Great story about how an anonymous reading list serves as a device to connect people that are sort of adrift in their lives. I enjoyed the characters and watching them interact and grow as a result of reading the same books and discussing them with others. This would be fun for a book club.

What a wonderful book. Loved all the characters and their personal stories. The book on the reading list were perfectly woven into the characters lives. Wonderful connections between the characters. Heartwarming, lovely.

I wasn't expecting much at all when I started The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams. Once I started this story, I was blown away. This story of a young girl, Aleisha, and Mukesha, a widowed older gentleman trying to find his next purpose in his life, will stay with you. It will occupy your mind while you are away from your book and you won't be able to wait to continue reading about this unlikely pair.
Aleisha is a young girl, struggling to make ends meet. Between her mom, brother, and the library, Aleisha is stretched thin. She doesn't enjoy much of anything anymore. Mukesha recently lost his wife. He doesn't know what to do with his life now that she is gone. His granddaughter, Priya, makes the time a little better. She loves the library and taking her grandfather along. While Mukesha is looking for book recommendations, Aleisha falls upon a Reading list left by someone. This reading list brings Mukesha and Aleisha together, and a kinship is found.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I will definitely be recommending The Reading List to others and will definitely be looking for more works by Sara Nisha Adams. Special thanks to NetGalley, Sara Nisha Adams, and William Morrow- Custom House Publishing for the advance digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 5 stars
#TheReadingList #NetGalley

Sara Nisha Adams’ debut novel The Reading List was inspired by the love of reading she shares with her grandfather and should be enjoyed by most lovers of books and libraries.

Teenage Aleisha is bored working a slow job at a small library circulation desk but happy to escape her difficult life. Abandoned by their father, she and her brother share the responsibility of looking after their troubled mother. Alleviating her boredom on the job, Aleisha discovers a reading list someone left inside a returned library book. Not having heard of any of the books on that list, she determines to read them all, little knowing how her decision will change her life.

When elderly Mukesh visits the library to return a book his wife had placed under the bed before she died, Aleisha recognizes his loneliness and shares the reading list with him. Although his grown daughters check on him regularly, he craves a way to connect with Priya, his book-loving granddaughter in another town and sees the book list as a possible means to that end..

In this way, an unlikely friendship also begins between Mukesh and Aleisha, two people belonging to different generations and ethnic backgrounds. As the books bridge those gaps, the new acquaintances discover happiness in their shared interest.

When the reading list circulates among more readers, literature transforms their lives, illustrating the power of literature and libraries to bring people together and impact humanity.

Thanks to Book Club Girls, a Facebook group, and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy of this enjoyable book.

The books filled the space where there had once been silence. Two people, whose lives intersect from the mysterious “reading list” found at the local library. Together, they heal through the power of the words penned in each book.

To Kill a Mockingbird
Rebecca
The Kite Runner
Life of Pi
Pride and Prejudice
Little Women
Beloved
Suitable Boy

Sometimes when you really like a book, you need to read it again! To relive what you loved and find out what you missed before. Books always change as the person who reads them changes too.

A book about books, and why we need our local libraries. I grew up in my local library as my grandma was the librarian. I used to spend hours upon hours, reading books, flipping through magazine and listenings to the latest Albums. I eventually started to help with the card catalog which I absolutely loved placing the cards back so the next person could enjoy the treasure others had read.

Today, this library is still just as important in my adult life. I recently chaired the library’s first levy campaign to keep the doors open.

Thanks to NetGalley, The Book Club Girl, and William Morrow for this free digital copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is out today! 🙂

“An unforgettable and heartwarming debut about how a chance encounter with a list of library books helps forge an unlikely friendship between two very different people in a London suburb.” -From Goodreads

Oof. This one has so. many. feels. I was weeping by the end of this book. Sara Nisha Adams’s The Reading List definitely deals with heavy topics such as loneliness, death, and mental illness, but there is also this undercurrent of hope and optimism throughout the entire story. It made me feel like even when things are not okay, eventually, they will be. There are multiple POVs weaved into this story which works well since they are all interconnected. The focus is on Mukesh and Aleisha and I just love them both and want to give them hugs. Many of the characters (even some of the minor characters) grew throughout the story in really lovely ways. None of it felt forced or implausible and the hard moments made the sweet ones feel extra sweet. I think most readers will appreciate Adams’s beautiful descriptions on how stories and characters can grip you at a time you need them most. I love books about books and this one did it so well!

