I thoroughly enjoyed this short novel by Alan Bennett. First published in 2006, it's a charming, amusing tale of the late Queen becoming enthralled by books in her late seventies. The plot is simple but beautifully told. The book is very well written with sharp characterisation. I'm so pleased I decided to try this after spotting it on the shelves in my local waterstones.

Any bibliophile would love this book. Not only is it a delightfully imaginative scenario, but as the Queen borrows book after book and discovers what riches lie in literature, we appreciate anew those titles we have also enjoyed (congratulating ourselves for having had the good sense to have read them), and then we get more ideas for further reading. A perfect little gem.

Fabulous - a great essay on the virtues of reading, told in a very humorous way, with some important questions we can all pose to ourselves. A great gift for anyone you know who loves books!

One of the delights of reading Mr Bennett ‘s book The Uncommon Reader is to hear the register one s just have imagined of the Queen. The love of books and their power to transform us is the other achievement. One does not put life into books, but finds it there. Brilliant. The restraints of power and human power comes together in this witty and inspiring story.

Enjoyed it!