Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books by Cathy Rentzenbrink

I have to confess that I am a massive fan of Cathy Rentzenbrink and, therefore, you could say that this review is a little biased. However, I’m a fan for a good reason – her writing is just wonderful!

 At the start of 2020 I applied to do her ‘Writing a Memoir’ course in London with Curtis Brown Creative. I was so excited when my application was successful. Then Covid hit and the course was unable to go ahead. Dear Reader by Cathy Rentzenbrink only served to further confirm that I would have loved that course. Cathy’s writing is warm and welcoming and Dear Reader is like a comforting hug.

I Love Reading

Chemotherapy is doing something to my brain. I’m either falling asleep at the drop of a hat, or I am finding myself unable to focus on anything. To say it’s tiresome is a massive understatement. Reading has always been “my thing”. Like Cathy, I’ve devoured books from an early age. Spending my childhood years staying up far too late reading, my head was always in a book as I escaped into a far more magical and exciting world. As an adult a big part of the holiday packing process is deciding which books I want to take with me. I love a book shop, in fact I dream of owning one, and as such I stubbornly refused a Kindle until last year. Even now I will only try and buy 99p books on the Kindle and if there is a new release I will always try and purchase it from a book shop. I do have to admit that as much as I love holding a proper book, the Kindle does have its benefits – a smorgasbord of books at my fingertips!

My to read pile has been growing steadily bigger as I’ve found it impossible to concentrate on any reading. I kept finding myself giving up after a couple of pages after becoming frustrated with my inability to concentrate. Then I started Dear Reader by Cathy Rentzenbrink and I was hooked.

A Glorious Memoir

Dear Reader is Cathy’s memoir of her favourite books. Though that simple one sentence summary does not do this beautiful book justice. I fear no amount of words will do this book the justice it deserves. It’s a simply stunning read. It does exactly what it says on the cover – this is a joyous and comforting book. It’s as if Cathy has written a love letter to her favourite books and we have been lucky enough to be invited along for the ride.

We see how books have had an important role to play in different parts of Cathy’s life. How they have helped her navigate difficult times and offered her solace. How they have been her constant companion, never letting her down. We see how those pages can offer us an escape into another world, a world without Covid! As someone who loves books, I found her recounting of her career path hugely inspiring and reassuring. Perhaps there’s hope for me yet.

We are taken on a wonderful journey with Cathy. From her childhood memories of reading The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe through to her adult memories of reading Pat Barker’s Regeneration trilogy. The books may change but one theme is constant throughout this book -the power of reading. As Cathy herself says “Reading has saved my life, again and again, and held my hand through every difficult time.”. Thank you, Cathy, for holding my hand during this challenging time

If you love reading, you will love this book. This would also make a great gift for book lovers or anyone going through a tricky time in their life.

Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books by Cathy Rentzenbrink is available from all good book shops.