Evening, folks! I decided to look back on my 'Best of...' book lists from the last five years, discuss whether I still consider those books favourites of mine, and then create a 'Best Books of the Past Five Years' list. I hope you like it! Links to everything mentioned can be found in the description box. x
Jen, I'm going to be nosy- I probably have as many books as you (although probably haven't got around to reading as many as you so far! :P ). My main issue is shelving. Where did you get your lovely shelves from? I'm going to need a few obviously and I just cannot seem to find something simple and affordable yet good quality! x
@@jenvcampbell well far better to spend the money on the books ehh Jen!? Its only fair I offer you a book recommend after all the fab ones I've experienced off of yours! I am re-reading and enraptured by 'Hannah vs the Tree' by Leland de la Durantaye about a young girl's heroic uprising against the avarice and violence of her powerful family- run by a harsh matriarchy. So short and powerful; mythic and poetic!
What a fascinating process! I definitely need to do this. Looking back at my ‘all time favourites’ shelf on Goodreads I can see that many haven’t stuck with me as much as titles from each year’s favourites. Time for a reshuffle I think. Wonderful video Jen xxx
"If that sounds like your cup of Tea, then you're dark like me" - Ha Ha I think you've found the title for your next book. My recent favorites are The wind-up bird chronicle by Haruki Murakami - Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes and Secret History by Donna Tartt.
this is such a nostalgia trip for me! guess I've been watching for longer than I thought. :) I've read so many of these books on your recommendation and loved them, so thank you. :)
I got Don't Call us Dead for my sister this Christmas based on your positive review of it, and she loved it! I feel like I'd love Peter and Alice, since the whole child-story thing is so interesting to me, like with Christopher Milne as well. Loved The Dumb House!
Cool video. It really makes one ponder the "reviews" we all give our books (or movies or games or what have you.) Like the review is more like a reaction. But then you come back to something and you've either changed or grown apart from it. Or it ages like fine wine and you enjoy it more. Everything we do has to be immediate. So it's important to pause every once in a while and reflect to see how something actually affected you. Also I really like your hair.
This is such a great concept Jen! I always enjoy watching favorites' videos, yours especially. This one made me want to pick up The Book of Strange New Things immediately. My favorite book in the past couple of years is the Remains of the Day and my recent favorite is My Year of Rest and Relaxation. :-)
I love this video! I remember you raving about basically all of these books and so many of them are still on my wish list. What a trip down memory lane :) As short stories are my favourite genre, I'd love to hear some of your top short story picks. Not collections, but individual short stories that have stayed with you. That would be so fun if that's a video you'd want to make at some point! Also your jumper is a lovely colour!
I bloody loved this! Such a great idea 🤓 it was so interesting to hear your thought process when deciding, particularly between books of the moment and those that last. Has this made you want to go back and read them all? Xxx
This video made me realise just how long I've been watching your channel for! I am currently reading Sum on your reccommendation from 2015! I also STILL have The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland on my wishlist. Great video!
Well I LOVED this. And I could see the agony of choice you had with the Faber books. I can’t wait to do this myself next year, I bet some of the first few years of books I picked I have forgotten big time xx
this is such a great idea! i hope more people do this :) this video also made me realize how long i've been watching you! and also how long the crimson petal and the white has been sitting on my shelf unread...
I loved this video! It was fascinating to see how your thoughts have changed over time and some books have waxed and others have waned. In terms of books that I think of regularly as my ‘favourites’ the top 5 of all time would probably be Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Gregory, The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry, The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber and The Accidental by Ali Smith. Which is interesting because I only read one of those in the last five years...
That's so weird! Someone just asked me on my Books that made me 2018 vid if my favourite end of year books still held up today, and I have honestly never thought about it before. I had a look over mine, but thankfully mine all matched up still to this day. There are some classics, however, that I see I marked highly on my goodreads and I change the rating madly when I see my original rating (because what was I thinking?!)
This list was brilliant ... I do remember you talking about most of these . I bought and loved Don't Call Us Dead because if your recommendation. I definitely need to pick up more from this list XX ❤️ Thank you for sharing this with us Xxx
I've been putting off The Book Of Strange New things for the longest time because I really want to love it and I think it's adding too much pressure to commit to! It's something I have to get to this year though! English Animals is currently in the post on the way to me now and I'm so excited to start reading it, especially after seeing it made your favorites of all time list!
I really enjoyed seeing this and I did expect Ali Smith and Michel Faber to feature. I have had a look over my books since I started Goodreads in 2013 and am really surprised that so few are really memorable now, despite 4 and 5 star ratings. Thank you for a really interesting look at your reading tastes!
I am quite surprised by how clearly I remember you mentioning all these books in your videos! Admittedly, I thought your top 3 were going to be Autumn/Winter, The Dumb House and Grief is the Thing with Feathers, but I think I've come close enough, hahaha. This was such a fun video! It has been a great joy to follow your reading for the past years and also to see how it grew to pursue different interests and voices. Also: I'm ready for the Best Books for the Last Five Years' reread book club :)
Really loved this video, such a good idea!! Plenty of things to add to the reading list. I've never not loved a book I read due to your recommendation. Love the polar bear :)
Love this list. Great video concept. Alright, top ten of the last 5ish years in a vague order from least to most: Ayiti, Captain Marvel vol 1: In Pursuit of Flight, The Night Circus, Grief is the Thing with Feathers, Kipochicân (poetry), Fun Home, Dreadnought by April Daniels, Exit West, Lord of the Butterflies (poetry), and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
When Jen brings up A Book of Strange New Things again and you know you haven't read it, and you wonder if you should just excuse yourself until you've finished that book. ha. Read (and loved) The Dumb House, though! I also enjoyed The Butcher's Hook. I remember feeling let down by the ending, but the character and the story has really stuck with me. I get when you mean; I read a lot of books that deal with dark things -- murder, taxidermy (less the act itself, and more the death of animals), all of the bits of the Dumb House -- and I absolutely LOVE them. I get uncomfortable, but in a literary work, it just fits for me! I also just finished Beyond the Pale and I quite enjoyed it! I was shocked to find out that it was so close to home: I live in Nova Scotia, which is just a hop and a skip from Newfoundland. Thanks for the lovely video :) Great concept!
