Talk About Books
Sometimes the book finds me
Last summer I discovered Susan Hill’s “Howard’s End is on the Landing” – a collection of essays dedicated to all the books she had in her house. She devoted a year to reading books she had not yet read, others that she had read but forgotten, and to revisit her favorites. As she reunited with her collections, she wrote about the books, the people, the memories. I am inspired by Hill’s method of telling stories about the books; it is similar to what I want to do with my Substack here.
My yoga teacher had recommended a book by Susan Hill during a conversation about stories where the main character goes on a quest. I had not heard of this author, and upon a quick search found that Hill is known for her mystery/crime series. I was surprised by the mismatch (crime is not a favorite genre) but was diligent to follow up on the comment from my teacher. I searched Hill’s other works and came across this book about books, first published in 2009.
I picked up “Howard’s End is on the Landing – a year of reading from home” from the library, and as soon as I got it home, I was engrossed. I love her premise. Susan Hill says on page 2
“A book which is left on the shelf is a dead thing but also it is a chrysalis, an inanimate object packed with the potential to burst into new life.” ~Susan Hill
And I agree as she advocates for reading paper books (as compared to e-books) on page 76 that “ the book ain’t broke around here. I do not propose to fix it with an electronic reader… I will stick to paper and print and pages for reading books.”
I recently had a similar conversation where I ranked paper books over e-books and audio books. It’s amazing to track how the book has evolved into other formats, and I know people who only listen to audio, or who only download e-books. However, I remain a traditionalist. My book collection is predominantly paper-based.
Childhood Favs
Noting how Susan Hill remembers author Enid Blyton brings up my own memories of children’s books. My grandparents bought Enid Blyton’s Famous Five stories for my mother to read when she was a child in the 1940s. When I was young, I discovered the books in their basement, and read as many in the series as I could find. The stories were a way to connect to my grandparent’s British heritage, and strengthened the bond with my mother, imagining her as a child, reading the same books.
I haven’t read most of the books Hill writes about, although I can recognize the classics, with a few on my own ‘to read’ list. Each chapter provides her take on specific books, a particular genre, her memories of the time when she read the book, people or places she associates with the book. She also includes explanations of books she didn’t read or didn’t finish.
She concludes with a list of her Top 40 books, and as I skim through the titles, I am curious, but the point for me is not to go read the books she mentions. It is the story of the books - how she came to read books that shaped her life - that interests me.
Common Ground
We have common ground with our love of books and the memories associated with the book. In the telling, Hill gives a glimpse into her past for context, and I enjoyed the snippets of her life as a writer. Engaging with the essay was like talking with friends over drinks at the end of a long week at work. Let’s visit about what a great book we just read when we meet next.
Hill’s essays provide me with an example of what I aim to accomplish with my personal essays about books that influenced me. I want my essays to generate a friendly feeling of shared interests, whether you have read the book or not. What I am seeking here on Accompanied is our common ground - to share the love of books – to express the fascination with what a book can teach, to be reminded of the comfort a book can provide and the strong memory of what else was going on when a book captures your heart.
Serendipitous Finds
When I next talked with my yoga teacher, I mentioned how I looked up Susan Hill but could not remember which title she had recommended. I found this book about books instead, and it was just what I needed as a guide for what I was wanting to achieve with my blogs. She paused, confused, “Did I mention that author?” And we laughed. Somehow, I hadn’t heard the author name correctly, or she didn’t remember. I said I really liked the other book about the character’s quest, and she reminded me we had been talking about characters who overcame grief. “Oh yes, of course!” I exclaimed.
I am fascinated by how our conversation started, and where I ended up after searching for, and finding this book. The search, the quest for the right book, is itself a story.
Isn’t that how we stumble upon the best reads? We are searching for one title or author, and one thing leads to another. Years ago, serendipity happened frequently when I stood in the library stacks and found an unexpected but ‘just right’ book on an adjacent shelf. Here in my city, there is an annual gigantic used book sale where people donate boxes of their old books, and when I discover someone else’s collection – several interconnected books that are ‘just right’ - I wonder about the previous owner whose books I am taking home with me. I imagine the story of how the book stayed one person’s bookshelf for years, as their favorite, and now has made its way to my home, ‘bursting into life’ with me as its new reader.
Our common ground - sharing the love of books – expressing the fascination with what a book can teach, being reminded of the comfort a book can provide and the strong memory of what else was going on when a book captured my heart
Accompanied is my way of giving tribute to favorite books. As I tell my story about what happened before, during or after a great read, I hope you remember a similar story about one of your favorites. One book leads to another as we are accompanied on our journeys.
I’m glad you are here with me! What book impacted you recently? Tell us in the comments.