The Reading List: A Novel
NOW A LILLY'S LIBRARY PICK!
"The most heartfelt read...a surprising delight of a novel."--Shondaland
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.
Widower Mukesh lives a quiet life in Wembley, in West London after losing his beloved wife. He shops every Wednesday, goes to Temple, and worries about his granddaughter, Priya, who hides in her room reading while he spends his evenings watching nature documentaries.
Aleisha is a bright but anxious teenager working at the local library for the summer when she discovers a crumpled-up piece of paper in the back of To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s a list of novels that she’s never heard of before. Intrigued, and a little bored with her slow job at the checkout desk, she impulsively decides to read every book on the list, one after the other. As each story gives up its magic, the books transport Aleisha from the painful realities she’s facing at home.
When Mukesh arrives at the library, desperate to forge a connection with his bookworm granddaughter, Aleisha passes along the reading list…hoping that it will be a lifeline for him too. Slowly, the shared books create a connection between two lonely souls, as fiction helps them escape their grief and everyday troubles and find joy again.
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Community Reviews
What’s it about?
Mukesh is a recent widower living in the Wembley neighborhood in West London. Although his three daughters and his three grandchildren keep an eye on him- he is lonely after the death of his wife. When he finds a copy of The Time Travelers Wife on her nightstand he decides to try reading a few pages- after all his late wife loved to read. He soon finds himself involved in someone else’s story and he forgets his troubles for a time. He decides to try another book at his local library. He meets 17-year-old Aleisha who is working the front desk as a summer job. Aleisha (who is also not a reader) has just found a reading list in a book and decided to try reading herself. She shares the first book on the list with Makesh and they begin a book journey together.
What did it make me think about?
What would your personal reading list be? I have WAY too many books I could add to a list but if I was forced to narrow it to 10 this would be it. I am sure I have forgotten one of my favorites…
Favorite Books Over the Years
Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Rules of Civility (or A Gentleman in Moscow) by Amor Towles
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Moshin Hamid
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Ordinary Grace by William Kent Kruger
*I would be remiss not to add Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell, History of Love by Nicole Krauss, The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman, Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, and East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I could list SO many incredible books….
Should I read it?
This was a sweet, heartwarming book about loneliness, and connections, and the power of stories. This novel would be a wonderful gift for anyone who believes in the power of books. I will be handing it right off to my own mom tomorrow.
Quote-
“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.”
I found it amazing that so many books were discussed, but not one spoiler was given! I was familiar with most of them, so I was paying attention and looking for a spoiler, but none was given.
I would have given this 5 stars, but I only wanted to bump it up from 4 stars toward the end. The ending made the whole book worth reading.
The list of books discussed here was an amazingly perfect list. Loved it!
It is hard to describe this book except to say it is equal parts charming, educational, and touching. I highly recommend anyone read this book AND the books included in the"reading list." There's a few I haven't read yet, so I need to get cracking!!
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