I think is a brilliant look back at how the stories we read linger over time. I was surprised not to see Arcadia by Iain Pears. I don’t remember which year it was but I could have sworn it was a favorite at some point. Or maybe it was just one you really liked. Lol. I wasn’t surprised to see the Tidal Zone or The Dumb House stay on! I was expecting The Crimson Petal and the White, but I had forgotten about The Book of Strange New Things. I also knew there would be Ali Smith, but I didn’t know if you would pick Autumn (which I haven’t read yet) or Winter (which I have read and really enjoyed). 😊😊
I love your videos!, I have been following you for years and I had the pleasure to enjoy many of your recommendations. Thank you for sharing content with such passion and joy! Im very excited to select my next reading from your list of favorites!.. Probably is going to be Michel Faber's: The book of strange new things. Sorry for my English, I am still learning, a big hug from Argentina! P.S. Love your necklace!
The more I listen to Ms. Campbell the more I feel I understand what she likes. As much as I like her, and I sincerely do, her 'trajectory' and mine clearly diverge -- literarily, morally, and politically. It is a credit to her, however, that I still enjoy her enthusiasm and her videos.
Please do a video on tips about how to read more :) Also, great video idea. Another video that I'd love to see is what your favourite Classics are. Because sometimes Classics can be difficult to read, I loved your video about your favourite novels, but specifically I want to know which classics, in your opinion are worth Reading or a few books to get started for those of us that haven't read so much. For example Jane Austen, John Steinbeck, where to start? I suppose a video where you say which Classics you think everyone should read before they die! And of course what you thought of them! Thanks for the amazing content :)
Books are my job so I’m not sure I have tips on how to read more other than make time for it whenever you can. Carry a book on you all the time, listen to an audiobook if you’re walking etc. As for classics, I don’t actually read that many but you can search for ‘Jen Campbell classics tag’ to hear some of my thoughts.
Oh gosh I have been watching this channel a long time. I remember you talk about all of these. I recently starting a reading club and the first play we read was Peter and Alice each member just read a page and pasted it on to the next member, and I had to read the last page and being so shaken I couldn't do it the first time around. I thought The Dumb House would have been your number one.
I read The Book of Strange New Things some time ago after hearing you talk about it. I love the title, the premise of the novel and I can say that overall I enjoyed it but thought the ending was incredibly weak and disappointing... I loved the video and I've just extended my TBR for 2019 ;-))) Thanks Jen!!
English Animals and The Dumb House instantly popped in my mind when I saw the title, mostly because I plan on reading them in the future after watching you recommend them.
I read my first Michel Faber ('Under the skin') last year and it was my best of the year, so this year I just have to read the 'Book...'. Also last year I read my first Ali Smith, but this encounter was not as satisfactory as with Faber. Maybe that's due to the choice of book - I read 'The Accidental', I'll give her a go with the quartet :) As for the 'Girl who circumnavigated...' , I liked it, but never felt compelled to continue the series. I've recently fallen in love with the Flavia de Luce series, it's absolutely brilliant and I recommend it to everyone! Thank you for this video, watching it was a pleasure!
The Accidental was my first read by her and is one of my favourites. She has a very specific style, so if it's not for you then don't worry about it; we all like different things. xx
"If that sounds like your cup of tea, then you're dark like me". That really cracked me up. This was such an interesting topic to watch and I'm going to shamelessly copy it with my own top books from the past years. Maybe even reread a couple of past favorites to see if they've stood the test of time. Off topic: that sweater is great on you and kudos for the matching lipstick! :-)
Great video! I don't think the last five years have been great for me for reading. Just dealing with too much. I'm trying to get back into reading this year and make it more of a priority. I miss it a lot. I'm currently reading My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh. I added several books from this video to my TBR list. Thanks for sharing!
Jen, Have you read The Sparrow by Mary Russell? I found it strange and dark, and it has really stuck with me. Thank you for taking the time to share your book recommendations!
Jen - I’m curious to know what ‘moments’ you would most love to see turned into prints or illustrations? I love your posts & the little details & hidden roots in fairytales etc are so inspiring that I’ve been drawing away while I watch but then I thought it might be nice to ask you to pick a few of your favourite paragraphs or scenes & see if I can ‘do them justice’? Please feel free to send anything you’d love to see to me & I’ll have a go! 💕✍🏻 if you want to see bits of my work I’m @theglasscabinet on insta xx
¡Me ha encantado! Algunos quiero leerlos, sobre todo me ha llamado Michel Faber. I'm from Spain. Thank you for your videos and for your love to literature. My english is enough bad but I will learn it good. I have hope hahaha. I wish you a Merry Christmas***
This was fascinating. I'm with you about books that seemed great, but then receded rather dramatically. I've read five books on your list, and four are really great : Another Day in the Death of America, Don't Call Us Dead, Autumn/Winter, but I have to say that I just couldn't get into The Book of Strange New Things and rate the other Michel Faber books as much better. A matter of taste. Favourite books are so difficult, so I'll just mention one that had, and continues to have a big impact, that is Confessions, by Jaume Cabre, translated from the Catalan. It is challenging to read but rewards many times over. It takes an overview of 20th history through the eyes of a dying man, in a unique and unexpected way. I absolutely love it, but it might be a marmite book.
