Truth bomb. 💣 This book starts slow. It took me nearly 80-100 pages to get into it. I could’t figure out why it was getting so much love. But. But. Then magic happens. I’m so glad I stuck with this one! So I’m saying this as a warning or maybe as a hope you’ll give this book a second chance if you’ve stopped reading it.
📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚
Title: The Reading List
Author: Sara Nisha Adams
Publisher: William Morrow Books
Genre: Fiction
“Stories feel so weird. Like seeing someone else’s life that you are not meant to. Being nosy!”
Aleisha is a teenager working at the local library. The local library that keeps threatening to shut down. When she discovers a reading list is the back of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ she decides to impulsively read every book on the list so she’ll have recommendations. However, what she gains is the magic of stories that transport her far away from the troubles she is facing at home.
“You have to move on with life . . . Grief can trap you for a while, and you have to be bold and step out of your comfort zone.”
Widower Mukesh lives a quiet live in West London. One day he arrives at the library desperate to forge a connection with his bookworm granddaughter, Priya. Aleisha thinks the books she has been reading from the list may be a lifeline for Mukesh too. With books and stories begins a bond between two lonely people.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This story begins very character driven, but eventually the author does a wonderful job of marrying and balancing the characters and plot. Oh boy did I fall in love with Mukesh. Ok, so, here we go again with me professing my love for unlikely friendships between older people and younger people. It is just so so precious. I adored Mukesh and Aliesha; Mukesh especially!
CW: Suicide, Mental Health, mentions death from cancer
The Reading List
▪️ To Kill a Mockingbird
▪️ Rebecca
▪️ The Kite Runner
▪️ Life of Pi
▪️ Pride and Prejudice
▪️ Little Women
▪️ Beloved
▪️ A Suitable Boy
+ The Time Traveler’s Wife