Early one autumn afternoon in pursuit of an elusive book on her shelves, Susan Hill encountered dozens of others that she had never read, or forgot...
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Oct 03, 2011
"There is no doubt that of the thousands of new books published every year many are excellent and some will stand the test of time. A few will become classics. But I wanted to stand back and let the dust settle on everything new, while I set off on a journey through my books (p. 3 )."
This book is about the author's journey to read only books from her collection for a year. It is intriguing, but it didn't feel like the right time for me to read it. (I only skimmed through, s More...
This book is about the author's journey to read only books from her collection for a year. It is intriguing, but it didn't feel like the right time for me to read it. (I only skimmed through, s More...
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Aug 07, 2011
Ali
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This book is a fairly quick read, and I would think an absolute must for all book lovers and voracious readers. Those of us with a lot of books in pour houses (although I have far fewer than Susan Hill) have those which we have read several times, those we have never read and those which seem to have appeared without us realising. This is a book about how those books of Susan Hill's got there, what they mean, or why they have so far remained ignored. Susan Hill decid More...
This book is a fairly quick read, and I would think an absolute must for all book lovers and voracious readers. Those of us with a lot of books in pour houses (although I have far fewer than Susan Hill) have those which we have read several times, those we have never read and those which seem to have appeared without us realising. This is a book about how those books of Susan Hill's got there, what they mean, or why they have so far remained ignored. Susan Hill decid More...
Jul 30, 2011
Rachel
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I have savoured this book slowly much as I do a bar of good quality chocolate, a chapter at the time. I've really enjoyed it.
I would love to have a look around the author's house. I bet there are quite a few rare books there and some really quirky ones from what she says in this memoir. I also wonder quite how large it is - how many landings and vast shelves which house hundreds of books can it have?! (743 books on ONE...!)
As for the name dropping element which has irritated other readers of thi More...
I would love to have a look around the author's house. I bet there are quite a few rare books there and some really quirky ones from what she says in this memoir. I also wonder quite how large it is - how many landings and vast shelves which house hundreds of books can it have?! (743 books on ONE...!)
As for the name dropping element which has irritated other readers of thi More...
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Jun 17, 2011
Sydney
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I found this book annoying. I expected a thoughtful approach to reading — what we read, what we neglect, what we return to — but much of the text is self-aggrandizing (Ms. Hill has published many novels and knows many authors). Even comments on the great writer E.M. Forster are limited to the time she ran into him at the British Library. Ms. Hill is approximately my age, so she has lived through the second half of the 20th century and seen the wonderful explosion in literature in diverse voices.
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May 30, 2011
Bev
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Books help to form us. If you cut me open, will you find volume after volume, page after page, the contents of every one I have ever read, somehow transmuted into me? Alice in Wonderland. The Magic Faraway Tree. The Hound of the Baskervilles. The Book of Job. Bleak House. Wuthering Heights. The Complete Poems of W. H. Auden. The Tale of Mr. Tod. Howards End. What a strange person I must be. But if the books I have read have helped to form me, then probably nobody else who ever lived has read exa
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May 13, 2011
Holly
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I'm not sure why I stopped to read this, since I don't really go for books of this sort (i.e., memoirs that fetishize books and reading). But it was a quick read: a tour of Hill's library and her thoughts on a lifetime of reading. This exemplary little bit on what Anita Brookner's novels accomplish almost makes me want to try Brookner again some day:
How we repeat our mistakes and why, how we fail to notice vital signs in human behaviour in time to save ourselves from disaster, how we makeMore...
Jan 20, 2011
Louise
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I loved this book about books, authors, and the pleasures of reading. When the author was looking for her misplaced copy of Howard's End she noticed many unread books on her shelves and determined that for a year she would buy no new books, but simply read from those she already had. Each chapter is a consideration of the books she owns and authors she has met, along with thoughts about such things as the things that fall out of books, how important a title is to the success of a book, childre
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Oct 10, 2010
Felice
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I do not keep every book that makes it's way into my house. If I start it and don't like it, out it goes. Most times even if I loved it, it leaves. I keep a few much loved books, books that I want to pass onto a friend, books to give a niece or nephew when they reach the right age and any and all knitting books that I come in contact with. But. Those count as reference, right? We can take those out of the equation. And... I don't need to dust more and since love won't dust I have to have a might
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Apr 12, 2010
Khairul H.