Hello Jen, thank you for the recommendations! I was especially interested by the English Animals, as the main character is from Slovakia and I come from the Czech Republic and we had been one country in the past. And, not wanting to be picky but not wanting you to think of it incorrectly, her name should be read with the R pronounced, in a rather more Scottish way, if you fancy :)
Ha, thanks, she says how to pronounce it in the book (Meer-ka), and doesn't mention that but now that I think about it, of course it would be a rolling 'r'! x
sorry, pronouncing Czech is impossible, i travelled there in the past and i tried, and i'm sorry, but it's not. I mean, vowel length contrast AND initial stress? How is that possible? It's not, be reasonable, be fair, nobody can do that, i don't believe you.........
Such a great idea for a video and really enjoyed your retrospective analysis! I too enjoyed Faber’s Book of Strange New Things. As far as I remember, the central character is sent to the planet because the “aliens” request it, as part of the deal with the corporation that has set up a base there - they wish to learn about the book of strange new things aka the Bible.
I think my favourite books are - 'Exploring The Earth and Moon' by Patrick Moore. 'Consciousness Matters' by Oliver Leech. 'William McGonagall, Complete Works'. 'Mr Men Books' by Roger Hargreaves. 'The Sea to the West' by Norman Nicholson. But I am a poor reader.
My favorite book of the last 5 year is An Untamed State by Roxane Gay....talk about dark. I read The Book of Strange New Things but I found it too similar to The Sparrow. Two I would recommend to you for their sheer poetry are Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson and Circe by Madeline Miller.
This was so cool🤓 A zombie Romp! 🤣 gosh you had to be ruthless with these but it was really interesting to hear you go through them all. My take aways from this to go get are Stone Gods ( loved OATOF, and always up for dystopian stuff). The dumb house (the title alone😂 but I’ve not actually read this yet and I am drawn to the dark😱), don’t call us dead- I’m still scared by poetry but feel like I should give it a go. Grief is a thing with feathers- we have the Ted Hughes Festival in Mexborough and this sound like and interesting contemporary twist English Animals which I recently put on my TBR because I want to know about the hidden queer rep you mentioned😄 I recently read the left hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin which sounds like you’d enjoy if you’ve not read. Similar themes to you Faber but it has an ambigendered race thrown into the mix 😅 My book of last year was Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann. It’s a YA romance focusing on a Asexual lead character but it just made me feel warm and gooey inside ☺️
Ooh, thanks for the recommendation, Oly. Would you believe I've never read any Ursula Le Guin... something I certainly need to rectify at some point! x
I will echo what others have said: I really enjoyed this video - what a great idea! I have A Place For Us and look forward to reading soon. I bought English Animals because of your recommendation, which I look forward to reading very soon too! 👍 x
I have a list called desert island books on Goodreads. I hate to call them my favourites as the list changes periodically. They are books that might only have gotten 4 stars but have stuck with me and I’d want them on a desert island to reread. I try to keep this list to 20 books. I have s couple on there that I read many years ago but still remember them and think of them. I like that you gave reasons for taking books off your favourite list. Books may be impacting when we read them but months later fall by the wayside.
I loved your description of Murukami - spaghetti, Jazz, women with no personalities, poor queer representation and talking cats 😂 so very true. Loved this!! Thanks lovely 💚
I am new here. I subscribed after watching you play Charades with Jean. This is inspiring me to compare old favourites and new favourites and try to guess if the new ones will pass the test of time - because I was sooo sure the old ones were going to be all time favourites and many of them are just fond memories right now. I still like most of them, but I no longer adore them. How much have I changed and how am I going to keep changing in the future? In some cases, my love for a certain book has been reduced or even annihilated by some other book by the same author which has cast a new light upon their other works in terms of their views, showing me that they are shallow or have certain ideas that I find upsetting, so my previous thoughts on their books seem no longer valid. If I no longer respect the author, I find it difficult to keep my perception of a book unhindered by that distaste. I lose objectivity. I used to love The Shadow of the Wind because of my way of understanding it. As I kept reading other books by Ruiz Zafón, I started feeling sick. Not only did I find them horrible and disgusting, but I was also struck by their lack of originality and I realised The Shadow of the Wind was not really above their level, it had been I who had thought it was great when, in fact, it wasn't. Had I not read those other books, it would have kept its value - to me - because of my own interpretation of it. This is one example, but there are many and I can't help it. It happens. I loved four books by Isabel Allende. Do I like her other stuff, especially her recent books? No. Do I feel like rereading those I appreciate? No. I'm afraid I will no longer like them so much. John Irving - oh, I loved him! He used to be my favourite author because there was something about his writing that felt close to what I would have liked to write. I have noticed, however, that there are some iconic scenes in his books which make him want to call him a genius, but then there are also some parts that bore me to death or seem simply annoying. Philippa Gregory - I loved The Queen's Fool, The Other Boleyn Girl, and The Constant Princess when I first read them. After reading more of her books and upon further research, I've come to realise that she's not so good as I'd credited her to be. Jed Rubenfeld's The Interpretation of Murder seemed interesting. Its sequel, unfortunately, felt rushed and struggling to shock the readers. Patrick Süskind's Perfume and Richard Harvell's The Bells (also Andrew Davidson's Gargoyle) - I still think these books are very good, yet I don't feel like rereading them. Will I feel the same about Alice Hoffman's The Dovekeepers in a while? Possibly.
