I have a strange love for books about books. I love how writers express just how much books and reading have had such a powerful almost religious influence on their lives. I love these books because the authors of them could be talking about my own life and how books have held me under their cosmic power.

Cathy Rentzenbrink has returned to her non-fiction format explaining how books have been a constant in her life. How her life, growing up, her career choices have all been guided in a bookish form in one way or another. 

Even without the bookish element, Cathy Renzenbrink has led a fascinating life. It hasn’t been without its moments of sadness but it (and indeed she) has been inspirational as well. 

Another titillating facet to this type of memoir is ticking off the books that you have in common and adding the ones that the writer recommends to you TBR pile.

I really enjoyed reading Dear Reader. It is a love letter to books but also to book lovers. Our common affection for the novel binds us together. 

The Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books by Cathy Rentzenbrink is available from 17th September 2020.

For more information regarding Cathy Rentzenbrink (@CatRentzenbrink) please visit her Twitter page.

For more information regarding Pan Macmillan (@panmacmillan) and Picador Books (@picadorbooks) please visit www.panmacmillan.com.

I enjoyed this so much. It was like revisiting my favourite reads and discovering a whole new set of recommendations. My To be Read pile is even bigger now!

I absolutely loved this book because it's about how a passion for reading begins and then informs a whole life. It's about how this passion ripples out from one reader to a community and beyond.

The author ends up in prisons and other settings where reading is not always a given, as she has got involved in the Quick Reads project. Her Dad is the inspiration behind this as he was a manual working class man who didn't know much about books. At one point he has struggled reading a book and Cathy realises it's because he was reading the (scholarly) introduction not knowing that you could skip this. Like Cathy I have a Dad who was a miner who left school with no qualifications who later found a love of reading because someone ignited the love of reading for him.

The author traces her love of reading from childhood, through various jobs for Waterstones and through to blogging and her work in the wider community.
As a reader it's great to compare her favourites (of many different genres) with your own . I have also added to my" must read list" having been given a brief synopsis by Cathy of various books I have never read/encountered.

I love her anecdotes from her bookselling life, including the insider gossip from author events and some readers will find her descriptions of a bookseller's life interesting. No booksellers don't just sit there and read books all day ! (Maybe you've seen the comedy Black Books?) She talks about the special relationship between customer and bookseller that I am not sure exists in many retail environments , when books can change lives.

However this isn't just a glorified reading list but a memoir of her RELATIONSHIP with books, a kind of love story. It also touches on how books got her through tough times like her brother's long time in a coma and subsequent death.

It works as an eloquent memoir, a testament to the power of books and as a social call for there to be access to reading for all, not just a privileged minority. If her Dad can learn to enjoy books so can anyone.

T

"Books about books" is one of my very favourite genres non-fiction, and Dear Reader combines this with memoir to great effect. The sections about Rentzenbrink's work promoting reading in prisons were fascinating, and as a former Waterstones bookseller myself, those chapters resonated with me particularly.

Every word of this wonderfully bookish memoir resonated with me. Like Cathy Rentzenbrink I was somewhat out of place – a bookworm in a working class London comprehensive. I sympathised utterly with her tales of unsympathetic teachers, and the fact that they struggled to understand a child who was not what they expected. Like her, I always have found solace in books.

This is a love letter to Cathy’s love of reading. It is also the story of her life; of the tragic loss of her brother, her early work as a bookseller (goodness, though, this book really turned me off going anywhere near Harrods!), of her life recommending titles to other readers, of working in the prison system, of trying to reach people through the transforming power of books.

If you too are a bookworm, you will delight in this. It contains many recommendations – should you need them. I suspect that, like me, you won’t, but still, you may not be able to resist adding a few, surreptitious, titles to your wish list. For Cathy’s enthusiasm is uplifting and joyous and I adored every page of this. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review. I will buying a copy for my own bookshelves, as soon as it is released. A pleasure to read and Cathy Rentzenbrink is definitely an author I wish to read more by.

This is a love story for books. The love a reader has for books, the excitement that comes from a readers prospective oozes through the pages with reality.

This book takes you on a magical journey through Narnia, Wind in the Willows, we learn about Rebecca and her family and find out Cathy’s favourite books both growing up and now.

The most enjoyable part of this is remembering the joy I had for reading when I was very young, from Enid Blyton Children’s classics to Stig of the Dump which then developed again when I was 13 and read Flowers in the Attic. The first ‘adult’ novel I read. This sealed my fate as a book lover!

Not only does the author reawaken your childhood favourites, you also add to your ever growing list. I have quite a few additional books added to my TBR list, after reading this. The first will be Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively which is the authors all time favourite book.

A beautiful, moving and thought provoking biography. One of the very few I’ve enjoyed. Peeking into the life of a Waterstones employee, I’ll take a little more notice to the ‘staff recommends’ cards. She explains the euphoria that comes from reading a book whether new or familiar. The only therapy needed is another new book to read.

The book world is a truly remarkable place and I’ve loved hearing about a readers journey into publishing.

