3.5 stars

A sweet book, especially if you love libraries and love to read.

The story connects two people - 17 year old library assistant, Aleisha, who is carrying the burden of her mother's mental illness on her shoulders, and "Mr. P", Mukesh, a recent widower who is lost without his wife. These two unlikely friends connect through a reading list that Aleisha finds and then uses when Mr. P asks her for reading recommendations at the library.

Both characters learn about loss and love, and personal strength, ultimately in the books they read and in the lives they lead.

Story was overall a bit slow, maybe 50 pages too long, but was so pleasant.

What. A powerful novel about the power of books, libraries, and community. A young teenager and an Indian widower are brought together over the magical place that libraries can be! A mysterious book list is found by each of the main characters and helps to develop the storyline. I loved it!

This book highlights the power of human contact and its ability to change lives. It also draws attention to the importance of books and libraries are to communities and individuals. The power of books can change lives, contact people and bring joy to our dull and lonely lives. I recommend The Reading List to people looking for a good book about books and libraries and why we love them.

Libraries play an important role in our world. They are the places that have no boundaries. All are welcome. Mukesh is a widower who lives in Wembley and desperately misses his wife. His three daughters are in touch daily via phone messages, but there is a disconnect. Aleisha is a 17 year old recent graduate working in the small local library for the summer. She and her older brother (with whom she used to be very close) are responsible for their mum who is in a downward spiral. Aleisha finds a reading list which is the driving force behind this heartwarming story.

Neither Mukesh nor Aleisha have ever cared much for reading. They each have their own set of troubles. As they read through the books together, they make many discoveries and form a relationship that transcends their differences. Throughout the book, others also find the life changing reading list. Healing occurs for many. This is such a feel good book, however, it has its very serious side with Aleisha’s mum’s mental illness. It should also come with a trigger warning for suicide. I am looking forward to recommending this title!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

THE READING LIST by Sara Nisha Adams

This book is simply a “ book about books”….but it is so much more. A list of eight disparate books is mysteriously found by several people who are facing difficulties in their lives The main characters, Mukesh and Aleisha, meet at the local library. Aleisha, a reluctant teenager who is a summer librarian,and Mukesh, a lonely widower, ultimately connect through the book list Aleisha found at the library.
Mukesh is depressed after his beloved wife’s death. His adult children just want to run his life. He finds THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE in their bedroom. He reads it as a way to connect with his dead wife, Naina. He learns about eternal love and heartbreak from the book. He goes to the library to get more book recommendations from Alesia. They begin to spend time together, and discuss the books on the list.
Aleisha lives with her beloved brother,Aiden, and her mentally unstable mother. Her father abandoned them, and has a new family. Their lives revolve around work and taking care of their mother. Her friendship with Mukesh strengthens as she seeks escape through their book discussions.
Mukesh sums up the underlying theme of this thoughtful book: “Books always change as the person who reads them change”. THE READING LIST has indeed changed me.
I received a ARC of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

This was an enjoyable book relating to a found list of library books that ended up connecting people. It takes place in London and it is mainly about a widower, Mukesh, and Aleisha, a teen working at the local library and the connection these two make. I liked the description of the books on the list but felt the story was a little too slow paced for me and I did not feel as connected to it as I had hoped. Thank you NetGalley for this advanced readers copy.

1. I loved this book.
2. Up until I had read about half of the book I thought it was a really good book but at the halfway point it became a wonderful read.
3. I loved this book.
4. Towards the end of the story I needed a tissue.
5. I loved this book.
6. Have I mentioned I loved this book yet??

Okay no more silly me I promise.

This was a book that slowly pulled me in with well written characters and a storyline that was interesting, sweet and a bit sad.

Our lead characters are Mukesh and Aleisha with plenty of supporting characters some minor and some very important to the storyline. Mukesh has three daughters who, in their concern for him since his wife’s death, are driving him to distraction. The only family member he truly would like to be closer to is his grandaughter Priya who was so very close to his wife and who also loves books as much as her Grandmother did.

Aleisha shares the responsibly of her Mother with her brother, Aidan. Leilah has her good days and her bad but lately they are all bad and Aidan bears most of the burden of her withdrawl into herself and away from life and family.

Aleisha happens upon a reading list of books, books she hasn’t read because she only reads school books and believes she doesn’t enjoy reading for pleasure. Ironically she is working in a library for the summer when she finds the list. It is though the library and the reading list that Aleisha and Mukesh meet and become this delightful story.

My review is based on an Advanced Reader E-Proof courtesy of The Book Club Girls, NetGalley, William Morrow, HarperCollins Publishers and the author Sara Nisha Adams.

This is the kind of book that creates book lovers.

Widower Mukesh has fallen into a routine since his wife passed away - he goes to the grocery and the temple, he cooks the same food, watches the same tv shows and tries to avoid being nagged by his three daughters. Aleisha works at a local library just to fill time during the summer before she begins university. When Mukesh asks for Aleisha for recommendations she treats him rudely because she has none - until she finds the list of eight books. In an effort to atone for her bad behavior she begins to recommend the books on the list to Mukesh as she reads them herself almost as an informal book club. They build a relationship based on the lessons they find in the books that carries them both through difficult times.