This book also inspired me to write my own reading list, which is below. I spent a good deal of time while reading (and after reading) reflecting on what would be on my list, and why. The list is in no particular order.

"THEY WERE ALL HER FAVORITE BOOKS, THE BOOKS SHE HAD GROWN UP WITH, THE BOOKS THAT HAD FOUND HER AT THE RIGHT TIME, THAT HAD GIVEN HER COMFORT WHEN SHE NEEDED IT, HAD GIVEN HER AN ESCAPE, AN OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE BEYOND HER LIFE, AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOVE MORE POWERFULLY, A CHANCE TO OPEN UP AND LET PEOPLE IN." --The Reading List

My Reading List:

1. Pride and Prejudice
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
3. The Phantom Tollbooth
4. A Long Petal of the Sea
5. Little Women
6. Red, White, and Royal Blue
7. To Kill a Mockingbird
8. Murder on the Orient Express

This month I needed to read a book about books for one of my reading challenges, and The Reading List far exceeded my expectations. It was hard to believe this was the author's debut novel! I loved the way she created connections between two such diverse characters, neither of which had been a reader, through the magic of books. Books truly do have a way of transporting the reader to a different place and time. The library in this book reminded me of the small, intimate libraries that I prefer. Bigger is not always better! Thanks to NetGalley, Book Club Girl and the publisher William Morrow for the opportunity to read and review The Reading List. I look forward to more books from Sara Nisha Adams.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I could relate to so many parts of this book and I loved all of the Indian influences. The relationship between Mukesh and Aleesha have with their families makes me think of certain families growing up and certain parts of my own family. I love the idea of leaving behind a reading list!

As a book lover, I always enjoy books about books, and this was no exception. Having read all but 1 of the books on the “list” really kept me engaged as the story unfolded (and I’ve now added the last book to my list)!

Working at the local library, Aleisha finds a "reading list" titled "just in case you need it," and sets out on a reading journey starting with the first book on the list. She shares the books with Mukesh, an elderly gentleman who shows up at the library one day. They discuss the books, develop a friendship, and realize the impact that books and reading have on their lives.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for my gifted advance copy to read and review.

“Books aren’t always an escape; sometimes books teach us things. They show us the world; they don’t hide it.” Sara Nisha Adams’ debut novel, The Reading List shows us loneliness and grief and community and family and love. Although there are several people over the years who treasure a reading list, a teenager and a grieving husband and grandfather find that list helps them reach out to each other.

Aleisha Thomas is bored working her summer job at the Harrow Road Library in Wembley, London. She’s not a book or library person, but her older brother Aidan loved that library. He found peace there, and hid from their troubled home life. But, Aleisha is even rude to an elderly man, Makesh Patel, when he stumbles into the library asking for a reading suggestion. She’s unwilling to help him, although one other patron does suggest To Kill a Mockingbird. Makesh is embarrassed that he doesn’t know his way around the library, and he hustles out with just any book.

Makesh’s wife, Naina, was the reader in the family. He loved to watch her read, but he never asked her about the books. She was the joy of his life, the one who kept him in touch with his three daughters and his beloved granddaughter, Priya. After her death two years earlier, he’s been a lost man. He doesn’t socialize with his friends. He has nothing to talk about with his daughters or Priya. He doesn’t eat right. In his grief one day, he tears through her saris. In the process, he finds a book she treasured, The Time Traveler’s Wife. That book leads him to the Harrow Road Library. He wants to feel that connection with Naina. Maybe another book can help him find her again.

Aleisha knows she shouldn’t have been rude to that old man. She knows her brother, Aidan, would have been ashamed of her, so she goes looking for the book the other patron recommended, To Kill a Mockingbird. Maybe she should read it so she can suggest a book to a patron. Tucked inside the book is a scribbled reading list. On the top it says, “Just in case you need it”. To Kill a Mockingbird tops the list.

While Aleisha works at the library, her brother works several jobs and tries to take care of their mother. Although she’s a graphic designer, she’s usually locked in her depression, locked in their lonely house while the two young people tiptoe around her. Like Aidan before her, Aleisha is finally finding an escape in a book though. And, once she realizes she has a list of suggestions for Mr. Patel, she begins to read the eight books on the list so she can stay one step ahead of him. And, she calls to tell him there’s a book for him.