Cathy Rentzenbrink's 'Dear Reader,' is a beautiful book. It is a homage to the power of books and reading; as well as a warm and funny memoir. I devoured it in one day, in much the same way Cathy devours the books she depicts within it and I've taken notes of the books she loves I haven't yet read, with hopes of continuing my enjoyment (we seem to have similar tastes).

In short, I absolutely loved this book and I will be buying copies for myself and other lovers of books I know. I would highly recommend it.

I almost feel like I am Cathy Rentzenbrink - I feel absolutely the same power and passion for books as she does. As Cathy catalogues her life through her favourite books, I am drawn straight in, recognising myself in those I have read, and grasping to remember all those other recommendations.

There is never enough lifetime to read an infinity of good books, and it's a delight to read such a well crafted book which honours bookreading,

Loved it, Thank you Cathy,

People who love books will want to keep a pen and paper handy whilst they work through Dear Reader so they can jot down all the recommendations of books that they're desperate to read after hearing the impact that they've had on the author. For anyone who finds books are a lens that make our worlds bigger and help us gain a better understanding of ourselves and others, this is a invaluable account of which books have helped Cathy Rentzenbrink to do just that from childhood to adulthood. I loved encountering old much loved books from childhood and reflecting on how my relationship with them would be different as an adult. It has inspired me to go back, re-read and see books with fresh eyes. But equally listening to her talk about new books that I haven't read is like finding a reviewer whose judgement I can trust. Cathy's ability to reflect on her personal experiences in life and how her response to them has been shaped and guided by the books that she has read was something that resonated deeply with me.

What an interesting read. This really is a love letter to books, a journey which takes us from the cloth books of early baby days, through childhood favourites and into a lifelong love of reading.

I was pleased to find that the author's love of books seemed to mimic my own
journey, loving Enid Blyton, Agatha Christie, Jackie Collins,  Danielle Steele, Jilly Cooper, etc. leading me into adulthood and a wide range of authors and genres.

I loved the line "reading is respite care for the mind", which was a perfect description. Whatever is going on in our lives, there is always the possibility of slipping off into a parallel universe through a good book and being able to escape from the real world for a while.

Another line which resonated with me is "reading is seen as in introvert activity. It's a way of being alone but never lonely", which I totally agree with.

There are very sad aspects of this book as we learn of tragic family events the author has experienced, but overall this is a positive, enjoyable read and I have certainly added more titles to my to read list through glimpses mentioned!

A great ode to the power of reading. It isn't enormously original, but it is a comforting read that highlights just how important books are to our shared community.

I understand all the glowing reviews - it is in a way a very heartwarming book - but despite liking it, I didn't love it... I really enjoyed reading about the author's experience as a bookseller in various shops, including Harrods and big names around Charing Cross, but I felt despite the interesting comments on books that shaped her life at different stages, at times it felt like reading a listicle or a catalogue. It's a shame because I liked the content, and the writing was... nice. I just ended up not liking the format that much.

This book is neither one thing or another - it is an autobiography of an ordinary life interspersed with book recommendations. The author's career was all around books, mostly working in bookshops, but also writing them herself. Her previous works have been the sad story of her brother's accident and death, and a self-help book on how to defeat depression and grief. Her love of books and belief that they help us deal with life shines through. Although it was quite engaging, the parts where she has lists of books is a little boring. This could have been an appendix.

I’ve been a voracious reader all my life, so I am probably right in the target market for this amiable and chatty memoir of a life around books. Rentzenbrink mixes autobiography with easy conversation about her favourite books. Her family, especially her father, are well drawn and charming, and there are little nuggets of joy to be had when she alights on a book that you also love. It’s a great comfort read, warm and inclusive, with no “oh, you haven’t read Proust?” snobbery. My only real complaint is that it’s too brief, I could have read twice as much again.

This is a joy to read. Cathy’s love of books shines through every page. Descriptions of her favourite books are intertwined with her life story, from being a schoolgirl who was told by a teacher that she couldn’t possibly have finished a book yet, to becoming a published author, via a career encompassing Waterstones, the Bookseller and Book Trust, a charity which publishes short fiction for new adult readers.

As someone who works for Waterstones, I recognise everything she says about bookselling, the customers, the campaigns and most of all the joy of handselling a book to a customer, who then comes back and says they loved the book and can you recommend anything else.

I was drawn to the book by the Waterstones connection, but also by the fact that not only does Cathy love reading, she loves re-reading, as I do. Even though I have read a lot of the titles she talks about, I have found quite a few that I seem to have missed, and have added them to the to be read pile.
If you enjoyed Lucy Mangan’s “The Bookworm” and Susan Hill’s “Howard’s End is on the landing” you will love this book.

Dear Reader by Cathy Rentzenbrink

A beautiful book which is part memoir and part ode to reading.

