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Quoth the Camser

A podcast by Cams Campbell. It's a raw, open and authentic monologue by a 1971 Scotsman with stories

06/01/2025

This photo book is incredible. If you’re at all interested in Soviet Russian, you will love it. I guarantee.

13/12/2024

Just posted a review of this amazing book on my BookTube channel. If you enjoy alt-history and speculative fiction, I’m sure you’ll love this.

“Imagine a world without Europe…”.

It covers 700 years of history, based on the premise that the Black Death killed 99% of Europe in 14C and what the world might look like if the eastern powers were in the ascendant instead of the West. There’s science, religion, feminism, dystopia, race, geopolitics and war—and all with the plot device of spiritual reincarnation bringing the same souls into the ten different time periods that are covered chronologically.

The author pulls off this feat well, although I did find it a challenging read. In fact, I read it twice in the same year because once wasn’t enough for me. But it stayed in my mind and I just knew I was going to have to read it again.

23/11/2024

Love this image. I’m half-way through this book and I’m loving it!

03/11/2024

I read these as a kid and would like to read them again now to revisit my favourites. Disappointed with as the covers don’t match what was displayed on their site. So annoying.

01/11/2024

Today’s haul #2, this time from the used book shop in Wemyss Bay station. I’d actually gone into Seahorse Books in Ardrossan looking for Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, but they’d just sold their copy. So I was tickled to find it in Wemyss Bay for £1!

I read English Passengers around 2001 and it has always stayed in my mind. I no longer have my copy, so it was an instabuy at £1.

I’m a big fan of John Irving, with A Prayer for Owen Meany being in my top 5. I’ve not read this one. £1.

I know Ilf and Petrov from when I spent a year in Odesa, their home city. The Twelve Chairs is a pretty well known novel, certainly in the Russian speaking world. It’s high time I read it! £1.

What a haul! 🤩

01/11/2024

A haul from the wonderful in Ardrossan, along with some good conversation with Mr Seahorse. It was good meeting you, Gordon!

I bought Awe because I’d just heard a snippet about the topic on a Radio 4 broadcast on my way back from Oban on Sunday.

JB Peterson has been on my radar for a while. I particularly enjoyed his series on the book of Genesis. And I do keep my damn room clean.

And Susanna Clarke. She’s coming a favourite author of mine. I just finished a reread of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. Time to try another.

21/10/2024

Starting my birthday with one of the greatest novels ever written. This passage rang out:

Pierre glanced up at the sky and the play of the stars receding into the depths. ‘And it’s all mine, and it’s all within me, and it all adds up to me!’ thought Pierre. ‘And they caught all that, shut it up in a shed and boarded it in!’

12/10/2024

How’s your Saturday? Mine’s rather Greek. I did have a trip planned today, but Zeus sent a storm which has disrupted the ferries, so it’s a day at home with the books.

06/10/2024

Starting my bookish Sunday. May you find the time to read today. 📕 🐱

05/10/2024

This is going to be a really good supplementary read as I go through Emily Wilson’s translation. Can’t wait to dig in through October. Follow my journey here or over on my Substack at camscampbellreads. 🫡

02/10/2024

Such a helpful little book. Hi, Resistance. I see you. Not today.

02/10/2024

Just meeting Platon Karatayev for the first time in this reading. ❤️

27/09/2024

Well, a bonus bit of sunshine and it’s still not too badger to sit outside. Making the best of it while I still can. Time to learn why Alexei Kudrin left government.

17/09/2024

A nice evening read under the Rowan tree on a September evening. It doesn’t get much better.

13/09/2024

Was the 2004 Maidan ‘orange revolution’ in Ukraine a coup? I’ve watched and read some of the conspiracy stuff. Zygar is more circumspect in this book, but Putin’s involvement with trying to get Yanukovich elected was plain to see. If that first vote hadn’t been a draw, things could have been different. Instead, Yanukovich had to wait till the next elections to become president

12/09/2024

Time for a wee read outside in the autumn sun.

09/09/2024

Have you ever noticed how many publishers use animals—especially birds—as their logos? Is it from the success of Penguin? Puffin books?

08/09/2024

I haven’t started a Robin Hobb book for the first time since 2001. I’m a chapter in and already feeling at home with Fitz. Funny how you can miss a character. I’m looking forward to some new adventures.

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https://camscampbell.com/

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