84, CHARING CROSS ROAD <i> By Helene Hanff (Penguin: $7.95) </i>

The popular television dramatization of “84, Charing Cross Road” has not diminished the charm of Helene Hanff’s book. A collection of letters between a struggling young writer in post-World War II New York City and the staff of a small used-book store in London, “Charing Cross” chronicles the changes England underwent as rationing and austerity gave way to prosperity. A voracious and discriminating reader, Hanff filled her letters with concise, intelligent discussions of English literature and the joys of book-collecting. The ideal book to tuck away for a rainy afternoon.