I absolutely loved this book and abandoned everything else I was doing until I'd finished it! What a comforting book for these times - Cathy writes so warmly and it was like spending a couple of hours with a treasured friend, drinking tea and chatting about books. I must be a similar age as I nodded throughout at our similar reading and life experiences. I will be buying the hardback when it comes out, even though I've already read the ARC, as I want to follow up on some of Cathy's recommendations and re-read some books that she reminded me about. I'm sure I'll return to this book time and again. VERY highly recommended - buy it for yourself and all your book loving friends and family!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

Being a bookseller myself I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. It was like a trip down memory lane as well as introducing me to titles I hadn't read. I can fully appreciate how hard it is to put books down once you are into them. I would highly recommend this to anyone

just love reading books about how much people love reading books. So you can imagine how much I enjoyed Dear Reader – an ode to the joy and comfort of reading by author and book-lover Cathy Rentzenbrink. This is her memoir about how books have shaped her life, with a lot of great reading recommendations scattered throughout too.

Cathy Rentzenbrink’s love of reading started from an early age, her story is made even more interesting as her dad struggled with literacy when she was a child, so it was something he learnt after her. She was there to see him discover the joy of reading.

Her career trajectory fascinated me too. She began as a Waterstone’s bookseller (in the Harrod’s concession) working her way up the Waterstone’s chain to managing her own stores (I loved finding our more about the inner workings of the stores). Then her bookish career continued as she moved to The Bookseller and Quick Reads, a charity that encourages adults to read and where she helps prisoners on their reading journey. Finally, she became an author herself.

I really enjoyed Cathy’s inclusive, friendly writing style and found myself relating to lots of her experiences: how Narnia sparked her imagination at a young age, how Enid Blyton made her wish she went to boarding school, how long and dull (whisper it) Dickens is, how she goes to Agatha Christie for a comfort read and she loved The Railway Children, which now holds a special place in my heart as the author Edith Nesbitt lived just down the road from where I live now.

I also loved how she speaks about her love for Jilly Cooper. Often reading is laced with snobbery and Cathy has such a refreshing take on it, reminding us to ALWAYS read what we want, never mind what other people think.

Her recommendations are very helpfully divided up into interesting sections such as ‘books about pubs’, ‘books about reading’, ‘books about writers’. Weirdly, just this week I created a similar section on my blog: Books by Mood, where I do this very thing and have created little edits of books based around things they have in common. Due to all the amazing book recs in Dear Reader, I have now complied a massive list of books to add to my TBR from the must-read way Cathy spoke about them.

You can feel Cathy’s enthusiasm and true love of books flying from these pages. I finished Dear Reader feeling like I’d had a lovely chat with a friend – a wise friend who loves books as much as me – and that I just want to dive straight into one of the amazing novels she recommended. Truly a delight to read!

I read this thanks to Netgalley. It's an interesting read, and I came away with a reading list (a good thing, I think). Rentzenbrink is a compulsive reader, a lover of books. She becomes a bookseller, and eventually becomes part of the Quick Reads project - a project aimed at producing books for adults who are learning to read. Her insight into the joy of reading comes from her own childhood love of reading, but also seeing her father learn to read in his 30s, and the joy he finds in books. For a booklover, it's a very comforting read.

i feel like i am one of few who hasn't read cathy rentzenbrink's 'the last act of love', but rest assured, after 'dear reader' i am definitely going to pick it up.

'dear reader' gives us the opportunity to peer into cathy's life and see how books have helped her, and why she's found herself wrapped up in them during times of loss and hardship in her life. seeing how much cathy has grieved in her life, and how so much of her life has become about reading, is something that i could see myself in so much. i'm only 21, and my dad passed away last year, which has left a massive hole that only reading has helped to fill. right after he passed i found myself reading books that were mostly focused on loss of a father, and seeing that cathy found solace in books on grief and siblings makes me feel less alone in consuming narratives that should only cause more heartbreak to outsiders looking in.

cathy's writing is to the point, yet thorough, and i can't help but feel that's in part due to her experience working with prisoners on reading programmes, and her dad's experience learning how to read and write later on in life. her writing is so incredibly accessible and i couldn't stop reading, i just wanted to keep discovering what books have helped her and guided her, and which books she just plain enjoyed. she includes lists throughout of books oriented around a specific theme or occupation that relates to the place she was at in her reading journey, and it was so fun getting to read about what she loves.

while this is in no means a political book, there's definitely an undercurrent of classism being challenged. cathy was deemed 'too posh' in the places she grew up because of her mixed accent, but when she moved to leeds university, she was nothing special. this is something that i could relate to and understand deeply, and cathy touches so much upon my own fears of how other people see me-- how education can be seen as snobby in the places we grew up, in spite of how hard we try to stay true to our roots, and yet those who are 'educated' can look down their noses at you for not having the same upbringing as them. it's a lifetime of straddling the line between two worlds, and while it isn't the focus, i found it strangely soothing to see another person has experienced this, and has come out the other side still compassionate and true to themselves.

ultimately, 'dear reader' is a love letter to reading, to the things it offers those who are patient and willing to learn from what they read, and to how books can bring people of all different backgrounds together.