The download date was unfortunately missed, I would be happy to re-review if it became available again. I have awarded stars for the book cover and description as they both appeal to me. I would be more than happy to re-read and review if a download becomes available. If you would like me to re-review please feel free to contact me at thesecretbookreview@gmail.com or via social media The_secret_bookreview (Instagram) or Secret_bookblog (Twitter). Thank you.

The readers’ letters have established themselves as an integral part of one of our most venerable newspapers, The Times. This book unites some of the most memorable contributions on a wide range of contemporary topics. Missiles penned by some famous authors are mixed into this collection that ranges from the humorous to the irreverent, this collection shows that the art of letter writing is not dead. Warmly recommended for those in need of a dose of jocularity or a breeze of nostalgia, this book is highly recommended. Thank you to the publishers and to NetGalley for the free ARC provided in exchange for this honest review.

Once again this yearly iteration delivers! This book gives me a giggle every year. I thoroughly enjoy looking back at what has happened over the last year through the medium of letters to The Times newspaper. It reminded me of scandals and incidents that had happened I had forgotten. There were many times reading this I burst out laughing. This is such a fun, entertaining read.

I wasn’t exactly surprised to see this book come up – even if it might as well have made an appearance twenty years ago. For this is a collection of the erudite yet trivial letters to the Times newspaper, those “bottom-righters” – so named after their position on the page that make up a kind of quipping “and finally” contribution. I say this is no surprise as the Telegraph has been publishing letters books for donkeys’ years now, so with the Times and the publisher of this book being in bed together for decades, this really did seem an obvious creation. What is surprising is how tardy it all is.

And, in a way, how different from the Torygraph ones. Those are unpublished letters – those too trivial, too quippy, too inconsequential and desperate to become a “bottom-righter”, albeit still worth perusing. This could never be made from unused submissions, featuring as it does Simon Callow, Ian Rankin, Alistair McGowan, Desmond Morris, Alan Titchmarsh and more. Nobody would put them on the slush pile.

But these letters prove of a different ilk to the rival’s, being concerned with much more trivial things. OK, Charles III and coronations on TV etc do get a strong look in, but so many of these are in response to an op-ed piece, and not the news of the day. Being published and yet of minor import, they discuss frustrations with avocados, inbuilt obsolescence, hotel room design and what makes a Full English. Now those could easily appear on the pages of the other, but definitely in amongst the more meaty subjects of the day.

The end result is just as forgettable as those op-eds, in that whatever the intention and literary craft, it will always be tomorrow’s chip paper (or in some cases, apparently, foot-warmer). This felt much more trivial, and disposable – yes, the rival’s quality quotient has varied over the years, but they generally raise a good laugh. The only one here was a most random-seeming way to get people to wash their car number plates. It’s flip, a quibble about an owl-box not being used by owls, is very much First World Problems.

But that’s not to say this is regrettable – the politics of the world has been redacted here for female clothing with/out pockets, acerbic doctors, VW Golf boot sizes and the Oxford comma. There is nothing here with anything like the right-wing persuasion of the established brand, and that may well be the beneficial aspect here for many. I didn’t come away from this with the feel that this would be as necessary a purchase for as many over as many years (fifteen and counting from les autres), but I didn’t see an inherent problem in what we got if you know these are flippant, smallest-room-browsing kind of affairs.

But oh those other books win hands-down on the titles. “Sir 2” in twelve months’ time already sounds like an app, not a covetable book.

In print publications, especially newspapers, the letters page is often a rich source of amusement and entertainment, as well as lively debate. This is especially true of The Times. This is a selection of the best missives concerning the topics provoking debate this year

I'm definitely not the demographic for this but for readers of the Times, it's a witty collection. Would make a good coffee table book, or a casual read to pick up and put down at your own leisure. The letters are well grouped and there are some real gems in here that gave me a laugh.

A book you are bale to dip in and out of. it will make you smile and laugh out loud at time and others amaze you.
Enjoy I did.

It's a very entertaining book but it's also a collection of something you read in books or heard about.
Loved every moment and it's highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A Gem..
A little gem of a book bursting with, often amusing and often ridiculous but always, always wholly entertaining, letters to The Times and peppered with original cartoon artwork. Letters span a wide range of topics and themes, from the deep and weighty to the light and witty, and often form a series of correspondences. Read with an open mind and an equally open sense of humour. A true sense of the absolute beauty of the absurd is crucial.

My thanks to NetGalley and Times Books for a copy of “ The Times Sir” for an honest review.

This was a really entertaining , humorous read, that I kept dipping in and out of , so that I didn’t read it all in one go !
With the odd , well known , letter writer the book covers lots of different topics and the publics reactions to them.
Highly recommended .

I loved reading these letters to The Times by many celebrities and we'll known people. Especially people I may not have heard of before. Very interesting to read.

What a fantastic little book! The letters to the Times featured are those from the 'bottom-right' of the letters page, and generally tend to be short, to the point and often very funny. The letters included are from a wide variety of readers, including the likes of Simon Callow and Desmond Morris, and my favourites were the ones that began a conversation among readers which obviously spanned a few days (most particularly an exchange between readers from Lancashire and Yorkshire, and another about haggis). It's also amazing how much some readers know about various obscure subjects - every day is a school day!

It's the kind of book you can pick up and put down, always finding something interesting wherever you open it, but I have to admit I read it cover to cover in one sitting as I kept thinking I'd just read one more and then become hooked in again. It would (and will in my house!) also make an excellent Christmas present.

I've heard Andrew Riley speaking on Times Radio about letters from the archive and he always chooses some very interesting items - he obviously has a good eye for them and it's carried on in this excellent selection.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy in return for an honest review.

#TheTimesSir #NetGalley