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In her quest to stop buying new books for a year and start reading books she already owns or re-read those she has enjoyed before, Susan Hill takes the reader on a journey of discovery; of finding joy in reading.
She loves books. The ones made with paper, not the electronic kind. She hates those and I share her views on them. You can't sniff an e-book nor scribble on it. Some reviewers here accuse her of name dropping and while I too find that habit annoying, I do not feel the same wa More...
She loves books. The ones made with paper, not the electronic kind. She hates those and I share her views on them. You can't sniff an e-book nor scribble on it. Some reviewers here accuse her of name dropping and while I too find that habit annoying, I do not feel the same wa More...
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Mar 05, 2011
Dot
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What to say about this wonderful book! Firstly a complaint...I had recently resolved to read from my shelves of unread books before buying or borrowing any others...but having read this book, I now have a long list of other books that I MUST read after reading what Susan Hill says about them. In fact, I started to make a list of books I would like to read as a result of this book, and when I had filled 2 sheets of paper, I resolved to buy a copy of the book for myself so that I can refer to it
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May 23, 2011
Donna Jo
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I always thought I owned a lot of books. Susan Hill owns tons more--and has more house to tuck them away in. Oh, to go live in Susan Hill's house.
Hill has written about her search for her copy of Howards End which leads her to a year of reading or rereading only books from her own collection--the forgotten or forsaken or formerly loved. Her chapters are short excursions through the bookshelves which always turn up some gem that sparks a memory of an old friend (she had met many of En More...
Hill has written about her search for her copy of Howards End which leads her to a year of reading or rereading only books from her own collection--the forgotten or forsaken or formerly loved. Her chapters are short excursions through the bookshelves which always turn up some gem that sparks a memory of an old friend (she had met many of En More...
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Mar 26, 2011
Halli
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For the most part I liked it, little gems of quotes here and there but all-in-all I found Susan Hill pretentious and severely name dropping. I enjoyed her experience in literally running into E. M. Forster but after the first couple of run-ins with prevalent authors, it just gets old. She's entirely British-thinking which I can appreciate but not when she's letting her reader know that obviously they haven't lived if they didn't have experience with a certain amateur printing press all because
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Jan 21, 2012
Kell
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I'd heard so many wonderful things about this book that I think I fell victim to the hype and wanted to like it so much more than I did. That's not to say it's not good - it IS good, just not as good as I'd hoped.
Howards End is on the Landing: A Year of Reading from Home is less a love letter to the books Susan Hill loves, and more a recounting of the many anecdotes she has of meeting and working with other writers, and their books which have subsequently helped shape her life, both pe More...
Howards End is on the Landing: A Year of Reading from Home is less a love letter to the books Susan Hill loves, and more a recounting of the many anecdotes she has of meeting and working with other writers, and their books which have subsequently helped shape her life, both pe More...
Oct 19, 2011
Heather
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Not reading the books I already own: this is a problem I have, a common problem, it seems, and Susan Hill had it too. So she decided, one day while hunting for a book on her shelves and not finding it (but finding lots of other interesting books), that she would spend a year reading only books from her own shelves.
Howards End is on the Landing, the book that came out of that decision, is the story of Hill's exploration of her bookshelves (of which there are many), but it's also the st More...
Howards End is on the Landing, the book that came out of that decision, is the story of Hill's exploration of her bookshelves (of which there are many), but it's also the st More...
