If you love books and libraries you will enjoy this book. Mukesh is a lonely man having lost the love of his live Naina 2 years ago. He has 3 daughters and grandchildren but they don't connect much without Naina. She used to read with Priya their granddaughter and Mukesh was always a little jealous of the bond they had together with books. Naina had a book The Time Traveler's Wife that she had borrowed from the Harrow Road Library. He decides to read it and really enjoys it. He found it brought him closer to his beloved Naina. He then decides he wants to read more and leaves the comfort of his home and finds the Harrow Road Library and meets 17 yr old Aleshia, who is not the most pleasant person on their first encounter. Aleshia has a mother, who is very mentally compromised since her divorce from Aleshia's father. Her brother, Aidan and her take care of their mother 24-7 and it is a very sad time for her. Mukesh was looking for another book to read and Aleshia remembers a mysterious crumpled up reading list that she found. The first book on the list is To Kill a Mockingbird and she suggests it to Mukesh. They develop a beautiful friendship over that reading list and read and discuss the many books on it. Other people have also found the reading list but no one knows where it originated. Through his trips to the library and reading Mukesh has become more outgoing. He has developed some friendships and has even started reading with his granddaughter Priya. There is more to this book but I do not want to spoil it for other readers. This is just a wonderful read and would highly recommend.

Thanks to @williammorrowbooks, @saranishaadamssbooks and #netgalley for an ARC of #TheReadingList

Thanks to Book Club Girl Early Reads, William Morrow, and NetGalley for a digital advance reader copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

I loved this book! It's a heartwarming story about books, a library, friendship and families, loss, grief and healing, and how "some books change your life forever." This is the kind of book you tell everyone to read because it is so good!

I loved the characters and how their lives intersect to transform into this memorable novel: Mukesh is a lonely, elderly widower with three adult daughters who are too busy to spend time with him. He misses his wife, Naina, and wishes he could connect with his 11-year-old granddaughter Priya. Aleisha is a bright but anxious teenager working at the library for the summer. She discovers a list of eight novels she's never heard of written on a scrap of paper, and decides to read each book on the list as a challenge. Mukesh and Aleisha meet at the library when he asks her for a book recommendation. So she recommends the first book on the list. Their friendship begins with this connection and from there the novel blossoms.

Each book they read together ends up developing another strand of friendship between them, as well as kindling the relationship between Mukesh and his granddaughter. Various additional characters come across copies of the reading list in assorted places, and as each reads the books they make so many wonderful observations about communication, friendship, life, and the need for others, that I found myself using post-it notes to mark these "words of wisdom."

A truly delightful, moving, unforgettable story that is also a "love letter to some of our most cherished novels." I highly recommend!

This story is definitely for book lovers. A list of books is found and using it for recommendations a young librarian connects with an elderly patron. Different cultures and age may separate the two but books like To Kill a Mockingbird to name one bring them together over reading and through life events. Mental illness and death of loved ones as well as new loves are at the forefront and the role books play takes center stage. Some really good lines and ideas are in this somewhat predictable but satisfying read.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

Now here is a different kind of story. One that most readers can appreciate and done can relate to. It revolves around two people that can be called lonely and unusual souls. Read this well written book and learn how a library and a list of books can bring people together. Very much recommended

Seventeen-year-old Aleisha works at the local library and doesn’t read; shelving one day, she finds a mysterious reading list entitled "Just in case you need it." So, when Mukesh, adrift after his wife’s death, asks for a recommendation, she suggests the first book on the list: To Kill a Mockingbird and an unlikely friendship develops. Adams' debut embodies the magic of reading.

Really nice story about the power of books and how they can bring people together and heal the broken hearted.

Thanks to William Morrow and The Book Club Girl for an advanced copy of The Reading List.

This was such an absolutely heartwarming story about an unlikely friendship and how books can connect.

This love letter to reading, books, and libraries begins with a list of nine books. It follows Mukesh, a lonely widower, and Aleisha, a seventeen-year-old librarian carrying a load too heavy for her years, who bond while reading the books on the list.
The book was filled with gems like this:
“Aleisha,” Mukesh said softly. “Please try to remember that books aren’t always an escape, sometimes books teach us things. They show the world; they don’t hide it.”

The sections of the book are named for the titles on the list, and the themes from the books on the list correspond to what is happening in Mukesh’s and Aleisha’s lives. These characters were likeable and easy to root for.