The origin of the list itself is teased as a mystery throughout the book. Other characters intertwined in the story have also received the list at times when they needed inspiration to make a change. And the lessons learned make you want to read - or re-read the books on the list.

The power of books to change lives is something all librarians believe in (at least I hope so!)! In The Reading List, Leisha learns how fictional stories can tie people together, create a community, provide solace in times of sorrow and help people process loss.

Leisha is getting ready to go off to college, but is working at the local library for the summer. Her life looks different from her friends' lives right now, because her mother is dealing with mental illness and never leaves their home. She and her older brother Aiden share caretaking responsibilities, never leaving their mother alone for an extended period of time. Leisha doesn't see the point in libraries; she reads non-fiction books for school but has never really gotten into reading for pleasure.

So when Mukesh, a recent widower, comes to the library to return a book his late wife had checked out and enjoyed, Leisha is rather rude to him. He, too, had never really been a reader, but when he found The Time Traveler's Wife after his wife's death, he decided to read it. Mukesh feels connected to his late wife Naina through the book, and goes to the library to return it and find another book. But Leisha is having a bad day/week/month/year, she doesn't know what to suggest because she hasn't read anything either, and all she wants is to check out people's books, straighten the shelves, and get paid.

As she is checking in books, she finds a list titled, "Just in case you need it" with 8 books listed: To Kill a Mockingbird, Rebecca, The Kite Runner, Life of Pi, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, Beloved and A Suitable Boy. At first, she doesn't know what to do with the list - keep it, toss it? But then she remembers Mukesh and how her boss wasn't happy with her customer service skills when dealing with patrons. She decides to try To Kill a Mockingbird, so she has something to recommend to Mukesh. At first, she is self-conscious when reading, but then the story takes over and she finds she really enjoys reading. She works her way through the list, as does Mukesh and several other characters.

Each character who picks up this list of books (because there is more than one copy of the list circulating in the neighborhood) finds his or her life changed in some way. Mukesh learns to connect with his granddaughter and develops a different, better, relationship with his grown daughters. He gets out from under the overwhelming grief that has filled his life since his wife died. Leisha grows from a sullen teenager to a more confident young adult with different priorities and a new outlook on life.

The story is written from multiple viewpoints, which sometimes gets confusing when you can't quite place one of the minor characters. But overall, the story is well-written and sweet without being sappy. It makes you want to read the books on "the list" again and enjoy discussing them with your friends.

Thanks to Netgalley for this advance copy of a lovely book.

The Reading List is a debut novel by Sara Nisha Adams and is a charming, beautifully written story centered around the healing power of books, at its core. The story takes place in London and features two vastly different people who become friends and find healing, hope for the future, and freedom from their pasts through an anonymous book list. Mukesh, a recent widower, who is living a rather isolated, regimented life meets an anxious, troubled teenage girl, Aleisha, who finds a list of recommended books and decides to read them all to ease the tedium of her job. Mukesh wants to find a connection with his bookish granddaughter, and seeks aid at the local library. There he meets Aleisha who believes that through the stories on the book list, he too will find exactly what he needs.

This story is endearing, emotionally-impactful, and offers glimpses into the cathartic properties of good books and the connections they form between people. This is a touching novel that will long stay with you.

3.5 stars

This novel is several different things: a paean to books, stories, libraries and the written word and how fiction can shape and influence a person's real life. But also, a story about loneliness, the loneliness of the divorced, the mentally ill, the widowed, and just those left alone.

The two main characters are quite different: Aleisha, a 17 year old stuck at home with her distracted and overburdened older brother and her divorced mother, who clearly has big mental health issues. And Mukesh Patel, an older widow with three grown daughters who is still almost paralyzed with grief two years after his wife's death.

The thread that ties the stories together is a reading list, discovered by several different characters over the course of the novel.

Interesting concept, and both Aleisha and Mukesh are quite likable. The ending is a little too pat, but it's a sweet and sad book which also manages to be a little hopeful. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

While the theme music for the beginning of this book could be The Beatles “All the Lonely People” by the end you might be humming “With a Little Help from My Friends.” A handwritten list of books which appears mysteriously in several places, unites a lonely librarian, a grieving widower and his granddaughter and two other people in a London suburb. And in the end, with a purpose for living, they create a community day in the local library which is destined to be closed. The list which includes books like To Kill a Mockingbird, Rebecca, Beloved, Life of Pi, Pride and Prejudice, The Kite Runner, Little Women, and A Suitable Boy all resonate with the reader for different reasons, and in the end the reader sees how a book can entertain, but it can also help people chose their life path. Deep sorrow and death are all familiar to the characters in the book, and yet, their shared enjoyment of these books, leads to a community of friends. This will be a book dear to those people who love to read and value libraries.