Jul 10, 2011
Martin
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I really enjoyed Susan hill's book, Howards End is on the landing, a year reading from home. Although it is meant to be primarily a journey of re-discovery through forgotten bookcases full of books hidden on the landing and under the stairs and in the spare room; it was for me more of a personal memoir of Susan Hill's interesting life as an author and a publisher and of the wonderful eclectic mix of characters, authors and publishers she has had the fortune or misfortune to meet during her life
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Nov 16, 2010
Joy Weese
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Howards End is on the Landing by Susan Hill is a lovely book devoted to the pleasures of reading. I enjoyed how very English it is, although, often as not that made feel stupid. I think of myself as adoring English literature but there is so much I have missed. Most pressing is Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens. I read a lot of Dickens in high school and Bleak House some time in the last decade. How come I don't even recognize the title of Our Mutual Friend? Especially, considering that Susan
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Aug 15, 2011
Dona
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Such a delight! Susan Hill has been writing and publishing books for fifty years, in a number of different genres, including crime fiction (I love her Simon Serailler series). This is a book of her reflections on the year she spent reading books from her home library. It started when she was looking for 'Howards End' and couldn't find it on her bookshelves. She started looking through all the books she's been accumulating over the years, and making piles of books she hadn't yet read but wanted t
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Aug 31, 2011
Readnponder
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British novelist Susan Hill was looking for her copy of "Howards End" when she realized how many books were in her house which she had not read. She attributes some of the backlog to buying a paperback as a healthier alternative to a chocolate bar. (Personally, I'd buy both.) So she decided to set aside a year to "read from home," meaning the books in her collection. This book chronicles her literary adventures in the different rooms of her house.
The chapters More...
The chapters More...
Feb 13, 2010
Angie
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This book is quite interesting in its initial concept- have you ever thought about the books you have read and own? In this non-fictional account by author Susan Hill, she spends a year reading books which she already owns and comtemplates why she loves them and what makes her the reader she is today.
This is a passage from the end:
'Books help to form us. If you cut me open, you will find volume after volume, page after page, the contents of every one I have ever read, som More...
This is a passage from the end:
'Books help to form us. If you cut me open, you will find volume after volume, page after page, the contents of every one I have ever read, som More...
Jan 01, 2012
Heffalumpi
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This was such an interesting concept for a book and one that really struck home - the author realised that she had books all over the house that had either not been read at all or were kept with the intention of re-reading them at some point in the future. Hmm, sounds familiar!
It was very impressive to hear about the titles that she had in her collection and how she had actually met some of the literary greats of our time. The book follows her quest to decide which books she is going More...
It was very impressive to hear about the titles that she had in her collection and how she had actually met some of the literary greats of our time. The book follows her quest to decide which books she is going More...
Sep 15, 2011
CuteBadger
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I really loved this book about books and book-lovers. Author and publisher Susan Hill was looking for a book in her house one afternoon and realised how many books she had gathered over a lifetime, how few of them she had read and how many were old friends she wanted to spend more time with. She therefore decided not to buy any new ones for a year and instead to "read from home".
The book is a journey through her year, telling us about the books she loves and why she loves t More...
The book is a journey through her year, telling us about the books she loves and why she loves t More...
Sep 30, 2010
Vivienne
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Whilst looking for a book she owned, Susan Hill got side-tracked into looking at many other books on her shelves - some read, others still to read. the large number in the latter category gave her the idea of taking a year during which she would read books from nowhere else other than those she already had.
This book describes her discoveries and her reasons for the picking out the forty books she finally chose. Reading this was like taking a wonderful journey and stimulated me to want to r More...
This book describes her discoveries and her reasons for the picking out the forty books she finally chose. Reading this was like taking a wonderful journey and stimulated me to want to r More...
Feb 19, 2012
Lesley
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I first picked up Howards End is on the Landing about a year ago from a local used bookstore. I thought it looked good at the time but I must have lost interest along the way since it sat, unread, on my shelves since its initial purchase. Luckily for me though something must have clicked a couple of weeks ago because my need to read it suddenly tripled.
Howards End is on the Landing is a non fiction work from author/publisher, Susan Hill. It all begins one day when Susan goes in sear More...
Howards End is on the Landing is a non fiction work from author/publisher, Susan Hill. It all begins one day when Susan goes in sear More...
