Reading Wrap Up, Book Haul & Most Anticipated Releases! 📚 Reading Update
Sorry I was away — I was ill. Let’s talk about good books, bad books, and some of my most anticipated releases! xx
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Join me over on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/jenvcampbell
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MY BOOKS:
OWNING IT: https://tinyurl.com/3wstu5wd
PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH THIS EXHIBIT https://tinyurl.com/jndk3dpk
MARCELINE: DEFENDER OF THE SEA https://tinyurl.com/52za9cuj
THE SISTER WHO ATE HER BROTHERS https://tinyurl.com/7d266zxj
THE GIRL AQUARIUM: https://tinyurl.com/yc6tn9xs
THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT https://tinyurl.com/lnz5bb6
FRANKLIN’S FLYING BOOKSHOP: https://tinyurl.com/hlsgkjq
FRANKLIN AND LUNA GO TO THE MOON https://tinyurl.com/yb2xnuv2
FRANKLIN AND LUNA AND THE BOOK OF FAIRY TALES: https://tinyurl.com/y2g9wqv5
THE BOOKSHOP BOOK: https://tinyurl.com/qbs3d2p
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Things mentioned:
Reading Wrap Up of the year so far: https://youtu.be/Y3LOK2oKsew?si=r3Uu_aIEcoqrqQpM
Best Books of 2025 so far: https://youtu.be/K4Bc7QOe1wg?si=7Yq3N_BIxC8kFSjs
Books mentioned:
The Girls Quartet by Jacqueline Wilson
Ripeness by Sarah Moss*
Strange Pictures by Uketsu*
When The Museum is Closed by Emi Yagi
Oddbody by Rose Keating
In the Hollow of the Wave by Nina Minga Powles
Swallows by Natsuo Kirino*
The Dinner Party by Viola van de Sandt*
The Lamb by Lucy Rose
Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang
The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley
Influenced by Anna Whitehouse
The Original by Nell Stevens
The Wax Child by Olga Ravn
Raw Content by Naomi Booth
Strangers Press Japanese chapbooks: https://www.strangers.press/product-page/kanata-full-set
Glyph by Ali Smith
Beautiful Distance by Nao-Cola Yamazaki
Don’t Laugh at Other People’s Sex Lives by Nao-Cola Yamazaki
All In by Claire Powell
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WHO I AM
Hello, I’m Jen Campbell. I’m an award-winning poet and bestselling author of twelve books, spanning short stories, poetry, picture books, and nonfiction.
My books for adults include Please Do Not Touch This Exhibit, The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night, The Girl Aquarium, The Bookshop Book, and The Sunday Times bestselling Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops series. My picture book trilogy Franklin and Luna, and my middle-grade book The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers, are published by Thames & Hudson. I’ve won both an Eric Gregory Award and the Jane Martin Poetry Prize, and my books have been translated into twenty languages.
I’ve worked in the publishing industry for over fifteen years, initially as a bookseller, and now as a freelance editor, content creator and book reviewer. I run a Youtube channel where I talk about books, the history of fairy tales, and the representation of disability and disfigurement. I also offer online writing workshops and editorial services, give talks at schools, publishing companies, universities and book festivals on a variety of topics, and I review books for both TOAST and Inclusive Books for Children.
If you would like to speak with me about the possibility of working together, please get in touch via email: jenvcampbell@gmail.com x
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Where to find me:
Website: http://www.jen-campbell.co.uk
Editorial services: http://www.jen-campbell.co.uk/editorial
Writing Workshops: http://www.jen-campbell.co.uk/writing-workshops
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jenvcampbell
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jenvcampbell
Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/jenvcampbell
Events: http://www.jen-campbell.co.uk/events
Podcast: http://www.jen-campbell.co.uk/podcast
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/3o3s4d2
Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/jenvcampbell
Email: jenvcampbell@gmail.com
(Since starting Youtube, some of you have been asking what’s wrong with my hands. This video should answer any questions 🙂 https://youtu.be/yUq7UDTA7NM)
This video contains no sponsored content. Any books marked with * were kindly sent to me for review.
#Booktube #ReadingWrapUp #BookHaul
25件のコメント
Yay! Love to see a new video from you <3 I'm glad ur feeling better !
