dollmaker by Nina Allan*
After the Silence by Louise O'Neill
podcast with Louise / ep-11-ft-louise-oneill...
House of Correction by Nicci French*
review for TOAST: www.toa.st/mag...
Taaqtumi: Arctic Horror Stories
Halloween video • Reading 10 Books & Bak...
Weird Woods: Tales from the Haunted Forests of Britain edited by J. Miller
Summerwater by Sarah Moss*
review: • Reading Creepy Books i...
podcast with Sarah / ep-16-ft-sarah-moss-th...
Dunce by Mary Ruefle
How to Wash a Heart by Bhanu Kapil
Unhistorical by Brittany Cavallaro
Sykkel Saga by Vicki Husband
review: • Every Poetry Collectio...
Lessons on Expulsion by Erika L. Sanchez
Backlight by Kanji Hanawa*
Red Circle minis www.redcirclea...
One Hundred Shadows by Hwang Jungeun*
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
Patreon book club: / jenvcampbell
Gender-Swapped Fairy Tales by Jonathan Plackett and Karrie Fransman*
History of Fairy Tale videos • FAIRY TALE VIDEOS
The Wolf's Secret by by Myriam Dahman and Nicolas Digard, illustrated by Júlia Sardà Portabella
review • Reading Creepy Books i...
Gobble You Up by Gita Wolf
The Midnight Fair by Gideon Sterer and Mariachiara di Giorgio
video on silent picture books • Video
Also, I forgot to mention that I relistened to 'Waiting For Wednesday' 'Thursday's Child' and 'Friday on my Mind' by Nicci French.
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WHO I AM
Hello, my name's Jen. I'm an award-winning poet and short story writer. My debut short story collection 'The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night' is published by Two Roads, and my children's books 'Franklin's Flying Bookshop,’ ‘Franklin and Luna Go To The Moon’ and ‘Franklin and Luna and the Book of Fairy Tales’ are published by Thames and Hudson. I'm also the author of the Sunday Times bestselling 'Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops' series, 'The Bookshop Book,' 'The Hungry Ghost Festival’ and ‘The Girl Aquarium.’ I run writing workshops, give talks at universities & book festivals on a variety of topics, judge literary prizes, and take on freelance writing and editing. If you would like to speak with me about the possibility of working together, please get in touch via email: [e-mail] x
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Where to find me:
Website: www.jen-campbel...
Editorial services: www.jen-campbel...
Writing Workshops: www.jen-campbel...
Twitter: / jenvcampbell
Instagram: / jenvcampbell
Patreon: / jenvcampbell
Events: www.jen-campbel...
Podcast: www.jen-campbel...
Facebook: tinyurl.com/3o3...
Goodreads: tinyurl.com/hs8...
Email: [e-mail]
(Since starting KZbin, some of you have been asking what's wrong with my hands. This should answer any questions :) tinyurl.com/z3k...)
This video contains no sponsored content.
Books marked with * were sent to me by publishers for an honest review.

[@jocelyngordon9346]

“This is going to be a shorter video, but we all know that I talk a lot.” 😂. I enjoy your videos so much.

[@jenvcampbell]

😂♥️

[@thestralvestral2724]

I'll never understand how anybody can actually give this woman a dislike.

[@criss8836]

Same. She does booktube as it should be done. I will never get it.

[@FHMS97]

nothing excites me more than seeing a new 28-minute Jen video in my feed 👌👌👌

[@zuzanatimulakova5041]

I finished Memory Police a few days ago and your comment on how it would make more sense as a short story is so spot on! I prefered The Professor and the Housekeeper so much more, one of my absolute faves this year. Thanks for the recommendation of After the Silence, it sounds really intriguing! ☺️

[@bethmw28]

That artwork in The Midnight Fair of the animals on the flying chairs is magical ♡

[@jenvcampbell]

it's flipping adorable.

[@falconette8911]

Yay, Jen has a new book coming out! Looking forward to the new splash screen at the end of videos that will include it.

[@ElizabethHopkinson]

I would like to recommend a poetry collection I’m reading right now, which officially launches this week: She by Sharena Lee Satti. I know Sharena from Open Mics in Bradford, and she is really a performance poet, so you have to read the poems aloud to fully appreciate them. She writes about issues like mental health, surviving a traumatic childhood, being a woman and a Muslim, but also the stars, moon and seasons. The poems - even the tough ones - are always empowering and uplifting. It’s published by Verve Press as a compilation of previous collections, and is in chronological order, so you can also see her developing as a poet.

