About the book
The Reading List is a powerful reminder about the importance of community, kindness and friendship. It also has a strong message about how stories speak to us and connect us. I have read most of the books on The Reading List, apart from Beloved (now reserved from the library) and A Suitable Boy, and enjoyed seeing just how the books spoke to the characters in the book. The Reading List shows that books can have power to change our way of thinking and really can change lives.
Sara Nisha Adams is a writer and editor. She lives in London and was born in Hertfordshire to Indian and English parents. Her debut novel The Reading List is partly inspired by her grandfather, who lived in Wembley and immediately found a connection with his granddaughter through books.
My Thoughts
About the Author
Oh how I loved this book! It’s such an uplifting and hopeful story with a cast of characters I just adored. The mysterious reading list which library worker Aleisha finds connects generations and communities. I particularly liked the relationship between Mukesh and his granddaughter Priya. With his daughters often too busy to do more than give him a quick phone call, Priya is an important connection to his family. I so enjoyed reading about their discussions after reading the same books. It reminded me of the joy of reading old favourites to my daughters when they were younger and now being able to recommend, read and discuss the same books with them.
Inspiring and heartwarming, The Reading List is a love letter to storytelling – its power to transport us, connect us, and remind us that a new beginning is only a page away…
Aleisha’s role in The Reading List is hugely emotional at times. One particular part of the book relating to her took me by completely surprise and moved me to tears. She has such a difficult home life and it’s easy to forget at times just how young she is when she has so many worries and burdens to deal with. Her growing friendship with Mukesh was a joy to read about and she most certainly needed his support at times.
And when widower Mukesh arrives at the library, desperate to connect with his bookworm granddaughter, Aleisha introduces him to the magic of the reading list. An anxious teenager and a lonely grandfather forming an unlikely book club of two.
When Aleisha discovers a crumpled reading list tucked into a tattered library book, it sparks an extraordinary journey.
From timeless stories of love and friendship to an epic journey across the Pacific Ocean with a boy and a tiger in a boat, the list opens a gateway to new and wonderful worlds – just when Aleisha needs an escape from her troubles at home.
The Reading List is one of my favourite reads of the year so far and has gone straight on my Top Reads list for 2022 – just wonderful!
A new chapter is just beginning…
The Reading List is a book I’d really liked the sound of and when I noticed it was on a 99p offer for Kindle last month, I snapped it up. It’s so good though, that I think I’ll treat myself to a physical copy as it’s a book I will want to read again and keep on my bookshelf.
