The Uncommon Reader- a Novella by A. Bennett is a Bibliophile's Dream

Alan Bennett, Tony Award winning playwright (The History Boys) proves that size doesn't matter in this succinct & delightful read about the vast pleasures (& few limitations) of books.  One of Britain's leading dramatists writes about Queen Elizabeth's late in life, love for reading.   Indeed, reading is the great equalizer.  You don't have to be a Royal to reap the rewards of a book.  Perhaps, it is the commoner who is richer with the freedom of leisure not allocated to a Queen with her many obligatory (& laborious) public duties.  It is quite by chance & ettiquette, that Her Royal Highness (HRH) stumbles into the bookmobile and requests a book recommended by its custodian.   The epiphanies realized by the Queen are quite profound and entertaining bringing us into the realm of life in the Palace.  Perhaps, the most pertinent observation by the Queen is that reading puts people "on common ground."  Bennett in turn, puts the reader into the life of HRH.  The Queen's curiosity & philosophies evolve with her looming compulsion to read.  She considers "fate is something to which we are all subject," and notes empathy comes from reading "with the ability to enter other's lives."  Reading provides both pleasure & a deeper understanding of the world.  For all that reading can provide, HRH decrees "reading is not doing."  Quite so your Highness.