Feb 01, 2010
DJ
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I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!
And not only because it was the very last Book that Husband bought me at the end of the first Decade of this Millenium,or even because he had arranged to take me on New Years Eve to my most Favourite Bookshop in the World-THE WATERMILL in Aberfeldy,although I have to admit that it does give it a "je ne sais quoi" all of it`s own.
This book is written by Susan Hill ( many of you may know her as the author who wrote "Mrs De Winter" More...
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May 27, 2011
Patty
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What I love about books like this one: that the author is enthusiastic about books that I know little or nothing about and her essays make me want to add a lot more titles to my "I want to read" list.
What drives me crazy about books like this one: that the author is enthusiastic about books that I know little or nothing about and her essays make me want to add a lot more titles to my "I want to read" list.
This book was especially frustrating because S More...
What drives me crazy about books like this one: that the author is enthusiastic about books that I know little or nothing about and her essays make me want to add a lot more titles to my "I want to read" list.
This book was especially frustrating because S More...
Sep 23, 2011
Natalie
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This book equally irritated and interested me. I loved the concept of rediscovering books that you've forgotten about, not gotten round to reading or simply re-reading well loved favourites and it was probably that alone which kept me going. The namedropping started off as interesting, but soon became utterly tiresome. Throughout the book, I found Hill's attitude grating on me- her comments about disliking Canadians as much as Australians (for seemingly no reason) almost saw me put the book d
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May 18, 2011
Chelsea
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I liked it. I didn't love it.
The idea is lovely - for a year, Hill will only read books she already owns, not purchasing anything new. And my first thought was - I own enough books that I haven't read that I could probably go two years; it was nice to know I wasn't the only one buying books with the best of intentions and then getting distracted by the next tempting title to come along.
I enjoyed Hill's thoughts on books, reading, authors, and nostalgia, but my biggest issue More...
The idea is lovely - for a year, Hill will only read books she already owns, not purchasing anything new. And my first thought was - I own enough books that I haven't read that I could probably go two years; it was nice to know I wasn't the only one buying books with the best of intentions and then getting distracted by the next tempting title to come along.
I enjoyed Hill's thoughts on books, reading, authors, and nostalgia, but my biggest issue More...
Feb 19, 2011
zz-neena
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I ripped through this today, despite the three *currently reading* books on my Goodreads shelf. As with any book about books, this one is filled with quotable lines and lists of books to add to TBR shelves.
I have long admired Susan Hill for her own books, and I thrilled to her praise of titles I've loved. I was also puzzled by her love for books I couldn't get through. She can't get through Ulysses. Me either!. Middlemarch is on her top-forty list. But I can't get into it! However as More...
I have long admired Susan Hill for her own books, and I thrilled to her praise of titles I've loved. I was also puzzled by her love for books I couldn't get through. She can't get through Ulysses. Me either!. Middlemarch is on her top-forty list. But I can't get into it! However as More...
Mar 11, 2011
Julie
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I'm an Anglophile who loves books, so I anticipate that I'd feel right at home in Susan Hill's cozy world. I didn't, but that's not a bad thing. I felt like a visitor to a familiar yet exotic realm, where I shared a vocabulary but a very different culture. And it was fascinating.
Hill's written a memoir, and while some reviewers complain of "name dropping", since most of the people she mentions were unknown to me, I was far more intrigued than annoyed. She paints a picture o More...
Hill's written a memoir, and while some reviewers complain of "name dropping", since most of the people she mentions were unknown to me, I was far more intrigued than annoyed. She paints a picture o More...
Aug 08, 2010
C.l
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This book has some high moments, and some not so high. A rather disconnected set of essays about a year of reading from home, interspersed with the author's memories of people and places. Hill has met many famous individuals, authors in particular, during her career and mentions them in almost every chapter. I found all the name dropping slightly off putting, but I did appreciate her suggestions about which books to start with when reading the works of Greene, Bowen, Woolf, and Hardy. Her read
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