Very interesting video. Thanks! My favorite books from the last four years are: 1. The series of novels A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin. 2. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. 3. Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. 4. A Room for Sorrow (Кімната для печалі) by Andriy Lyubka. 5. The series of novels Cemetery of Forgotten Books by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. 6. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. 7. Flush by Virginia Woolf. 8. The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett. 9. Me, Pobeda and Berlin (Я, "Побєда" і Берлін) by Kuzma Skryabin. 10. Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks.
I don’t speak Spanish but RUclips should be able to translate the English subtitles into Spanish for you - just click ‘CC’ in the bottom right hand corner of the video. No hablo español, pero RUclips debería poder traducirle los subtítulos en inglés al español. Simplemente haga clic en "CC" en la esquina inferior derecha del video.
I can't get it down to 10, but my favourite reads over the last 5 years have been: Barnaby Rudge A Stranger in Olondria The Lost Words Vasilisa the Wise & other tales of brave young women Orphans of the Carnival Uprooted The Silver Metal Lover Blackthorn & Grim trilogy The Watchmaker of Filigree St/The Bedlam Stacks The Ghost Bride The Wild Girl/Bitter Greens The Turnip Princess & other newly discovered fairy tales Orlando The Miniaturist Fitz & the Fool trilogy The Ocean at the End of the Lane The Lies of Locke Lamora series
i think i pretty much always know how i'll feel about a book in future, genre, fact, popular etc almost never register with me in the way 'great literary fiction' does, and i enjoy love and read all, i don't look down on 'popular', but i never pretend it means as much to me. It's like comparing orgasmic sex with passionate love affairs, you want different things from different books. And i'm a complete slut, i'm always off to the library and the shop. nb i totally agree with you about the book of new strange things, and i think crimson petal is dreadful in every way, except for chapter 1 and caroline. BNST is 1000% underrated
Hello Jen! My friend just finished the Book of Strange New Things, a book that I recommended to her, and we were as touched by the book as you seem to have been. I actually came across your channel looking for contact information for Michel Faber and I was wondering if you had an email or P.O. box that we could use to give our thanks for his work (as I see you have interviewed him and therefore, presumably, have contact information for him). I don't know if there is a particular reason why his contact information is so difficult to find, and I completely understand if you or he does not feel comfortable sharing that information, but if you DO have an email you could share that would be greatly appreciated! (P.S. You've also gained yourself a subscriber! In looking through your channel it seems like content I'd really be interested in!)
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Evening, folks! I decided to look back on my 'Best of...' book lists from the last five years, discuss whether I still consider those books favourites of mine, and then create a 'Best Books of the Past Five Years' list. I hope you like it! Links to everything mentioned can be found in the description box. x
Jen, I'm going to be nosy- I probably have as many books as you (although probably haven't got around to reading as many as you so far! :P ). My main issue is shelving. Where did you get your lovely shelves from? I'm going to need a few obviously and I just cannot seem to find something simple and affordable yet good quality! x
Mine are the cheapest Argos had. They’re not good quality at all but they’re doing the job for now until I can afford better ones.
@@jenvcampbell well far better to spend the money on the books ehh Jen!? Its only fair I offer you a book recommend after all the fab ones I've experienced off of yours! I am re-reading and enraptured by 'Hannah vs the Tree' by Leland de la Durantaye about a young girl's heroic uprising against the avarice and violence of her powerful family- run by a harsh matriarchy. So short and powerful; mythic and poetic!
What a brilliant video. I'm definitely going to have to do this and see how time has changed my view of all the books I've read.
What a fascinating process! I definitely need to do this. Looking back at my ‘all time favourites’ shelf on Goodreads I can see that many haven’t stuck with me as much as titles from each year’s favourites. Time for a reshuffle I think. Wonderful video Jen xxx
Just in case great jumper/sweater game and i still love the polar bear necklace.
"If that sounds like your cup of Tea, then you're dark like me" - Ha Ha I think you've found the title for your next book.
My recent favorites are The wind-up bird chronicle by Haruki Murakami - Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes and Secret History by Donna Tartt.
Ah, The Secret History's a good'un x
This just made me realise how many of my favourite books from the last few years were ones I heard about on your channel! So thanks :)
You are welcome, and thanks for watching. x
Your videos always swell my “to read” list! Thank you for your wonderful reflections.
this is such a nostalgia trip for me! guess I've been watching for longer than I thought. :) I've read so many of these books on your recommendation and loved them, so thank you. :)
Thanks for watching for so long! x
I got Don't Call us Dead for my sister this Christmas based on your positive review of it, and she loved it! I feel like I'd love Peter and Alice, since the whole child-story thing is so interesting to me, like with Christopher Milne as well. Loved The Dumb House!
So glad your sister enjoyed Don't Call Us Dead! If you pick up Peter and Alice let me know what you think. xx
Cool video. It really makes one ponder the "reviews" we all give our books (or movies or games or what have you.)
