August 31, 2023

Susan Hill’s Simon Serrailler Series

Susan Hill and I have been best buddies this August. Or should I say the characters in her Simon Serrailer mystery series? I read #4 through #8 this month, and 9, 10, and 11 are waiting for me on my TBR shelf. The next book in the series, #12, will be released in October, and I suspect I won’t be able to wait till it comes out in paperback a year later to read it.

What I find so intriguing about these Susan Hill books is that often the crime to be solved by police detective Simon Serrailer is not the most important plot thread in the book. The more important story may involve Simon’s sister Cat, a physician whose professional love is hospice work, and her family or may involve her stepmother and father or other characters we come to know throughout the series. The truth is that Simon can be quite infuriating, but each book reveals more about him, why he is the way he is. Hill is an excellent writer, and since a new Louise Penny does not appear to be imminent, I am thrilled I have more Hill books to read.

That reminds me I remember reading years ago a nonfiction book by Hill, Howard’s End is on the Landing, A Year of Reading from Home, which is about reading what she already owns, instead of making new purchases. She reads books she has never read but owned for years, as well as re-reads favorites. I remember being intrigued, but not enough to try it myself. Could I ever accept that challenge?

August Top Favorites

• Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. I reviewed this book in my August 24th post. I loved this book. Sometimes I am surprised when not everyone loves a book I loved, but oh well. To each his own, right? I felt the same way when I declared undying love for Dutch House and others didn’t like it at all. I have not loved equally each of her books, but I am in awe of her writing skills and her ability to tell a story and create memorable characters. That is no small thing, and I will read anything she writes.
• The Bookbinder by Pip Williams. Some of the characters in this book, which is set in the Oxford University Press in the early 1900s, were also in The Dictionary of Lost Words, a favorite book read in July. In this book Peggy and her twin sister work in the press’s bindery. Their mother had also worked there. Peggy yearns to go to university, but she’s “town, not gown,” and is responsible for the care of her mentally challenged sister. WWI refugees from Belgium figure in the story, too; a story that has lots of layers–class, war, women’s issues, plus insight into the physical making of books. A good read, indeed.
• The Glass Hotel by Emily St James Mandel. No, this is not just about a Ponzi scheme or about an older man and his much younger “wife,” Vincent, who is named after Edna St Vincent Millay. Each character in this book, which reads easily and compellingly, is complex. These are people who are capable of being more than one persona. Are any of them likable? Not really, and yet I read on. Vincent says she lives in the “kingdom of money”–until she doesn’t. Another character comments towards the end, “We move through the world so lightly,” and yet the actions of Jonathan, the mastermind of the scheme and his minions certainly do not have light effects on others. Another line –“it’s possible to both know and not know something”–illustrates the power of denial and of not wanting to know. I have read both Station Eleven and Sea of Tranquility and was amazed by both of them–the depth and the quality of writing and the ability to engage–but in each case, as with The Glass Hotel, I have resisted reading them. Now why is that? I have not read Mandel’s earlier novels, Last Night in Montreal, The Singer’s Gun or The Lola Quartet, and I think I probably should. The Glass Hotel, by the way, was one of Barak Obama’s favorite books of 2020.

Honorable Mentions

• The Lost Journals of Sacajawea by Debra Magpie Earling. This was not an easy book to read because of the content, the language, and the culture of which I lack knowledge. Sacajawea is taken into slavery as a child by a white man. Eventually she has a baby, learns English, and while much is made of that in summaries of the book, it really doesn’t play much of a part in the book nor does the connection to Lewis and Clark. Rather, what is significant is the ongoing rape of Native women. The language is poetic and enthralling, but there is much I don’t understand. Is “Weta” God? Is “agai” the sun? I would have loved a glossary, but perhaps the reason for not providing one is to make me aware of what it is like to be forced into another culture.
• Love and Saffron, A Novel of Friendship and Love by Kim Fay. I have always enjoyed epistolary books. The most notable is 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff but The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows is another favorite. Love and Saffron consists mainly of letters between Joan and her older friend Immy. Immy writes a column called “Letters from an Island,” and they begin corresponding because of their mutual love of food. Over time they develop a deep and meaningful friendship.
• West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge. In 1938 two giraffes are driven across the United States to the San Diego Zoo, which at that time was headed by Belle Benchley, a historical figure–the first woman in that role. This was not an easy trip for many reasons, given the times, the end of the Depression, the overlap of the Dust Bowl, the limited views of women, and the undeveloped highway system. The main character, outside of the giraffes themselves, is Woody Nickel who is fleeing his own demons. A good story, but it could have been even better, I thought, with some additional editing.

I have made a dent on my TBR shelf, but danger lurks, for I recently learned about another new book store in our area, and it is important to support local independent bookstores. Plus, at the end of September we are going on a road trip that will take us to Nashville specifically to visit Ann Patchett’s bookstore. Stay tuned.

An Invitation

Anything stand out from your end of summer reading? I would love to know.