Fully Booked

BOOK in cryptics often clues the letter B. So, "Book bird, a real dish (4)" = (B = book) + (OWL = bird) = BOWL = dish. BOOKS, meanwhile, can be BB or BS, but in the more traditional puzzles often denotes NT (i.e. New Testament) or OT (i.e. Old Testament). For example, "You and I, taking books, departed (4)" = (WE = you and I) + (NT = books) = WENT = departed. Occasionally, BOOK also denotes a book of the Bible, e.g. "Book not so cruel (8)" would be (RUTH = book) + (LESS = not so) = RUTHLESS = cruel. If you like my crosswords, then you'll LOVE the Cryptic Mystic's YouTube channel, which is a brilliant resource for cryptic newbies and has been kind enough to feature a few of my puzzles https://www.youtube.com/@The_Cryptic_Mystic