Like the review is more like a reaction. But then you come back to something and you've either changed or grown apart from it. Or it ages like fine wine and you enjoy it more.
Everything we do has to be immediate. So it's important to pause every once in a while and reflect to see how something actually affected you.
Also I really like your hair.
This is such a great concept Jen! I always enjoy watching favorites' videos, yours especially. This one made me want to pick up The Book of Strange New Things immediately. My favorite book in the past couple of years is the Remains of the Day and my recent favorite is My Year of Rest and Relaxation. :-)
Jen , Thankyou so much... I now want all of your favorites! Especially A place for us, sounds great!
You are exactly what I needed on BookTube! So glad I discovered your channel, these are amazing recommendations!
Love it
I love this video! I remember you raving about basically all of these books and so many of them are still on my wish list. What a trip down memory lane :)
As short stories are my favourite genre, I'd love to hear some of your top short story picks. Not collections, but individual short stories that have stayed with you. That would be so fun if that's a video you'd want to make at some point!
Also your jumper is a lovely colour!
I'll add that to a list of potential videos, thank you! x
I bloody loved this! Such a great idea 🤓 it was so interesting to hear your thought process when deciding, particularly between books of the moment and those that last. Has this made you want to go back and read them all? Xxx
This video made me realise just how long I've been watching your channel for!
I am currently reading Sum on your reccommendation from 2015! I also STILL have The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland on my wishlist. Great video!
Thanks, Amy! I hope you have a great year of reading. x
Well I LOVED this. And I could see the agony of choice you had with the Faber books. I can’t wait to do this myself next year, I bet some of the first few years of books I picked I have forgotten big time xx
Ah, looking forward to seeing your picks! And nowt wrong with doing it for the past four years if you want to do it now! x
this is such a great idea! i hope more people do this :) this video also made me realize how long i've been watching you! and also how long the crimson petal and the white has been sitting on my shelf unread...
I hope more people do this, too! I'd love to hear everyone else's thoughts. PS Go and pick up the book and say hi to Sugar ;) x
I loved this video! It was fascinating to see how your thoughts have changed over time and some books have waxed and others have waned. In terms of books that I think of regularly as my ‘favourites’ the top 5 of all time would probably be Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Gregory, The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry, The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber and The Accidental by Ali Smith. Which is interesting because I only read one of those in the last five years...
That's so weird! Someone just asked me on my Books that made me 2018 vid if my favourite end of year books still held up today, and I have honestly never thought about it before. I had a look over mine, but thankfully mine all matched up still to this day. There are some classics, however, that I see I marked highly on my goodreads and I change the rating madly when I see my original rating (because what was I thinking?!)
This list was brilliant ... I do remember you talking about most of these . I bought and loved Don't Call Us Dead because if your recommendation. I definitely need to pick up more from this list XX ❤️ Thank you for sharing this with us Xxx
Thanks for watching, Charlie x
I've been putting off The Book Of Strange New things for the longest time because I really want to love it and I think it's adding too much pressure to commit to! It's something I have to get to this year though!
English Animals is currently in the post on the way to me now and I'm so excited to start reading it, especially after seeing it made your favorites of all time list!
Ah, hype can be daunting. I hope you enjoy both of those books when you get to them. x
I really enjoyed seeing this and I did expect Ali Smith and Michel Faber to feature. I have had a look over my books since I started Goodreads in 2013 and am really surprised that so few are really memorable now, despite 4 and 5 star ratings. Thank you for a really interesting look at your reading tastes!
I am quite surprised by how clearly I remember you mentioning all these books in your videos! Admittedly, I thought your top 3 were going to be Autumn/Winter, The Dumb House and Grief is the Thing with Feathers, but I think I've come close enough, hahaha. This was such a fun video! It has been a great joy to follow your reading for the past years and also to see how it grew to pursue different interests and voices. Also: I'm ready for the Best Books for the Last Five Years' reread book club :)
Haha, if I do decided to reread any, I'll let you know in advance :) x
Loved this! 😊 Also, I wasn't surprised by some of the choices, but some of them I forgot. 🙈
Really loved this video, such a good idea!! Plenty of things to add to the reading list. I've never not loved a book I read due to your recommendation. Love the polar bear :)
Love this list. Great video concept. Alright, top ten of the last 5ish years in a vague order from least to most: Ayiti, Captain Marvel vol 1: In Pursuit of Flight, The Night Circus, Grief is the Thing with Feathers, Kipochicân (poetry), Fun Home, Dreadnought by April Daniels, Exit West, Lord of the Butterflies (poetry), and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
I finally got A Place for Us! Looking forward to reading my first Michel Faber this year as well. Happy five years of fabulous books!
So excited to hear what you think of them! x
When Jen brings up A Book of Strange New Things again and you know you haven't read it, and you wonder if you should just excuse yourself until you've finished that book. ha. Read (and loved) The Dumb House, though! I also enjoyed The Butcher's Hook. I remember feeling let down by the ending, but the character and the story has really stuck with me. I get when you mean; I read a lot of books that deal with dark things -- murder, taxidermy (less the act itself, and more the death of animals), all of the bits of the Dumb House -- and I absolutely LOVE them. I get uncomfortable, but in a literary work, it just fits for me!
I also just finished Beyond the Pale and I quite enjoyed it! I was shocked to find out that it was so close to home: I live in Nova Scotia, which is just a hop and a skip from Newfoundland.
Thanks for the lovely video :) Great concept!