This has to be one of the best books I’ve ever had the pleasure to read, It caught me all up in my feelings and my love of books, in the joy of fellowship with others and how we all can relate to what they have gone through and been able to put into words! Mr. P and Aleisha, their families and all of the patrons of the library that we got to meet had connections to each other and through the list of books. Thankfully I had read most of the books on the list but I can’t wait to read them again and see them through different eyes! I just love how this author was able to connect and entwine all of the elements and all of the emotions in this book, it is brilliant! I’m gonna say this is going to be in my top five for the year and I am so happy that I got to read it!#NetGalley#TheReadingList

This is a heart-warming book about two lonely people living outside London who become friends through reading and sharing books, something that is new to both of them. Mukesh, an elderly Indian immigrant, has lost his beloved wife who meant everything and who related to others much better than he does. Aleisha, a 17-year old working at the library for the summer, has many secrets, including her mother's mental illness and its toll on her and her brother. One day Alisha finds a mysterious book list and starts reading the books and recommending them to Mukesh. The two form a supportive, deep friendship that helps them both move forward.. As a librarian, I love how the author ties the books to the characters' lives, offering them blueprints for living. I also like that the author emphasizes the importance of good fiction for teaching us about the real world. While sad in parts, this novel is one you will miss and want to revisit after you've read the final page.

A book about books.. what more can one want? This is a story how books can change you. They help us during our times of trial, lift us in our saddest moments, and they can inspire us to do more for ourselves and our community. This story shares all of that and more. It is a testament to the human spirit. Grateful to NetGalley for the early read.

The Reading List is one of those beautiful literacy books that just need to be written and read. The story was so well done and I connected so much with the characters. This might sound weird, but I enjoy reading books about sad characters. You know, the kind that feel hopeless. I love watching them heal as the story continues. That is exactly what happened it and it was so lovely to read. This was such a good book and I highly recommend it.

Book Review- no spoilers

The Reading List is about a paper list containing 8 well-known books that are recommended reading. The list seems to show up in people’s lives unexpectedly, and it draws them to the small local library in the Wembley part of London.

This novel is seemingly light in the beginning but later covers some heavy topics. Grief after a death, living with a parent who has mental health issues, forgoing your dreams to take care of said parent, loneliness and more that I can’t say without giving spoilers. I related to the more gritty situations that characters found themselves in, but could not otherwise find anything relatable about any of the characters in this story (and there are many characters-each chapter covers a particular person, though there are two main characters that are featured more heavily). This was not the book for me, but maybe it will be for you.

I’m not familiar with the library situation in the suburbs of London, but from my experience at American libraries, some of the details in this story seemed like negative portrayals of libraries and librarians. I can’t imagine a library staff member wearing headphones and listening to music at the reference/circulation desk, even if it’s a short-term summer worker. Nor do library staff have time to read books while at the desk. There were mentions of libraries essentially being a relic of the past that no one uses any longer except for a handful of weird people. Another fallacy is that libraries are meant to be totally silent, which is quite outdated, at least in the libraries I am familiar with. Also, an event was held at the library but it didn’t occur to any of the library staff to post the event on social media (a volunteer’s daughter had to suggest it). There were a couple other actions that gave me pause as well.

I also was not a fan of the descriptions of the elderly man, which made him sound juvenile, like a cute little guy that’s always plodding and shuffling around and goofing up. I guess the author was trying to show growth in the characters. All in all, the book was rather cloying, except when it was dark.

I did like that culturally, the book was effortlessly diverse. I hadn’t even realized there was a significant South Asian population in Kenya. I enjoyed reading about the Indian food mentioned in the story.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review

I have mixed feelings about this book. The overall concept was interesting, and I was generally entertained/engaged throughout the the book. "Heartwarming" has been used a lot to describe this book, and I suppose I'd agree. There are elements of A Man Called Ove and The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry; fans of either/both of those titles will likely enjoy The Reading List as well.

Some stuff I didn't like:

>How the library was portrayed didn't seem especially believable, especially given the location (in Wembley, a town of 100,000+); but perhaps London-area libraries are just VERY different from what I'm used to?

>There wasn't much description of anything really, and I'm not personally familiar with Wembley, so it was difficult to picture people/places as I was reading.

>There was minimal internal dialogue for any characters, so it felt more like I was 'reading' a movie.

Thank you NetGalley and the Book Club Girls for the chance to read this ARC!

3.5 stars rounded up

Stars: A sweet story about a reading list that unites a number of "misfits" searching for connection. Gotta love a book about books - especially books that I too have read and loved! Loved Mukesh and his family.

Wishes: Was a little difficult at times to follow the various threads of the story. Though I enjoyed the conceit, it did become a bit predictable. Reminded a little of the Jane Austen Book Club. I am not sure folks unfamiliar with the books on the "list" would appreciate it as much? Plus there was a lot of telling, not showing.

All in all though, a lovely debut novel. I look forward to her next novel!

I really liked the idea of the book, The Reading List. A young Librarian finds a list of books in the back of a book and decides to read them.
When Mukesh, a widower goes to the library he starts reading along with the librarian. This makes him feel closer to his wife who passed away.
This brings the family closer together. Reading and the library helps both Mukesh and the young librarian, Aleisha.
I did enjoy the book. The writing was good along with the story. There did seem to have a disconnect which I really cannot explain.
The different books on the list made the story interesting. Thank you, Net Galley, for an advanced copy for an honest review.