The Reading List is a story of unlikely friends bonding through books. Alisha is a teenager who has a rough home life providing care for her mother with the help of her brother and works in a local library to help support the family. She doesn't particularly start off loving the job, but one day she finds a "reading list" and commits to checking out the books. Murkesh is a lonely Indian widower struggling to find a way in this world after losing his wife of fifty years. One day he finds a library book his wife never returned, The Time Traveler's Wife. He decides to read it because his wife loved books and he hopes to feel closer to her again by perhaps enjoying one of the last books she read. He ends up enjoying the book and comparing it in some ways to his own life. He begins visiting the library regularly and working his way through Alisha's found reading list with her. Along the way both they both develop a new love for reading, and begin to find themselves.

To me this one read like a love story to books and libraries (more so than another title I recently read). I loved how the main plot line coincided with the plots in the books on the reading list. The book served as a good reminder of why people love to read in the first place....being able to get lost in a story and experience perspectives different than our own. There is some sadness that flows throughout the story, but it ends on a high note with hope and wraps up the mystery of who wrote the list in the first place.

Enjoyed this book immensely. Premise was very interesting. Enjoyed seeing the development in the main characters from non-readers to readers intent on each book and looking forward to the next on the list. The progress of their relationships was also an important component. Was fun seeing the reactions to the books on the list. And also how the list circulated and affected more lives in the community. I think most avid readers would enjoy this book.

This book is wonderful, although to call Aleisha a librarian is a bit of a stretch! As an American, we would call Aleisha a page or a library assistant, never a librarian. In the beginning of the book, she gives all librarians a bad name. Although thankfully, she comes around and becomes a much better library assistant!

This story is about Aleisha and Mukesh. Two unlikely readers who share a book list and eventually a friendship. I really enjoyed this book and have recommended it to many people. The audiobook is also very good. And it is a real reading list, with real book. Read those and see if you have the same thoughts as the characters.

I didn’t know what to expect when I picked this one up and probably didn’t start out in the best headspace for this genre, but a few chapters in, something clicked, and I found myself really, really enjoying these characters and the story.

Set in London, this book is about the development of an unlikely (platonic) relationship between Mukesh, a recent widower still at the beginning of mourning his wife, and Aleisha, a teenager working at the library with too much piled on her shoulders. The two of them – non-readers until this book begins – bond over reading books suggested on a list found hidden in the back of a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. As they read through the list of (mostly) classics, they find themselves working through their struggles and rebuilding their lives while relating to the characters they encounter along their reading adventures.

And while I thought this was going to be a lighter piece of fluff when I picked it up, it takes a more serious look at depression, loss, loneliness, and suicide, while developing characters that makes the reader want to become part of this fictional community.

Thank you to William Morrow and Custom House and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. It has not influenced my opinion.

I loved the idea of this book - who wouldn’t love a book about a reading list of such wonderful books!
I was very invested in the stories of the two main characters. But throughout the book, minor characters were introduced and their stories either weren’t explained enough or seemed disconnected.

Libraries are having a renaissance. This book points out how they are a community pillar and worth your taxes to fund. I heard about this book from a few other readers, "It was so good, like top five of this year", and I tend to agree. Each character was well written which allowed you to feel so connected to their lives. As the story progressed, I found myself not stopping for breaks as I needed to know what was going to happen. If you like books that might suggest other titles to read, this one will give you a few amazing choices. This is a well done book for readers who love books, libraries, and community action.

4.5 stars. A true delight for readers and those who genuinely love books. Really captures how books can bring people together.

Great, heartwarming story told with multiple viewpoints and centered around books. What more could anyone ask for! The way that all the stories inter-connect is wonderful.

3.5 rounded up

A charming book about books and libraries, and how people can find the connections and community they need within the walls of their local library. An ode to the power of reading, we follow two non-readers learn to love reading and stumble through the process of discussing them. Lighthearted novel that discusses grief, mental illness and suicide without much depth.

Good story for booklovers and library workers, and readers looking for a light read about community. Similar in feel to The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin.

My thanks to Book Club Girl and William Morrow for this early read ebook.

Mukesh is a lonely widower of two years in a London neighborhood when he encounters Aleisha, a 17 year old working in a small branch library. Aleisha has problems of her own and does not treat his request for help in finding a book kindly. Subsequently, a dressing down by her supervisor propels Aleisha to apologize to Mukesh and make a recommendation, opening the way for friendship and connection to each other and the wider community.

This is a beautiful little book that says so much about connecting with others, mental health and getting help, death and grieving, aging and the moving dynamics of family relationships, and the power of books to change lives. I loved this book and can't find a single thing to fault in it.
#NetGalley #TheReadingList

I had to get past the very rude librarian at the beginning, but once I did, WOW. What a beautiful story about the power of books and libraries.

This is a moving story and a brilliant book. A widower, Mukesh, deeply misses his wife and keeps busy doing the normal household chores. His granddaughter, Priya, is an avid reader and in attempt to have more in common with her, he goes to the library. A first for him despite his wife being an avid reader. He meets Aleisha, a teenager working at the library. She had found a list of books in a book she was filing. She made a vow to herself to read every book on the list. Mukesh walks in and needs help finding a book to read and Aleisha shares the list with him. This starts a friendship based on the love of books/reading and as the story progresses, this becomes a theme in their everyday life. This book delicately deals with the need for human contact and it comes from books.

