Dear Reader

I'm feeling a bit blogged out at the moment but I couldn't let this book pass me by without giving it a heap of praise.

Books about books, reading, bookshops and libraries are among my favourites and Dear Reader by Cathy Rentzenbrink is a detailed read about how books have helped her.

In it she talks about her love for books which started from a young age. She talks about the books she read as a child, some of which I have fond memories of too. I remember reading one of her favourites The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 and 3/4 by Sue Townsend and being excited that there were more books to follow.

She talks about the books she read as a child which may not have been suitable for children's eyes. I  remember having Flowers in the Attic by Virginia Andrews taken from me I think when I was 11 or 12. I'm grateful for that now because I can't believe how depressing that book is.

Cathy gives a short synopsis of each of the books she writes about and a few of the chapters cover topics like fictional diaries, orphans in books, books set in pubs, series books and books about books and booksellers. Part of the book I loved the most was reading about her experiences as a bookseller working for a few bookstores including the flagship Waterstones store in London's Piccadilly.

Cathy talks about family life and the death of her brother Matt several years after he was hit by a car. She writes about her relationship with her brother in her memoir The Last Act of Love but in this book she talks about how reading helped her cope with her brother's accident, the several years that followed when he lay in a coma before his death and then after.

This is a must read for all bookworms or any reader who loves books about books!