Books for hard times, escape, respite. As Aleisha and Mr. P read through Rebecca, The Kite Runner, Life of Pi, they find their lives and their fears on those pages. They each tentatively reach for friendship, and they find it in unexpected places. At the lowest point in Aleisha’s life when she rejects everything she discovered over the summer, it’s Mr. P who tells her, “Books aren’t always an escape; sometimes books teach us things. They show us the world; they don’t hide it.”

Sara Nisha Adams’ debut is a beautiful, moving book. Book lovers will recognize the people, just as we recognize people we know in the stories we treasure. I’ve only hinted at some of the books on that treasured reading list. By the time you finish the book, the writer won’t come as a surprise. But, then, we all recognize the soul of a fellow reader with The Reading List. Don’t we?

I really enjoyed this story. It was an unlikely chance that the two main characters would become friends because of their age differences. It all began with a list of books to read. How the husband of his deceased wife left a list of books for him to read and how he went to the library to get them. How the young girl and the older man became friends, thru sadness, ups & downs, they became friends and needed each other even when they didn't think they did.

THE READING LIST by Sara Nisha Adams is a story of resilience and connection, for both a young seventeen-year-old woman, Aleisha Thomas, and a roughly eighty-year-old man, Mukesh Patel. The inter-generational aspect, particularly watching these characters grow in their friendship and affection for each other, was uplifting. It's exciting, too, to know that this debut novel is inspired in part by the author's own grandfather, who actually lived in Wembley, England (where the story is set) and shared a love of books and libraries. The characters are wonderful, but the pacing seemed a bit slow. Also, Aleisha and Mukesh ("Mr. P.") each experienced the death of a loved one so the story dealt with coping with grief, loss, and loneliness and was rather sad at points. However, avid readers will enjoy the frequent references to what are likely many of their own favorite books (Little Women, To Kill a Mockingbird, etc.). Adams was very clever in incorporating just enough information about those story lines and then tying them to challenges in her main characters' lives. I found some of my own personal connections, too – as a wise character notes, "Sometimes, books just take us away for a little while, and return us to our place with a new perspective." THE READING LIST is a LibraryReads selection for August – look for this new book, particularly if you are interested in even more reading recommendations. Eight titles feature in the story itself and Adams suggests another dozen or so of her personal favorites. The colorful cover conveys the celebration of reading within its pages.

LibraryReads August 2021:
https://libraryreads.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/August-Flyer-Final-2.pdf

“Sometimes, books just take us away for a little while, and return us you our place with a new perspective.”

The Reading List did all this and more for me. I was drawn in quickly by the characters, the story, and the epic TBR list that reaches so many people throughout the novel. This book made me want to read even more, dive even deeper into classic authors and share my love for books with everyone around me.

Adams did a wonderful job establishing storylines for the two main characters, Mukesh and Alesha…both who actually don’t have a love for reading or books at the beginning of the story, but learn from others around them how magical reading can be and relationships can be built by simply sharing books and TBR lists with those around us. I especially enjoyed the little short stories that were sprinkled throughout the book about other people living in Mukesh and Aleisha’s community and stumble across the reading list, as well. While these characters all had small appearances in the novel, it all comes full circle at the end, which added a wonderful element to the already wonderful stories of Mukesh and Aleisha.

I hope people read this book and are as compelled to continue with the reading list written within these pages and feel the same desire to share books with others as much as I was at the end. An overall wonderful read about reading.

4.5
This book is heartwarming and full of great characters. In the beginning some of the book tie-ins seemed obvious and awkward but as the story and characters develop, the transitions and references become much more natural. This is a novel that any book and library lover would enjoy. Mr. Patel is a memorable and sweet character - his behavior and language bring him to life. It is really fun to read about his developing and unlikely friendship with Aleisha. The book references would mean more to readers who have read the novels on the list (I had read all but one of them), but the novels can be read after The Reading List, as well. There is a lot of grief in the novel, but I feel like it is handled quite well. Sara Nisha Adams does a nice job bringing the story full circle at the end. I found it very touching.

Thank you to Harper Collins Publishers/William Morrow for gifting me an an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many people are going to like this heartfelt debut about the power of reading. I’ve read many books about readers and libraries, but I’m not sure I’ve read a book about characters who are becoming readers for the first time, which was such a powerful journey!

