Having read (and loved) Cathy Rentzenbrink´s The Last Act of Love several years prior, I was immediately intrigued to read more of her work and was really glad to pick this one up. It is beautifully written and I loved the way the books that affected her were organised both chronologically and by theme. This structure allowed me to reflect on the way different topics draw readers in at different points in their life, and I liked Cathy´s reflections on this within the book.

It was this that most drew me into the book and kept me reading and I enjoyed the fact that there was seemingly a dialogue Cathy´s reading and her everyday life. I enjoyed reflecting on how this had happened within my own life, too, while reading.

I also liked Cathy´s discussion of literacy levels, her experiences with her Dad and her experiences working in prisons. I liked her openness and encouragement of all readers and the way she reflected on the snobbiness in (some parts of) the book community and how it was good to stay open and allow yourself simply to enjoy what you enjoy.

A passage I particularly liked:
"Don´t do it, dear reader. Don´t allow anything to dent your reading pleasure. Don´t let anyone tell you that what you like isn´t proper, that what brings comfort and ease to your soul isn´t good enough."


The only thing in the book that I found a little jarring was just how often the author referred to and recommended J.K.Rowling / Robert Galbraith. It felt like it was far more than any other author and it was a bit laborious to read through, especially when spoken of was the same series of books over and over. I also think we in the book community are all aware by now of the views of the author towards the trans community, and I do believe that this knowledge was out there in 2020, so I feel this was a bit of an icky choice to promote their books so heavily within this one. I decided especially to include this in the review for those in my audience who are part of the trans community, as a heads up in case this could be triggering for them. Perhaps it is something which was altered in the final edition, but in the proof copy I read the references are rampant.