Start Here → Slow Reading
What this site is about and a bit about me
Hi, I’m Cams Campbell, and this is my reading home on the Internet.
What’s slow reading?
Classic literature can feel intimidating and I hope to disabuse you of that notion! Slowing down and reading with others can really help you to get over the idea that classics are scary, allowing you to find some real enjoyment in these wonderful works of literature.
My background
I studied Russian language and literature at degree level, but my reading is not limited to that region or language. Having said that, it was a reread of Crime and Punishment in December 2023 that inspired me to launch this Substack and read the book again in 2024 as the first slow read for my channel.
Do you read in Russian?
I did read in Russian when I was a student, and then when I worked as a translator for many years. However I gave all that up in 2008 when I bought a post office on a Scottish island and my Russian has since become super rusty. I sold the post office business in 2019 and, since then, I’ve been working at getting my Russian back up to speed. So, although I’m not reading literature in Russian any more, I do refer to the original texts as I’m reading in translation, and one of the things I like to do here is to compare translations as I go. So that’s something you can expect to see when I’m leading slow-reads.
I wrote all about my time at St Andrews—including a full list of the literature I read there—in a series of three posts, the first of which is here:
Interesting facts
I used to ride BMX and skate. I still watch a lot of that kind of content on social media, but no longer participate (see 3 below).
I learned Russian in the military in the late 80s while serving in the Royal Corps of Signals.
I fell off a cliff in the Lake District at the age of 17 while on a military exercise and almost died. That accident has left me with a badly scarred right leg and reduced mobility.
I’ve lived and worked in Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan and Luxembourg.
I’m currently the Master of my local masonic lodge. I joined in 1992 as it was a family tradition.
I live on a small Scottish island off the southwest coast. The scenery is idyllic. The ferry service is shambolic.
I bought a rural post office in 2008 and was part of the Horizon scandal. Thankfully I was never charged as some postmasters were. I sold the business in 2019.
I haven’t drunk alcohol since 2005. I got sober through the 12-steps of AA and attended meetings regularly from then until around the first lockdown. Reading and writing help me in my sobriety, and I’m sure that this project will help even more.
I’m an accomplished acoustic guitar player and played regular gigs in my local area in a bluegrass band and a Scottish dance band before my bandmates moved away. I still play the occasional solo gig.
I once played on stage in Tennessee with one of my musical heroes, Tony McManus.
I’m autistic and have ADHD. The military helped me with my behavioural issues; academia helped with my self-esteem; the love of my family helps me with everything.
I’ve been medicated for depression three times throughout my life. Thankfully I’m medication free now. Again, reading and writing help, as does daily journalling with my beloved fountain pens. I post some of my journal entries online to serve as an example for others.
Tell me about you!
Now it’s your turn! Pick a question or two—or all of them!—and answer in the comments.
What country do you live in?
What’s book would you recommend to someone without knowing anything about them?
Pick a fiction and a non-fiction book that best describe your reading tastes.
What are you reading right now?
What’s next on your TBR?
Do you read in a language other than your mother tongue?
Is there a classic you’d like to recommend to me for the group?
Oh, and feel free to share your socials so we can connect and support each other! I also post bookish content on YouTube and Instagram.
Thank you so much for the character list names from crime and punishment. You mentioned slow reading and that’s pretty much my style. I wish it weren’t so but I’m still a fairly avid reader.
I’ve always been very interested in Russian culture and literature. crime and punishment is taking me a month or more to read. After a gap of a day or two of not reading, remembering character names and their relationship to the story is sometimes confusing. That guy you published of the characters is very useful, thank you so much.
1. I've been living in England for 6 years now after moving from Barcelona, where I was born and raised.
2. Blind book recommendation: this is a bit tricky, but maybe And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.
3. A fiction and a non-fiction book that describe my reading tastes: Ghostwritten by David Mitchell and The Adversary by Emmanuel Carrère.
4. Currently reading: How to win a Grand Prix by Bernie Collins. An insider account of how a Formula 1 team works.
5. I don't really have a TBR, but I'll probably read Endurance by Alfred Lansing or Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel next.
6. My native language is Catalan, but I read in English, Spanish, and French - mostly in English.
7. If you haven't read it yet, I'd recommend The Count of Monte Cristo. Probably my favourite book.