[@raccoonsnacks]

SO excited to have content from your again Jen - really missed your content last week!!

[@RoisinsReading]

After The Silence sounds so good! I'm so drawn to books set in isolated places with a small cast of characters and a tense atmosphere at the moment

[@mradcaqbdb]

I think The Nesting sounds like something I would love. It’s now on my list. I adored Summerwater. I thought it was just brilliant. I also adored The Memory Police and thought Mexican Gothic was great fun.

[@FaeryLaume]

As with The Midnight Fair, two books that I read in the two books in the last few weeks that delighted me, so much so that I bought new copies of them to keep and reread. Firstly, Lightfall: The Girl & the Galdurian, a graphic novel by Tim Probert. I adored the characters and the stunningly beautiful fantasy art. Next, Fangs by Sarah Anderson, a series of comics about a contemporary love story between a werewolf and a vampire in a beautifully bound small edition. I also loved a short YA novel that read more like a middle grade called The Ghost Collector by Allison Mills, which was about how a preadolescent deals with grief. It was a simple, beautiful story and I sobbed at the end. I actually liked a lot of books I read in October, but I'll leave it at that.

[@cassidysmith2190]

ok, only just on the first book but YES to the Sivlia Moreno-Garcia - I had the exact same issue with her first book and thought I was going crazy because everyone else loved it. glad to know that turning her into a no-buy was the right idea

[@darklycheerful]

I had the Exact same experience with her first book. Everyone lost their minds but it felt like such standard YA (even though she insists it’s adult) with a cool concept but very average writing. Mexican Gothic I enjoyed more because it’s my niche, but even though her writing has grown she has more growing to do. Don’t think I’ll pick up another book by her

[@Dylorid]

I just finished it and it's the worst book I've ever read. I feel crazy because everyone loves it. I literally got mad at the book because I thought it was going to be great 😂

[@NoFaceInTheCrowd]

Your comments on the gender swapped fairytales ar very insightful. I've heard others talk about the book, but somehow I never thought about the language before you made me aware. Thank you for that! Also, the birds on the background make this video even more comforting than your wrap ups normally already are. I'm a fan 😊

[@MilenaReads]

So happy to hear you liked Haunting of Hill House. I just read We Have Always Lived in the Castle and was really happily surprised at home much I liked it!

[@LaurenWade]

Ahhhh alright, I'll read some Nicci French 😆 The Midnight Fair looks completely stunning!

[@hiddenrainbow12]

You completely sold me on After the silence! Louise O'Neill is brilliant

[@grodriguez7225]

For October I read The Six of Crows books, and Cemetery Boys!

[@siham4820]

I've wanted to read a book from Louise O'Neil for a long time and "After the Silence" sounds really interesting !

[@jenvcampbell]

Hope you enjoy it if you decide to pick it up x

[@thoroughlyenjoyedbooks8565]

Ghost Wall is on the reading list for my Masters this year so I’m excited to hear good things about Sarah Moss!

[@jenvcampbell]

Happy reading! x

[@lararibeirobernardes7851]

OMG! The Rapunzel gender swap comment made total sense to me! If you're trying to make a point about gender, why would you change it from her hair to his beard?

[@jenvcampbell]

🤷🏼‍♀️

[@ChaoticBibliophile]

So many great books but The Midnight Fair is one I will get for myself, a grown up woman only child with no friends with children or other young people in her life. 😂I just loved it.😍

[@jenvcampbell]

Do it ❤️

[@ghanshyamsingh3653]

Love ya❤️👍😇 You sold me The Haunting of Hill House when you compared it to Red White Royal Blue... #immediateTBR

[@ReadABookGem]

I've heard quite a bit about the Gender Swapped Fairy Tales book so was really interested in your thoughts. You make some great points and it shows the importance of approaching books like that with a questioning mind as, despite their best efforts, bias will always find a way in. However, if it opens a discussion then that's a good thing 😊

[@ReadToMeAtMidnight]

House of Correction sounds incredible! Congrats on sending off your book!

