The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

 

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams-368 pages

Mukesh is an elderly widower.  His days are pretty mundane.  He always tries to bring his wife back to his mind and one way is through the last library book she read, "The Time Traveler's Wife".  One day he realizes that he should by now return the library book because surely it is long overdue.  He has never actually been to the library before as his wife was the reader.  He bumbles his way through his first visit by forgetting to return the book and looking at a book he's not even interested in...too embarrassed to ask for help.  But then the young library clerk discovers a list of books in a book that was returned.  She decides they look interesting and decides to share the list with him, at the same time reading them herself.  Discovering in the process that books have a way of transporting us.  So begins a friendship; one that helps both of the individuals endure many trials.  To find happiness in new friendships and new beginnings for their community library.  This is her debut novel and I enjoyed it very much.

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

373 pages

★★★

Finding a sticky note with a list of classic books, Aleisha has to work at the struggling public library to help her brother take care of their mom. Mukesh finds an overdue library book among his wife’s things after she’s passed. They meet at the local library and help each other through their struggles through books and friendship.

This was just a random audiobook I saw on hoopla that sounded decent and it lived up to that expectation. It wasn’t bad but it didn’t blow my socks off. It was pretty cute but I found myself bored pretty often. I would recommend it as a simple, cozy read.

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

 384 pages / 12 hrs, 48 mins

"Widower Mukesh lives a quiet life in the London Borough of Ealing 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."  --from the publisher

Loved, loved, loved it. It's heartwarming and sad and joyful and touching. It is hard to believe this is a debut novel. Wow! Read it and tell me what you think. I give it 4.5 stars out of 5.