Dear Reader is a moving, funny and joyous exploration of how books can change the course of your life, packed with recommendations from one reader to another.

For as long as she can remember, Cathy Rentzenbrink has lost and found herself in stories. Growing up she was rarely seen without her nose in a book and read in secret long after lights out. When tragedy struck, books kept her afloat. Eventually they lit the way to a new path, first as a bookseller and then as a writer. No matter what the future holds, reading will always help.

• Dear Reader celebrates reading as a means of connection and a vehicle for escapism. It’s 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
• Beautifully written and a joy to read, ,em>Dear Reader is a best friend of a book. Comforting and wise, and with lists of books to read, or read again, I highly recommend buying it as a present for someone you love -- AJ Pearce, Sunday Times
• 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. . . 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