I cannot recommend Vladavostok Circus enough. It is my favorite of her novels. I read it in the dead of winter in New England last year, and it just hit all the right notes. I'm definitely excited to hear she has a new novel coming out. I wish I had some great reads going on. I told a friend that it feels like every book I pick up lately feels like someone left the salt out of the cookie batter. It's all just fine, but missing that one little thing. Currently listening to Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel and enjoying it. I recently finished the Stone Yard Devotional and enjoyed it more than I expected. Glad you're feeling better and looking forward to your Booker Vlog — they are always a treat!
I DNF’d Ripeness and was equally disappointed. There was something about it that didn’t work for me at all
Sorry you've been poorly, Jen, but I'm glad you're back to yourself again.
I dnf'd Ripeness too and was disappointed as I have loved Moss' books before. I felt this was doing too much and the characters didn't hold my interest.
Also, with you on Strange Pictures – v overhyped and the mystery was lacklustre after the halfway mark for me. Plus I thought the pictures device was overdone as some of the diagrams were saying so little it felt like they were only there for the sake of another picture!
As always love your reviews and looking forward to the Booker vlogs.
I read Ripeness not long after it was published, and I liked it. It was not wowing me, but it was good. It had a lot to say about belonging. Especially about belonging to a country and a place, and to a family.
I listened to it on audio, maybe that will help? The narrator, Flora Montgomery did a very good job.
I’m currently reading ‘Still Life’ by Sarah Winman and ‘Natural Beauty’ Ling Ling Huang.
Glad you’re feeling better, Jen.
Looking forward to your booker prize vlog 🥰
Just finished The Lamb and was blown away. A definite five star read for me.
Lovely to see you pop up in my feed, as always! Glad to hear you’re feeling better, and looking forward to the Booker vlog. I’ve just tipped over the halfway point of my way through the longlist, and really loving it so far.
Lovely to hear from you as always! Have you heard about the new Julia Armfield book being published? You may be interested in that one!
So glad you're feeling better Jen! <3
I finished Endling by Maria Reva last night, my first of the Booker longlist, and loved it so much. It's the best book I've read this year!
I recently read The Original by Nell Stevens and Sunbirth by An Yu. Their previous books are among my favourites of all time, so I was so happy when I fell in love with these two.
Hi Jen.Good days bad days we all have them.Take care..
A couple I forgot to mention! The Quiet Ear by Raymond Antrobus — his memoir is out this month. Samantha informs me in a comment below that there's also a new An Yu which I'd completely missed — Sunbirth, very exciting! There's also a new Sato the Rabbit book out (so wholesome) and I'm sure there are others I'll remember later, too, ha. So many books, so little time! xx
Have you got around to Gliff yet? I think I must have missed your thoughts on it- I loved it!
You always come up with very interesting books 😊
Hi Jen, sorry you have not been well but glad you are feeling better now. You have just reminded me that I really want to read Tiny Moons. Thank you ❤
I really enjoyed Ripeness, for me it was her best book so far. Just about to start reading Seascraper😊
Glad I’m not the only one who didn’t like Strange Pictures!
Glad you’re feeling better. Love the cover of raw content. Always good to see you.
I also read Sealed when I was pregnant and still loved it but not my best idea.
If you love Nell Stevens you’ll love The Original!
just wondering if youve ever watched 'the celebration' (1998)? considering how much you enjoy stories set around dinner parties, id really recommend if you havent seen it yet :<)
Can someone help me understand why "Misinterpretation" made the Booker long list? I'm a multilingual individual who has had to translate for friends and family and I'm also married to an American and I just couldn't get over the fact that the MC just…didn't make sense. She felt hollow, like a sock puppet the author carried around. And I was surprised because I thought this novel would be somehow similar to Katie Kitamura's "Intimacies", another slow novel featuring a translator in a foreign land, and I adored that book. Misinterpretation though I had to put down.
I’d say give Ripeness another go – I love Sarah Moss and like you this book wasn’t selling me to begin with, but it did win me around by the end and I was very glad to have persevered!
gasp i've only heard good things about Flesh so far. excited for the video!
Thank you Jen! It is, as always, a pleasure to see you 🙂