I think is a brilliant look back at how the stories we read linger over time. I was surprised not to see Arcadia by Iain Pears. I don’t remember which year it was but I could have sworn it was a favorite at some point. Or maybe it was just one you really liked. Lol. I wasn’t surprised to see the Tidal Zone or The Dumb House stay on! I was expecting The Crimson Petal and the White, but I had forgotten about The Book of Strange New Things. I also knew there would be Ali Smith, but I didn’t know if you would pick Autumn (which I haven’t read yet) or Winter (which I have read and really enjoyed). 😊😊
So excited to see this video! Coincidentally I’m currently reading The Book of Strange New Things, and I’m loving it so far.
Hurray! x
I love your videos!, I have been following you for years and I had the pleasure to enjoy many of your recommendations.
Thank you for sharing content with such passion and joy!
Im very excited to select my next reading from your list of favorites!.. Probably is going to be Michel Faber's: The book of strange new things.
Sorry for my English, I am still learning, a big hug from Argentina!
P.S. Love your necklace!
Sending lots of love to you in Argentina, too! x
The more I listen to Ms. Campbell the more I feel I understand what she likes. As much as I like her, and I sincerely do, her 'trajectory' and mine clearly diverge -- literarily, morally, and politically. It is a credit to her, however, that I still enjoy her enthusiasm and her videos.
Please do a video on tips about how to read more :) Also, great video idea.
Another video that I'd love to see is what your favourite Classics are. Because sometimes Classics can be difficult to read, I loved your video about your favourite novels, but specifically I want to know which classics, in your opinion are worth Reading or a few books to get started for those of us that haven't read so much. For example Jane Austen, John Steinbeck, where to start? I suppose a video where you say which Classics you think everyone should read before they die! And of course what you thought of them! Thanks for the amazing content :)
Books are my job so I’m not sure I have tips on how to read more other than make time for it whenever you can. Carry a book on you all the time, listen to an audiobook if you’re walking etc. As for classics, I don’t actually read that many but you can search for ‘Jen Campbell classics tag’ to hear some of my thoughts.
Oh gosh I have been watching this channel a long time. I remember you talk about all of these. I recently starting a reading club and the first play we read was Peter and Alice each member just read a page and pasted it on to the next member, and I had to read the last page and being so shaken I couldn't do it the first time around. I thought The Dumb House would have been your number one.
So hard to pick between those top four! And I can imagine that reading Peter and Alice aloud would be rather emotional! x
I read The Book of Strange New Things some time ago after hearing you talk about it. I love the title, the premise of the novel and I can say that overall I enjoyed it but thought the ending was incredibly weak and disappointing... I loved the video and I've just extended my TBR for 2019 ;-))) Thanks Jen!!
Loved this video!! I bought English Animals the other day. Can't wait to give it a read.
Let me know how you get on x
English Animals and The Dumb House instantly popped in my mind when I saw the title, mostly because I plan on reading them in the future after watching you recommend them.
what a lovely video 💕 I've been wanting to read Ali Smith's books for the longest time!
I read my first Michel Faber ('Under the skin') last year and it was my best of the year, so this year I just have to read the 'Book...'. Also last year I read my first Ali Smith, but this encounter was not as satisfactory as with Faber. Maybe that's due to the choice of book - I read 'The Accidental', I'll give her a go with the quartet :)
As for the 'Girl who circumnavigated...' , I liked it, but never felt compelled to continue the series. I've recently fallen in love with the Flavia de Luce series, it's absolutely brilliant and I recommend it to everyone!
Thank you for this video, watching it was a pleasure!
The Accidental was my first read by her and is one of my favourites. She has a very specific style, so if it's not for you then don't worry about it; we all like different things. xx
"If that sounds like your cup of tea, then you're dark like me". That really cracked me up. This was such an interesting topic to watch and I'm going to shamelessly copy it with my own top books from the past years. Maybe even reread a couple of past favorites to see if they've stood the test of time. Off topic: that sweater is great on you and kudos for the matching lipstick! :-)
Thanks, Danii. x
Great video! I don't think the last five years have been great for me for reading. Just dealing with too much. I'm trying to get back into reading this year and make it more of a priority. I miss it a lot. I'm currently reading My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh. I added several books from this video to my TBR list. Thanks for sharing!
Jen, Have you read The Sparrow by Mary Russell? I found it strange and dark, and it has really stuck with me. Thank you for taking the time to share your book recommendations!
Not yet, I picked it up because of it’s similarity to The Book of Strange New Things and will get to it at some point ☺️
Thank you so much for introducing me to Alice and Peter - it was a wonderful read. It made my number 1 of 2018
Hurray! x
Jen - I’m curious to know what ‘moments’ you would most love to see turned into prints or illustrations? I love your posts & the little details & hidden roots in fairytales etc are so inspiring that I’ve been drawing away while I watch but then I thought it might be nice to ask you to pick a few of your favourite paragraphs or scenes & see if I can ‘do them justice’? Please feel free to send anything you’d love to see to me & I’ll have a go! 💕✍🏻 if you want to see bits of my work I’m @theglasscabinet on insta xx
¡Me ha encantado! Algunos quiero leerlos, sobre todo me ha llamado Michel Faber. I'm from Spain. Thank you for your videos and for your love to literature. My english is enough bad but I will learn it good. I have hope hahaha. I wish you a Merry Christmas***
This was fascinating. I'm with you about books that seemed great, but then receded rather dramatically. I've read five books on your list, and four are really great : Another Day in the Death of America, Don't Call Us Dead, Autumn/Winter, but I have to say that I just couldn't get into The Book of Strange New Things and rate the other Michel Faber books as much better. A matter of taste.