Lovely book that made me remember why I love reading - especially some of the classics, which are my favorite. People connect through reading, while they may not otherwise because of generational gaps. Great book!

Mukesh's late wife, Naina, loved to read and it was a love she shared with their granddaughter, Priya. Mukesh has never been a reader, but he finds The Time Traveler's Wife at his house and decides to read it. When he returns the book to the library he meets 17 yr old Aleisha, who works at the library and asks her for book recommendations, but she is not a reader either. She stumbles upon The Reading List and uses it to recommend books to Mukesh. The two form their own mini book club at a time when they each could use a friend.

The Reading List is a sweet book with interwoven stories and likable characters. If you are a reader of the popular, classic books used in the list then you will find this book even more enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and The Book Club Girls for the ARC.
*** TW*** Mental illness and suicide

LOVED,LOVED, LOVED. This was a great book. I throughly enjoyed the characters, The sweet story that brought all the characters together from different walks of life. I have read many of the books that were on the list but the interpretations of the readers made me want to go back and reread all the books. Can’t wait for the author to publish another book.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I loved the role the books on The Reading List… “Just in case you need it…” played in the novel. It is so true that books and libraries have this ability to bring people together. And I love that. I was actually reading this book when I went out to dinner by myself and my server asked me about it and we started talking books!

In the beginning, Mukesh as a character really annoyed me. I found him to be this bumbling, doddering old man. I wanted more for him. But I think the author meant him to be seen this way so we as readers could appreciate the effect these books, and Aleisha, had on him. Because of Mukesh, I see this book as a love story. A love story between husband and wife; between family members and friends; and a love story to all things biblio!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this advanced reader’s eCopy.

Mukesh is a widower that is lost without his wife. He feels lost and disconnected from the world. His children see him as incapable of making a proper decision and he cannot seem to connect with his granddaughter who he adores. When he finds his wife's overdue library book he ventures to the public library to return the book and explore why his wife enjoyed reading so much.

Aleisha is working at the local library for the summer to make extra money. She and her brother care for their mentally ill mother. Aleisha and her brother have had lives of sacrifice ever since their father walked out.

Mukesh and Aleisha establish a tentative friendship. When Aleisha's life is struck with the greatest tragedy she could suffer Mukesh's friendship and the books that they share are lifelines.

This book touched my heart. Thank you #Netgalley #goodreads #WMtastemakers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a sweet and delightful book that I found difficult to put down. The characters are beautifully constructed. The story is heartwarming but not cheesy. There is just enough intrigue. Loved this one!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a reader. Have been my entire life. When we meet them, Mukesh and Aleisha, the protagonists of The Reading List, are not readers. Both of them have loved ones who love books but have never really understood the appeal.

It turns out that seeing through the eyes of two skeptics is a really good way to demonstrate the profound power of reading.

Mukesh is a widower whose grown daughters worry about him and take care of him, but don't really *see* him anymore. Aleisha is a 17-year-old working in a small library branch over the school holidays, not because she wants to but because anywhere is better than being at home, where her mother's untreated mental illness defines every interaction. Both have withdrawn from their community. As they begin to read the titles on a mysterious reading list Aleisha has found, the books are an escape from difficult times. But before long, the books are bringing them back into their communities, teaching them how to be friends, how to reach across differences, and how to heal and help others heal.

That might sound too treacly. I don't mean to suggest that this is a simplistic, joyous journey from sadness to joy, or a linear path in which the power of books magically fixes everything. At heart, this is a story of community; the people, not the books, are the point. But Adams clearly loves books and loves libraries, and as someone who feels likewise, I found this a deeply affecting and effective read.

What a powerful book!! Any book lovers dream of a story - I already want to read it again.
A journey of how books and the stories within them can bring meaning to our lives, touch us in ways that nothing else could and connect us with others.
A mysterious book list connects people of such different lives and backgrounds aspiring to read and share their connections with the story. Mr. P, a recent widower, and Aleisha, a shy disconnected teenager, are brought together by chance when they so needed support and friendship. Through the books from the list they connect with each other and then begin to connect with others in their life. Mr. P not only finds out where he fits in the world now but he is able to find Aleisha who so desperately needs support and kindness in her depress ridden existence. And they start to make a difference as they find support from the characters they are reading, each other and then those around them as the begin to reconnect. This has a "Love Actually" vibe to it with happy endings and sad and a little of everything else thrown in as the lives of the characters intertwine and all come together at the end. From different worlds and different stages in their life.
I didn't expect to cry but it moved me. Tragedy and loss can bring people together or tear them apart and mental illness is unfortunately such a prevalent part of our world that is so misunderstood. But don't fear this book isn't about loss but about connection. I have found my love of books through my connection with my mother who I aspire to read as quickly as someday (I'm getting there with 40 years of practice). We are always able to find something to talk about even when things get misunderstood as often happens with family.
I have recommended this book to friends and family and I already want to read it again and then take on the list myself. I plan to suggest this list for my book club for next year.
Thank you Sara Nisha Adams for bringing this wonderful book into the world and thank you to William Morrow and Custom house for allowing me to read and review this book!