Author's Annual Reading Update & London Bookshop Visits

Annual Reading Update

• 💡 The author, Jen Campbell, provides a reading wrap-up for the beginning of the year, discussing books read and purchased, and answering viewer questions.
• 📊 She notes a decrease in her reading volume compared to previous years (102 books in 2025 vs. 4 so far this year), attributing it to being a full-time parent and freelancer.
• 🎧 To manage reading, she primarily listens to audiobooks during nap times and while cooking in the evenings.
• 📚 Key books read include Kit de Waal's "The Best of Everything" and Leila Mottley's "The Girls Who Grew Big", both anticipated for the Women's Prize longlist.
• 📖 She also read Rebecca Perry's "Maybe We Feed the King" and children's books like Vita Sackville-West's "A Note of Explanation" and Dahlov Ipcar’s "The Cat at Night".

Recent Book Acquisitions

• 🎁 Her Christmas book haul included "Eat the Ones You Love" by Sarah Maria Griffin, "Death and the Gardener" by Georgi Gospodinov, "The Piano Teacher" by Elfriede Jelinek, and "Mystery Lights" by Lena Valencia.
• 🎂 For her birthday, she received Eva Baltasar's "Mammoth" and Eva Wiseman's "The Delivery Woman", along with "Godfather Death" illustrated by Júlia Sardà.
• 📚 She also acquired review copies, including Michelle Steinbeck's "Favorita" and several titles from YesYes Books: "The Nothing" by Lauren Davis, "The Book of Exemplary Women" by Diana Xin, and poetry collections "Cataloguing Pain" by Allison Blevins and "Born Backwards" by Tanya Olson.

London Bookshop Adventures

• 🗺️ Inspired by her own book, "The Bookshop Book," she aims to visit new London bookshops, having been unable to do so due to personal circumstances.
• ☕ She visited Funny Weather Books near Hampstead Heath, a coffee shop with a small book selection, and purchased Ali Smith's "Glyph".
• 🛍️ She observed a trend of smaller, specialized bookshops opening, often combined with other businesses, such as romance bookshop Saucy Books and travel-themed Traveller's Tales.
• 📖 Her second visit was to Book Bar in Finsbury Park, where she discovered and bought Junko Takase's "May You Have Delicious Meals".

Personal Reflections & Recommendations

• 💬 She answered viewer questions, sharing her positive start to the year despite the rain and enjoying outings with her daughter to places like the Wallace Collection.
• 📱 Her current library audiobooks on reserve include Haruki Murakami's "The City and Its Uncertain Walls", Souvankham Thammavongsa's "Pick a Colour", and Samantha Sotto Yambao's "Water Moon".
• 📺 She recommended Jet Lag: The Game as her best YouTube discovery and "Culinary Class Wars" and "The Devil's Plan" as top TV shows of 2025.
• 💖 She discussed her experiences with IVF (mentioning her book "Please Do Not Touch This Exhibit" and a Cardiff University project) and her decision not to wear wigs due to alopecia, embracing her natural appearance as a mother.
• 🛠️ For toddler toys, she recommended imaginative play setups like a kitchen, using charity shop finds, and brands like Le Toy Van.