Billypar's blurb on Sorrow and Bliss

For anyone who was a fan of the #ReadingEnvy podcast and hasn't already heard, I'm sorry to report that Jenny Colvin recently passed away unexpectedly. If you knew her and listened to her show, then you already know how amazing of a human being Jenny was: there is a memorial wall on Goodreads that I have linked in the comments if you'd like to share your memories. If you haven't yet, I'd strongly recommend you try her show, also linked below:

Billypar Memorial wall on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/22225628-remembering-jenny-memorial-wall?co...

Jenny‘s Goodreads profile, which features a huge number of shelves and international selections: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/68030-jenny-reading-envy
3y

Billypar Reading Envy Podcast: http://readingenvy.blogspot.com/p/podcast_16.html This show takes a simple concept of two readers talking about books and transforms it into a community. If you wanted to be on the show, you could just contact Jenny. Is it for a certain kind of reader? Nope. If you loved books, Jenny wanted to talk to you– she welcomed all. The tagged book was the last Jenny posted, so if you‘re scrolling through, you should give it a listen. 3y

Billypar On a personal note, Jenny was the one who introduced me to Litsy after mentioning it on her show. For my first posts she was the one and only ‘Like‘, which seems like a small thing, but it‘s not always easy to connect with others at first, and I‘m so thankful to her for introducing me to this community, along with so many books through her show and readalongs, and the memorable conversations that went with them. We will all miss her 💔 (edited) 3y

See All 33 Comments

Ruthiella Thank you for doing this. I will miss her a lot. She also introduced me to Litsy. I loved the podcast and interacting with her here and on Goodreads. She was an amazing person. 💔 (edited) 3y

vivastory Thank you for posting this. I loved her podcast & being able to talk to her. She was a congenial & thoughtful member of the online book community. 3y

Dragon 💔 well said. 💚🐉 3y

Megabooks 💜💜💜 she was one in a million, and I loved her ReadingEnvy read alongs, especially when she did The Secret History. Thank you for sharing. 3y

BarbaraBB Thank you for creating a place on Litsy dedicated to Jenny. I didn‘t know her very well but she was one of the people who formed Litsy and gave it color and character. Wishing all of you strength with the loss of someone dying far too young 🤍 (edited) 3y

Centique Thank you so much for posting this Vinny. She was such a special person and I feel so shocked. I loved talking to her when I went in her podcast and she was one of my first friends here too. I wish @Reggie was still active so he could chime in too but I will email him with the news 💔 3y

rockpools Thank you for posting Vinny - this is such sad news. Jenny welcomed me into her GoodReads groups in pre-Litsy days. Her world-reading projects changed the way I read today, inspiring me to seek out authors from beyond the UK/US. Always so supportive and friendly - I loved the warmth and calm enthusiasm of her podcasts. You‘ll be missed, Jenny. My thoughts go out to her family and friends. 💔 3y

Susanita 😥 3y

CBee Awful, sad news 🙁💔 3y

Chelsea.Poole So sorry to hear this!💔 3y

britt_brooke Such sad news. 😔 Thank you for letting us know. 3y

Billypar @Ruthiella Yeah, it's rare to find someone who was so influential and accessible at the same time, and with a good heart. 3y

Billypar @vivastory It's so true - she engaged a lot of readers via Litsy and herself embodied all the qualities that are special about this community. 3y

Billypar @Megabooks I really enjoyed the readalongs too! The Secret History may have been my first one. She did a wonderful job leading those. 3y

Billypar @BarbaraBB Thanks so much Barbara 💙 Agreed about her lending color and character to this space from its early days. The individuality and creativity of people like Jenny on Litsy are what got me hooked. 3y

Billypar @Centique She was so great to talk to: she had a way of putting people at ease through something nerve-wracking like recording a podcast episode and making it feel like an ordinary conversation with a friend. That was one of my favorite things about her show. I was thinking about Reggie - I'm glad you can get in touch with him to let him know. 3y

Billypar @rockpools I was completely inspired by her reading the world project. Her Goodreads shelves are a great resource for reading other cultures that I plan to keep using. It went with the kind of person she was: calm enthusiasm and warmth are great descriptors. She will certainly be missed by a lot of people. 3y

Cathythoughts Thanks Vinny, I often listened to Jenny‘s podcasts and I really admired and respected her. She also had the most beautiful speaking voice, I loved to listen to her ❤️ May she rest in peace. 3y

Billypar Thanks for checking in everyone 💙 @Dragon @Susanita @CBee @Chelsea.Poole @britt_brooke 3y

Billypar @Cathythoughts It's true - she was a natural on the mic and her personality really showed through each episode. We all love books but she really made books feel like a way of getting to know all different kinds of people, both in talking about characters and in learning about her guests. 3y

batsy Thanks for sharing. She was also one of my first followers here and the first few to "like"—sounds silly but it really makes you feel welcome. I've been unable to stop thinking about her untimely passing since I heard about it. Just a couple weeks or so before she was posting on Litsy ? 3y

kspenmoll I am so sorry- I enjoyed her podcast & posts. 😢 3y

Christine Echoing the thanks for posting about this here. Like @batsy I can't stop thinking about Jenny's passing. Though I only knew her from years of listening to her podcast and her presence/our interactions here, she was a meaningful part of my reading life (which I know is true for so many). I'm so sorry that her bright light has left the world. 3y

Billypar @batsy I've been thinking about it nonstop too. Apart from the tragedy of anyone dying so young, it's an extra layer to process when it's so sudden and unexpected, and to think about what her family must be going through. She's going to be missed by so many people. 3y

Billypar Thanks @kspenmoll - her presence in these online bookish spaces was truly special and we will all miss her. 3y

Billypar @Christine Yeah, I got so many great recommendations from Jenny and the podcast and several that became new favorites. And she left behind so much to remember her. I really admire her enthusiasm for chatting with others about books and how welcoming she was in doing so. 3y

Chrissyreadit Thank you for sharing this. I‘ve enjoyed both Her posts and her podcast and am so very sad to hear this news. 3y

Reggie @Billypar thanks for letting us know, Vinny. Thanks for the email and the tag, Paula. @Centique This makes me so sad. She‘s one of the first people I met on here back in 2016. She‘s the first bookish podcast I ever listened to. And just like Litsy she introduced me to whole new worlds of books. Talking to her before we turned on record she was just the nicest and listening to her you knew she tried to be her best self. I will miss her so much. 😭 3y

Billypar @Chrissyreadit Yeah, her contributions to the community were really special: it's very sad and tough to accept. 3y

Billypar @Reggie In reading people's stories about how they knew her, it's amazing for how many people Jenny was one of the first to reach out and get them engaged in the online book world. I had the same experience as you when I spoke to her for the show - she was so fun to talk to. I really wanted to get in touch about going back on the show later this year. It's tough meeting someone so authentic, kind, and interesting and then losing them so suddenly. 3y

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