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Dear Reader by Cathy Rentzenbrink
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Dear Reader

The Comfort and Joy of Books
by Cathy Rentzenbrink

$11.83

Narrator Cathy Rentzenbrink

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Length 4 hours 19 minutes
Language English
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'I loved this book . . . I’m so desperate for you all to share in its wonder' - Elizabeth Day, author of How To Fail.

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.

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Last Act of Love.

'A love letter to stories and reading . . . a book to cherish' - Nina Stibbe, author of Love, Nina

Biography & MemoirFamily & RelationshipsNonfictionLiterary CriticismFiction - Literary

Cathy Rentzenbrink is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller The Last Act of Love, How to Feel Better (A Manual for Heartache), Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books, Write It All Down and Everyone Is Still Alive. It took her twenty years to wrestle her own life story on the page and she loves to use what she has learnt about the profound nature of writing the self in the service of others. Cathy has taught for Arvon, Curtis Brown Creative, at Falmouth University and at festivals and in prisons, and welcomes anyone, no matter what their experience, education, background or story. She believes that everyone’s life would be improved by picking up a pen and is at her happiest when encouraging her students to have the courage to delve into themselves and see the magic that will start to happen on the page.

Cathy Rentzenbrink is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller The Last Act of Love, How to Feel Better (A Manual for Heartache), Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books, Write It All Down and Everyone Is Still Alive. It took her twenty years to wrestle her own life story on the page and she loves to use what she has learnt about the profound nature of writing the self in the service of others. Cathy has taught for Arvon, Curtis Brown Creative, at Falmouth University and at festivals and in prisons, and welcomes anyone, no matter what their experience, education, background or story. She believes that everyone’s life would be improved by picking up a pen and is at her happiest when encouraging her students to have the courage to delve into themselves and see the magic that will start to happen on the page.

Audiobook details

Author
Narrator Cathy Rentzenbrink
ISBN 9781529009323
Length 4 hours 19 minutes
Language English
Publisher Pan Macmillan
Publication date
Edition Unabridged
Genres Biography & Memoir, Family & Relationships, Nonfiction, Literary Criticism & Fiction - Literary
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Reviews

Dear Reader restored my soul Dear Reader is a love letter to stories and reading from one of our very best memoirists. Joyful, poignant and essential reading for people who love books . . . it is a book to cherish 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 I cannot tell you how much I loved this book. I’ve just turned the final page with tears in my eyes, and like all the best things, I’m so desperate for you all to share in its wonder . . . 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 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 A wonderful warm bath of a book. Perfect for all bookworms to sink into Beautifully written and a joy to read, 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 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 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 Dear Reader is the best thing I’ve read for ages and it will stay with me forever. It is more than a book about books, it is a book about life . . . reading Dear Reader feels like going to a terrific party, reconnecting with old friends and making new ones too 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 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 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 Cathy Rentzenbrink’s exploration of reading books and the comfort they bring in Dear Reader feels like art in your hands Expand reviews
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