Dear Reader

Cathy Rentzenbrink Press Reviews

Celebrates reading as a means of connection and a vehicle for escapism . . . a heartfelt reminder that, for all the wholesome effects that reading arguably has, the first reason to do it is for pleasure. Fittingly, Dear Reader is a pleasure to read - Times

I will never, ever forget the way Dear Reader made me feel: it is profoundly tender, generous, joy-filled, love-filled and compassionate. I have read so many wonderful books this year but this is the one I would buy and give away to everyone in the world if I could -- Daisy Buchanan, author of How to Be a Grown-Up

If you love books or if you need companionship during a difficult patch in your life or if you simply want to be taken by the hand by a writer who is kind, wise, funny, generous, insightful and profound, then this is the book for you -- Elizabeth Day

Exquisite. Dear Reader is touching, beautiful and contains countless excellent book recommendations! -- Marian Keyes

Cathy Rentzenbrink's exploration of reading books and the comfort they bring in Dear Reader feels like art in your hands - Stylist, 'Best Gift Books this Christmas'

Joyful, poignant and essential reading for people who love books . . . it is a book to cherish -- Nina Stibbe

Beautifully written and a joy to read, Dear Reader is a best friend of a book -- AJ Pearce, Sunday Times bestselling author of Dear Mrs Bird

This love letter to reading, which is packed with recommendations, is pure joy - Good Housekeeping

Dear Reader restored my soul -- Sara Collins, author of The Confessions of Frannie Langton

A companion for readers everywhere . . . intimate, kind and self-effacing, it feels like someone is sitting right next to you, holding your hand and sharing their secrets. I loved it -- Kit de Waal, author of My Name is Leon

A warm, unpretentious manifesto for why books matter - Sunday Express

Dear Reader is the best thing I've read for ages and it will stay with me forever -- Philippa Perry, author of The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will be Glad That You Did)

Your first port of call if you're looking for a book to recommend or just a bit stuck on what to choose next. But it's more than a reference book; it's a personal account of how books have comforted the author and what they can do for the soul -- Kit de Waal - New Statesman, Books of the Year

A wonderful warm bath of a book. Perfect for all bookworms to sink into -- Jenny Colgan, author of Meet Me At The Cupcake Cafe

This is a book that shows what can happen when reading becomes one of the foundation stones in someone's life, how it miraculously reveals a map when you've lost your path and how it will always provide a connection to the world when we feel alone . . . Cathy, prepare for adulation -- Diane Setterfield, author of The Thirteenth Tale

Dear Reader is a comfort, an inspiration and a gift of a book for readers, reluctant readers and anyone who wants to feel better about themselves and the world. I applaud Cathy Rentzenbrink, she is a truly brilliant writer -- Julia Samuel, author of Grief Works

Your first port of call if you're looking for a book to recommend or just a bit stuck on what to choose next. But it's more than a reference book; it's a personal account of how books have comforted the author and what they can do for the soul -- Kit de Waal, 'Books of the Year' - New Statesman

Comfort reading has been to the fore lately, and you'll find it in abundance in this joyous memoir of a life immersed in the pleasures and consolations of books by the author of The Last Act of Love . . . It's chock-full of Rentzenbrink's splendid reading recommendations, from Children's Books I Love to Reread and books about Bad Love , to Posh People Behaving Badly and Helpful Non-Fiction , which her own book most certainly is -- Caroline Sanderson - The Bookseller