A lonely teenager and a lonely widower read through a mysterious reading list together, discovering that reading can provide an escape, a way of connecting with others, and can even offer a way to help work through similar challenges in your own life. It was so sweet to learn in the author’s note that the main character is based on the author’s grandfather and her relationship with him. If you’re interested, the book will be available August 3rd!



Content Warning: I’m not great at picking up content warnings in books, but I do know some who need to know not to pick up a book that involves or discusses suicide, so if that applies to you, avoid this book or read with caution. I know there are other content warnings I’m not as sensitive to, so please check out other reviews containing CW/TWs as well.

I loved this book so much! I am a sucker for bookish books and this was one of the best I’ve ever read! I loved the characters, their storylines, and the powerful themes in this book. I’m going to be purchasing a physical copy when it comes out to keep on my shelves and recommending this one to all book lovers!

This is the story of two people who become unlikely friends. Murkesh is an elderly Indian widower living outside London. Aleisha is the young girl working at the library. They become friends over a discovered reading list. They begin to read the books and discuss them together and in the process help each other through their own personal struggles.

The premise of this book sounds sweet and intriguing. I love an unexpected friendship story. But, for me, it was boring and at times, dare I say, corny?? The language seemed overly simplistic and nothing seems developed. When they spoke about the classic books incorporated into the plot, I felt like I was reading book reports.

I didn’t really like Murkesh’s character. He felt weak, feeble and self-deprecating and I didn’t buy into this or his “growth”. I mean who’s afraid to go to a library.

The cultural aspects of the book were done well and I liked the overall idea of the ending of this book but it just wasn’t done well overall IMO.

I love libraries. I love books. But this just didn’t hit the mark for me.

Mukesh has lost his beloved wife Naina, who was an avid reader. While not a reader himself, Mukesh decides to read the book Naina was reading before she died to feel more connected to her. The Time-Traveler’s Wife brings him great comfort. When he returns the book to the local library on Harrow Road in Wembley, London, he decides he’ll read some more and asks Aleisha for assistance. While she works in a library, Aleisha has little knowledge of books. When the seventeen-year-old finds a handwritten reading list hidden in one of the books, she offers them as suggestions to Mukesh. She decides to read the books herself: To Kill a Mockingbird, Rebecca, The Kite Runner, Life of Pi, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, Beloved and A Suitable Boy. While reading and enjoying each book, the two form an unlikely friendship. Mukesh starts to slowly emerge from his dark days of mourning. Aleisha and her older brother struggle to help their troubled mother as reading provides Aleisha with a welcome escape.

The Reading List will grab your heart. Author Sara Nisha Adams has created two very likeable characters who are dealing with extraordinary pain and you so want them to be happy. The intertwining of the plots of the wonderful books on the list provides a nice touch especially if you are familiar with them.

Book lovers, this one’s for you.

4.25 stars.

This book is a love letter to the bibliophile. Aleisha is begrudgingly working for the summer in her local library when Mukesh comes in. Mukesh is a widower who wants to feel closer to his wife again. She was an avid reader and lover of the library and so he decides to go there to see if it will help with his grief. Aleisha and Mukesh decide to read books together to discuss in the hopes that it will help them to feel less lonely.

These two are an unlikely pair. I loved how they found connections through the library and reading books. The friendship that grows between them is beautiful. I enjoyed the way that Adams weaves the books on the list that Aleisha finds through their stories and the challenges that both Aleisha and Mukesh face. I really connected with the ways in which books made them feel as I have many of the same feelings about books and libraries. It is a well-written debut that I would recommend to anyone who has a deep love of reading.

CW: death of loved one, cancer, suicide, mental health challenges

4.5 stars

I received a complimentary Kindle book from The Book Club Girls group on Facebook. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Sara Nisha Adams, William Morrow, The Book Club Girls group on Facebook, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

First off, I rarely give 5.0 stars - it has to be perfect, but this book came SUPER close!! It is the first book in a very long time that brought me to tears.

Sara Nisha Adams has a huge future ahead of herself with this brilliant debut. The characters were fascinating (I learned a lot more about Indian culture and especially food), the location interesting (Wembley area in London), and the story was heartbreaking, but beautifully written.

I want to go to the library and meet ALL of these characters. A reading list is the foundation for this story and shows what a library can do for a community.

HIGHLY recommend!! 4.5 stars