[@jenvcampbell]

Thank you x

[@lindacarson5429]

I found that The Memory Police didn't really live up to the premise which was disappointing but I hadn't considered that it may have been down to the form - really interesting, thanks for that.

[@racheljreviews]

I loved House of Correction too! It was such a pleasant surprise and i just had to know what had actually happened! Excited for the new book ♥️

[@Sophie-tj2bp]

Really loved this video on an otherwise rather testing day! Thank you! X

[@wronggeometry]

In The Knife Drawer, how the mice treat the albino mouse and the implications and effects of that are definitely not left unquestioned in the book. I don't want to say more and spoil it for anyone but it would be interesting to know if reading further made you think differently about the book.

[@jenvcampbell]

If you want to want to leave it in a comment below, so that it's not immediately viewable for spoiler reasons, please do. (& just a side note, the preferred term is albinism, not albino). x

[@lindakelly7430]

Am so glad I'm not the only one who didn't enjoy Mexican Gothic.

[@rosegreensummer]

oh poetry roundup. I have a one-track mind. That you know how to satisfy

[@rosegreensummer]

i love tara books

[@wizard217]

I’m with you on Mexican Gothic. It was right in my wheelhouse and one of my most anticipated book of last year. I bought and started reading it right away when it came out last summer... only to DNF it about a third of the way in.m, for all of the same reasons you mentioned (flat writing, dull characters, no real sense of atmosphere, etc.) After seeing it on so many end-of-year lists, I decided to pick it up again and give it a second chance. I finished it last week, and my first opinion still stands. The book takes a *wild* left turn in the last third that makes it somewhat less boring of a read, but sadly doesn’t compensate for all of its other flaws. Overall a big disappointment.

[@4everClubfan]

I am close to finishing the third part of the His Dark Materials series and what shell I say: I am totally flashed. I simply love all the different characters the author brought to life, but I also adore the description of the many different worlds that Pullman lay before us. I am so afraid to leave Lyra, Will and all the Others... Have you read the Prequel as well? And if so, can you recommend it or will I be disappointed?

[@jenvcampbell]

I didn’t enjoy the prequels but still adore the first three ☺️

[@Monica-rr7ko]

Ooh this was such a cozy video! I'm quite intrigued by Mexican Gothic; is it very scary though? I like a good mystery, but I live alone and don't do well with stuff that's too chilling.

[@jenvcampbell]

I didn’t find it scary but I think it ramps up in the last third x

[@irenegrijalvotarres]

I'm about halfway into The Nesting and so far it's alright, but I also DNFd The Dollmaker last month for the same reasons.

[@braincabbage]

This might be slightly random and I don't remember if I've commented it before but have you considered reading The Little Snake by A.L. Kennedy? I just remember reading it and thinking "I think Jen would like this". Just judging from what other books you like, like Kirsty Logan's books

[@Gagging4Lit]

I liked Mexican Gothic - I was expecting it to be a kind of trashy YA book so it kind of was what I was expecting. I think it will be good for 15 yr olds maybe who want to get into more gothic fiction. I read it quickly so it was a fun read, although the characterisation is pretty flat...by p.200 the plot of Mexican Gothic really ramps up but until then it is pretty slow. Want to read The Beauty now! Not heard of that before. Want to read more Shirley Jackson now too. Only read We Have Always Lived in the Castle and adored that book. How To Wash a Hearts sounds right up my street. Had it on my radar since it came out so you have given me the shove to buy it when I can afford it.

[@Eva-me2ik]

I listened to Gender swapped fairy tales and enjoyed it but I also didn't understand why the long hair was changed... I wanted to revisit it in physical form and I'll do it while keeping your points in mind

[@seonarella]

I agree with you about Mexican Gothic! It was dull!

[@Wolfhailstorm]

Such an interesting conversation on the Gender swapped fairy tales

[@traceymills1628]

You missed nothing by not finishing Mexican Gothic. However I am slightly disappointed not see your reaction to the last third which was so different to the first part. Easily my worst read of the year. I read the last part constantly thinking what am I actually reading? Nothing like anticipated.

[@jenvcampbell]

I asked Jean to fill me in on the ending - she had enjoyed it so it was interesting to chat about it. Sorry to hear you didn’t get on with it either x

[@tphipps7665]

I read Backlight and was disappointed. I would have loved if they had made a second half from the child's perspective, seeing the woods through the eyes of a little boy, and how much it would contrast to how adults see it.

