I think I must be Rentzenbrink’s reading doppelganger specifically up to the point in her life when she started to work in a bookshop. We, and many others I imagine, have read exactly the same books and enjoyed similar elements of them, even Philip Kerr. At the bookshop point she had access to a far greater range of books than I did when I started work and so our reading choices diverged.

Dear Reader is a memoir through books, about the comfort they bring her in times of depression, grief and sadness, particularly rereading which is not something I do if I can help it. From childhood through to the present day she describes her life and then books that were important at that point or which have a related theme. If you want a list of books to read, this is your book and Rentzenbrink would be delighted because what she likes to do most is talk to strangers about books.

She is no snob about books, refreshingly so, probably because of her work with Quick Reads and prisoners and the fact that her dad did not learn to read until much older. This means that she understands that the joy of a book varies from person to person, and let’s face it, we have all enjoyed a Jilly Cooper romp! She even mentions the poem Thought Fox by Ted Hughes and I capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, two of the very few things I have reread many a time.

What shines through is her love of books, her love of talking about books and eventually, her love of writing books. This is told to us through a discussion with her son who wondered if she loved her family as much as she loved books. Don’t all readers know that feeling of I must finish this even if it is silly hours early in the morning or everyone else is waiting for.

This is a wonderful book to read, very uplifting and providing you with a list of books that will keep you happy for some time to come.

Books I want to read as suggested by Rentzenbrink:

• The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald
• Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively
• Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
• Any book by Andrew Miller