Favourite books are so difficult, so I'll just mention one that had, and continues to have a big impact, that is Confessions, by Jaume Cabre, translated from the Catalan. It is challenging to read but rewards many times over. It takes an overview of 20th history through the eyes of a dying man, in a unique and unexpected way. I absolutely love it, but it might be a marmite book.
If you loved dumb house, I would highly recommend The angel maker by Stefan Brijs. It reminds me a lot of dumb house but even darker...
Hello Jen, thank you for the recommendations! I was especially interested by the English Animals, as the main character is from Slovakia and I come from the Czech Republic and we had been one country in the past. And, not wanting to be picky but not wanting you to think of it incorrectly, her name should be read with the R pronounced, in a rather more Scottish way, if you fancy :)
Ha, thanks, she says how to pronounce it in the book (Meer-ka), and doesn't mention that but now that I think about it, of course it would be a rolling 'r'! x
Jen Campbell no problem at all ❤️
sorry, pronouncing Czech is impossible, i travelled there in the past and i tried, and i'm sorry, but it's not. I mean, vowel length contrast AND initial stress? How is that possible? It's not, be reasonable, be fair, nobody can do that, i don't believe you.........
Josephine Winter well, do you want to start a conversation about the “ř” sound :D ?
Some good choices.
Somehow I haven't managed to read any of these books! I need to change that.Great video.
You are charming, interesting, and very persuasive. Thank you for this video. Subscribed forever 😀
Such a great idea for a video and really enjoyed your retrospective analysis! I too enjoyed Faber’s Book of Strange New Things. As far as I remember, the central character is sent to the planet because the “aliens” request it, as part of the deal with the corporation that has set up a base there - they wish to learn about the book of strange new things aka the Bible.
Yes (SPOILER), they want to learn about healing and the humans want them to give up their resources.
Loves this video. Really interesting looking back what you/one liked (of disliked) the last five years.
I think my favourite books are -
'Exploring The Earth and Moon' by Patrick Moore.
'Consciousness Matters' by Oliver Leech.
'William McGonagall, Complete Works'.
'Mr Men Books' by Roger Hargreaves.
'The Sea to the West' by Norman Nicholson.
But I am a poor reader.
My favorite book of the last 5 year is An Untamed State by Roxane Gay....talk about dark. I read The Book of Strange New Things but I found it too similar to The Sparrow. Two I would recommend to you for their sheer poetry are Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson and Circe by Madeline Miller.
This was so cool🤓 A zombie Romp! 🤣 gosh you had to be ruthless with these but it was really interesting to hear you go through them all. My take aways from this to go get are Stone Gods ( loved OATOF, and always up for dystopian stuff). The dumb house (the title alone😂 but I’ve not actually read this yet and I am drawn to the dark😱), don’t call us dead- I’m still scared by poetry but feel like I should give it a go. Grief is a thing with feathers- we have the Ted Hughes Festival in Mexborough and this sound like and interesting contemporary twist
English Animals which I recently put on my TBR because I want to know about the hidden queer rep you mentioned😄 I recently read the left hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin which sounds like you’d enjoy if you’ve not read. Similar themes to you Faber but it has an ambigendered race thrown into the mix 😅
My book of last year was Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann. It’s a YA romance focusing on a Asexual lead character but it just made me feel warm and gooey inside ☺️
Ooh, thanks for the recommendation, Oly. Would you believe I've never read any Ursula Le Guin... something I certainly need to rectify at some point! x
I will echo what others have said: I really enjoyed this video - what a great idea! I have A Place For Us and look forward to reading soon. I bought English Animals because of your recommendation, which I look forward to reading very soon too! 👍 x
I hope you enjoy them both! x
This video just reminds me that I need to reread The Book Of Strange New Things, such a beautiful book.
Glad to hear you love it, too x
I have a list called desert island books on Goodreads. I hate to call them my favourites as the list changes periodically. They are books that might only have gotten 4 stars but have stuck with me and I’d want them on a desert island to reread. I try to keep this list to 20 books. I have s couple on there that I read many years ago but still remember them and think of them. I like that you gave reasons for taking books off your favourite list. Books may be impacting when we read them but months later fall by the wayside.
I loved your description of Murukami - spaghetti, Jazz, women with no personalities, poor queer representation and talking cats 😂 so very true. Loved this!! Thanks lovely 💚
Just telling it like it is, ha. xxxx
Great video, lots of books to check out. What did you think of The Handmaiden? You mentioned on Instagram that you'd be watching it.
Only watched the first third so far :) but enjoying it x
I am new here. I subscribed after watching you play Charades with Jean.
This is inspiring me to compare old favourites and new favourites and try to guess if the new ones will pass the test of time - because I was sooo sure the old ones were going to be all time favourites and many of them are just fond memories right now. I still like most of them, but I no longer adore them. How much have I changed and how am I going to keep changing in the future? In some cases, my love for a certain book has been reduced or even annihilated by some other book by the same author which has cast a new light upon their other works in terms of their views, showing me that they are shallow or have certain ideas that I find upsetting, so my previous thoughts on their books seem no longer valid. If I no longer respect the author, I find it difficult to keep my perception of a book unhindered by that distaste. I lose objectivity. I used to love The Shadow of the Wind because of my way of understanding it. As I kept reading other books by Ruiz Zafón, I started feeling sick. Not only did I find them horrible and disgusting, but I was also struck by their lack of originality and I realised The Shadow of the Wind was not really above their level, it had been I who had thought it was great when, in fact, it wasn't. Had I not read those other books, it would have kept its value - to me - because of my own interpretation of it.