Between the sections, there are short passages dated 2017 and 2018 in which random characters find copies of the reading list. At first, I wasn’t sure how these sections fit in with the main story. I was reading on an e-reader; a hard copy of the book might have made it easier to refer back to these shorter sections to see how they tied in with the bigger story.

The Reading List was an enjoyable read, filled with lessons on the power of reading and books and community. If I didn’t already work in a library and belong to six book clubs, I would’ve dashed off to closest library and joined a book club (or two) after reading this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Custom House for an Advanced Readers Copy of this title.

This was a charming, heartwarming book about kind people trying their best and finding comfort and inspiration in books. The books are on a reading list that pops up to fill needs. An aging widower trying to connect with his bookworm granddaughter decides to read a book. His wife never returned the library copy of A Time Traveler's Wife. So he reads it, It helps him and he seeks recommendations form his local library . This starts the list rolling and we meet other readers who are touched by the titles on the list.

I am a sucker for a book about books, book readers, libraries, librarians...you get the idea. I enjoyed revisiting novels from different perspectives, seeing them through varied eyes and experiences. The cast of characters were fun, interesting, complex. I highly recommend "The Reading List."

**I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book.

This book made me feel all the feels. All of them.

The Reading List follows the lives and stories of multiple characters who intersect at a local library (whether past or present) and have a reading list of classics in common. Each book on the list teaches them something different, depending on who they are and where they are in their lives.

This book really highlights the importance of libraries in a community and the ability of books to both help bring us together and transport us to new places entirely. It deals with difficult family situations, mental health, grief, lost dreams, loneliness, aging…but in such a beautiful way. Although I should warn you that sobbed like a baby through part of the story.

It’s such a beautiful, heartbreaking, moving book and I’m jealous of anyone who gets to read this one for the first time.

I loved this book! The story, the characters, everything! Mukesh and Aleisha’s stories were wonderful. I love how each book on the reading list found the reader at the right time. Lovers of The Storied Life of AJ Fikry will enjoy this one too.

I’ll be picking up future books by this author.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

This debut novel tells the story of two unlikely friends who bond over a newfound love of books. Mukesh, an elderly widower, ventures to the library looking for a recommendation to help connect with his granddaughter and meets Aleisha, a teenage summer employee at the library. With the help of a list of books, the two embark on a journey through titles new and old.

The pace intensifies as the plot builds to a heartwarming conclusion. The story references popular and classic titles that bring the characters together and help them cope with life. The author reinforces the ability of books to transport and the power of reading to provide an escape from loneliness and the pressures of life.

Perfect for fans of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin or The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George. Bibliophiles will love this new release!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow/Custom House for the advanced readers copy.

I LOVED THIS. What a book for readers.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Except for the fact that there is no credence given to library education programs, the library central to the story is struggling to be what it is supposed to be for the community. The power of books and reading shows through in many little ways and makes this librarian's heart sing. It is a very strange reading list for the population that ends up reading these titles, but the author makes it work. I give it five stars because it so perfectly describes how books and reading can enrich a life.

I absolutely adored The Reading List! Mukesh and Aleisha seem the very unlikeliest of friends but a mysterious reading list seems to bring them together. As a book nerd, I loved reading about their thoughts and feelings about the books on the list and what they took from each list and related it to their life. I loved how the book was broken up by whatever book they were currently reading and I loved how many other people had found the list and then subsequently found friendships and/or comfort from reading the books as well. It really touched my heart in the end.

cw: suicide, mental illness, grief

Despite its heavy themes, The Reading List is a charming book, capturing the ways that books and stories bind people together, even after we have to say goodbye. Adams peels back the myriad ways that books--and local libraries--can be a respite from loneliness, from grief, a place to escape into even as they are places to learn.

This is a lovely tale about real connections and the impact of stories on our lives. Looking forward to sharing it with our visitors.

Thank you for the ARC!

You know that special feeling, that connection you get, when you see someone else reading one of your favorite books? Then you instantly start talking about the book and you feel less alone and more heard? Well, much of this book was like reading that feeling. If ever there was a story written to express love of the reader, this book is that.

While not perfect (at times it was a bit saccharine; there was a twist I didn't see coming that left me broken; and everything ends up tidy and mostly perfect at the end), this novel is original, engaging, and reminds us why reading is important.

Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Copy in exchange for my honest review.

My bookworm heart is so full! The Reading List illustrates how libraries provide an escape and a sense of community. I highly recommend this heartwarming read.