[@jenvcampbell]

I would have liked that, too.

[@sararichards518]

I think that you could do a gender swapped fairy tale series - well a book would be great but it’s just been done. I’d watch those eagerly. I have Summerwater waiting. Ghost Wall was a powerful read and coming from a childhood where father ruled it was powerful. I’d love to read Backlight. I will put it on my TBR. My idea of a great day would be to go and walk round your bookshelves and talk fairy tales, prejudice and more and more with you. I can dream 😊

[@Jordie_42]

Im lucky to read 2 books in a month. it sucks being a slow reader

[@bigenuity]

i had similar thoughts of erika's poetry re: the r-word, i loved it otherwise and do recommend her YA novel i am not your perfect mexican daughter which doesn't have problematic issues as her book of poetry does. i've heard mixed thoughts on mexican gothic and i'm wondering if i should pick it up because of them. right now i'm reading paul laurence dunbar's poetry after teaching "sympathy" to my students, i really enjoy him!

[@jenvcampbell]

Thanks, I’ll bear her novel in mind ☺️ as for Mexican Gothic, it does seem to divide people but definitely go for it if it takes your fancy x

[@EllieRoseMcKee]

Did you ever finish Americanah? I don't think I ever heard your final thoughts.

[@jenvcampbell]

No, I didn’t. I’ve put it down for now. x

[@AuburnAfterglow]

Oh no, I got The Dollmaker as a birthday gift, still hoping I will like it XD

[@jenvcampbell]

Hope you enjoy it! x

[@Pottymoon]

Speaking of the nostalgia of literary festivals Jen: Will you, would you, are you even allowed to have the Covid vaccine? x

[@jenvcampbell]

There is no information available about this yet but of course I would have a vaccine once it's approved and out in the world. x

[@Pottymoon]

@@jenvcampbell Good! 🥰

[@ExpatEdit]

Hi Jen! I discover your channel thanks to your posts about the movie "The Witches" and I am very excited to check out all your videos :) I just created a new video about books and I would love if you would check it out!

[@cazx3133]

I bought Mexican gothic as it sounded great but I’ve heard a lot of bad reviews. I’ll still give it a chance anyway

[@anna-mariecollins8502]

I felt the same way about Mexican Gothic! The characters were SO flat and boring.

[@Sarah_L_N]

That's a real shame about the male Rapunzel growing his beard instead of hair. Same with handsome/beautiful. I've heard of this book recently and saw those things, but didn't pick up on them. How did you feel about it aside from that? I was debating getting it to read to my children. I read the first 100 pages of Mexican Gothic yesterday, I've been looking forward to it for ages and I'm really not feeling it so far. You're right about the characters, it's also too much description of surroundings for me. I'm going to persevere and see if it picks up, but it's not what I was expecting.

[@jenvcampbell]

I liked the fairy tale book apart from those things, if that helps ☺️ x

[@Sarah_L_N]

@@jenvcampbell It does, thank you :)

[@matthewjohnson1035]

I swear toggling the girl/boy hair/beard beauty/handsome binaries starts the conversations we want to start better than just flipping the pronouns and keeping everything else the same.

[@jenvcampbell]

I’m curious: how?

[@jenvcampbell]

Ps to expand further, I would agree if we were talking about retellings etc but that’s not what this book is.

[@rosegreensummer]

what is the r word? Ratchet? Rape? Rubbish?

[@jenvcampbell]

None of those are outdated, offensive words. I'm not going to type the word in question here for obvious reasons.

[@furiosaningveryserious7104]

Can you really absorb that much if you read so many books in a short period of time, unless they are all comforting reading ?

[@jenvcampbell]

Books are my job. I am an author and book reviewer.

[@donreadsalot4932]

Annoying to see another booktuber put down YA in a sideways compliment. Maybe if you hadn't been rushing through 22 books for the month and took your time more, you'd enjoy some books more?

[@jenvcampbell]

As I said, a good book is a good book regardless of whether it’s YA or adult. If the dialogue had been more realistic; if the characters had been more developed, it wouldn’t have mattered who the target age group was. My point was that YA tends to be more fast-paced (though of course not always), and therefore those who read more YA may get on with this better than me. I am an author who writes for both adults and children, Donald, I’m not one to dismiss a whole age group.