This is one example, but there are many and I can't help it. It happens.
I loved four books by Isabel Allende. Do I like her other stuff, especially her recent books? No. Do I feel like rereading those I appreciate? No. I'm afraid I will no longer like them so much.
John Irving - oh, I loved him! He used to be my favourite author because there was something about his writing that felt close to what I would have liked to write. I have noticed, however, that there are some iconic scenes in his books which make him want to call him a genius, but then there are also some parts that bore me to death or seem simply annoying.
Philippa Gregory - I loved The Queen's Fool, The Other Boleyn Girl, and The Constant Princess when I first read them. After reading more of her books and upon further research, I've come to realise that she's not so good as I'd credited her to be.
Jed Rubenfeld's The Interpretation of Murder seemed interesting. Its sequel, unfortunately, felt rushed and struggling to shock the readers.
Patrick Süskind's Perfume and Richard Harvell's The Bells (also Andrew Davidson's Gargoyle) - I still think these books are very good, yet I don't feel like rereading them.
Will I feel the same about Alice Hoffman's The Dovekeepers in a while? Possibly.
I don't know how many plays you read, but your mention of Peter and Alice has me wondering if there are any other plays you'd recommend? Great video!
The Seer by Ali Smith, The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard and Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams x
Very interesting video. Thanks!
My favorite books from the last four years are:
1. The series of novels A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin.
2. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.
3. Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury.
4. A Room for Sorrow (Кімната для печалі) by Andriy Lyubka.
5. The series of novels Cemetery of Forgotten Books by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
6. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.
7. Flush by Virginia Woolf.
8. The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett.
9. Me, Pobeda and Berlin (Я, "Побєда" і Берлін) by Kuzma Skryabin.
10. Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks.
Whopee My day off and a list. You know what that means bookstore coffee pizza. Many thanks Jen.
Happy day off, Paul! x
Such a great idea for a video! :) I may copy it some time if that's okay?
Yes, of course :)
I think that's a great way to describe 'a girl with all the gifts' definitely a 'zombie romp' haha
Haha, I'm glad you approve! x
this is such a great idea!!!
Glad you think so! I had fun doing it. x
Did you mention Arcadia on this list? I thought that would be in your favourites of all time. Did I blink and miss it?
Ojalá pudiera tener subtitulos en español.
I don’t speak Spanish but RUclips should be able to translate the English subtitles into Spanish for you - just click ‘CC’ in the bottom right hand corner of the video. No hablo español, pero RUclips debería poder traducirle los subtítulos en inglés al español. Simplemente haga clic en "CC" en la esquina inferior derecha del video.
Your haircut looks really good
I can't get it down to 10, but my favourite reads over the last 5 years have been:
Barnaby Rudge
A Stranger in Olondria
The Lost Words
Vasilisa the Wise & other tales of brave young women
Orphans of the Carnival
Uprooted
The Silver Metal Lover
Blackthorn & Grim trilogy
The Watchmaker of Filigree St/The Bedlam Stacks
The Ghost Bride
The Wild Girl/Bitter Greens
The Turnip Princess & other newly discovered fairy tales
Orlando
The Miniaturist
Fitz & the Fool trilogy
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
The Lies of Locke Lamora series
I want to hang out with you! :'D Been loving your videos and I think I can listen to you all day :)) :)) :))
The First Books I'm Reading in 2019
"The Saxon Shore" by Jack Whyte
"The Crimson Petal and the White" by Michel Faber
Here with my pen and paper
Just added The Book of Strange New Things to my TBR (:
Enjoy!
What you do for living?, I have learning English about a year now, I wonder if you are a teacher.
I'm an author and also work freelance in the book industry. You can find out more here ruclips.net/video/SZ03CEaj0GY/видео.html
i think i pretty much always know how i'll feel about a book in future, genre, fact, popular etc almost never register with me in the way 'great literary fiction' does, and i enjoy love and read all, i don't look down on 'popular', but i never pretend it means as much to me. It's like comparing orgasmic sex with passionate love affairs, you want different things from different books. And i'm a complete slut, i'm always off to the library and the shop.
nb i totally agree with you about the book of new strange things, and i think crimson petal is dreadful in every way, except for chapter 1 and caroline. BNST is 1000% underrated
i've decided to reread the book of new strange things during coronavirus
Hello Jen! My friend just finished the Book of Strange New Things, a book that I recommended to her, and we were as touched by the book as you seem to have been. I actually came across your channel looking for contact information for Michel Faber and I was wondering if you had an email or P.O. box that we could use to give our thanks for his work (as I see you have interviewed him and therefore, presumably, have contact information for him). I don't know if there is a particular reason why his contact information is so difficult to find, and I completely understand if you or he does not feel comfortable sharing that information, but if you DO have an email you could share that would be greatly appreciated!
(P.S. You've also gained yourself a subscriber! In looking through your channel it seems like content I'd really be interested in!)
Hi Sam, I can't share Michel's email address but you can send a message to him via his publisher, Canongate. canongate.co.uk/about/contact/ x
Pullman didn't make the list.
Because I didn’t read His Dark Materials for the first time in the last five years. I am reserving judgement on the prequels until I’ve read more.