Jacob's Room is Full of Books

I’m not sure why I picked up Jacob’s Room is Full of Books by Susan Hill. I didn’t recognize the author, although she is famous as the author of The Woman in Black, and the title meant nothing too me, other than it contained the word ‘books’. And maybe that is it – the cover and the word ‘books’ together attracted my eye. And why wouldn’t it? I was in a bookstore after all.

Regardless, I got it; I read it, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Essentially, the author charts a year of her life, focusing on the books she is reading. It is sort of a wandering conversation about writing, publishing, literature, and just the love of books in general – mixed with the passing seasons and the comings and goings of various birds. She talks about books from the inside and from without, mixing in interesting facts about authors and her own writing career.

We don’t agree about everything – she’s no fan of science-fiction or fantasy (which strikes me odd as for a writer of ghost stories), but she loves Robert Louis Stevenson, so we definitely share some passions.

She is opinionated, but doesn’t force her opinions on you.

If you are a book lover, this might be one for you. It is extremely well-written, and really does flow along like you are sitting in the chair next to her, listening to her talk as the year rolls by.