The Reading List audiobook

I've never written a book review before and I don't really know how to go about it.I won an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. It arrived yesterday and I've just finished it with the tears still wet on my cheeks. I love this book! I could identify with every character in some way. And the way it describes the books on the reading list has made me want to read them all - even Pride and Prejudice - and I have never been interested in Jane Austen before!A book about the magic of books. :-)

What’s more lovely than discovering a list of books in a library book with the heading “Just in case you need it” ? Perhaps, it’s reading those books with someone who needs them and your friendship just as much as you need theirs. What could be more lovely than that? It’s that the characters are there for each other when they are most needed through grief and loss.Sweet and lovely story that touches both your heart and your literary heart. Sad, saccharine at times, but so uplifting. This book and the joy and inspiration that reading the books on the list brought to these characters, happened to be just what I needed.I received a copy of this book from William Morrow /HarperCollins through Edelweiss.

“The Reading List” is a beautiful story about the importance of reading. As a life-long reader, I was very moved by this story which highlights impactful novels and ordinary people. “The Reading List” shows how reading fiction allows us to become closer to people, to embrace challenges, and to become more empathetic.The story revolves around a lonely widower who is still grieving the loss of his wife and a young library worker who works at the library to escape her family life and for the money. Mukesh goes to the library after he finished one of his wife’s favorite novels, “The Time Traveler’s Wife”. After reading that story, he felt closer to his deceased wife. She was an avid reader, so he wants to read more, but he doesn’t know where to begin. He meets Aleisha at the library and asks for a recommendation. Aleisha is very rude (she’s having a bad day) and is very unhelpful. Immediately she is regretful of her behavior, and by chance, finds a list on a piece of paper with book ideas. The first novel on the list is “To Kill a Mockingbird”, which Aleisha finds and puts on hold for Mukesh.Of course, he finds “To Kill a Mockingbird” very relevant for what he is going through…..loneliness. How that story affects Mukesh and also Aleisha is heartwarming, and through the love of that novel, a friendship is born. The next novel on the list is “Rebecca”. Next, “The Kite Runner”; “The Life of Pi”; “Pride and Prejudice”; “Little Women”; “Beloved”; and the last, “A Suitable Boy”. Now that’s a great reading list!If you have read these novels, you will be reminded of their storylines as the book characters reflect on how the novel relates to their lives. Mukesh especially finds more understanding of the people around him, particularly his daughters. It’s very touching and sweet.This is a remarkable novel in that it reminds us of why we love to read. This is a feel-good story that is clever and well written. I listened to the audio production, narrated by Tara Divina, Sagar Arya, and Paul Panting. I highly recommend the audio because this is a story that is written to be read aloud. The talented narrators made the story pure enjoyment!

"...Books aren't always an escape; sometimes books teach us things. They show us the world; they don't hide it."Beautiful and heartfelt, this novel is an ode to book lovers everywhere. I just absolutely loved this book! It is more than a story of a found reading list, it's the story of family--both the one that is related to you and the one you create. It's the story of grief and learning how to deal with that grief. And it's the story of how books can help you hide and also can help you heal.Mukesh is a widower with three grown daughters who are worried about him. His young granddaughter Priya visits, but all she seems to do is read and Mukesh has never been a reader like his late wife Naina. He finds a copy of The Time Traveler's Wife while cleaning and connects with this epic love story so much that he goes to the local small library, in permanent danger of closure, to find more stories. He encounters teenager Aleisha, another non-reader who is grumpily working at the library for the summer. Chagrined at the way she treats him, Aleisha discovers To Kill a Mockingbird and it contains a list of other books stuck inside. Aleisha reads the book and then recommends it to Mukesh, and a friendship begins to develop between the two as they read through the books on the list. Both have issues in their home lives and these books help them to get through.I know that's a long synopsis, but it's just the setup for such a wonderful story. I laughed and cried at many of the events in the story and could not put it down until I was done, in the moments that I had to put it down I still thought about it and longed to pick it back up. I loved all of the characters and how much care and love they had for each other even when they were hurting. I think that the experience of reading this book is incredibly enhanced if the reader has read all or some of the books on the list. I personally had read all except one and I think it helped me to understand the depth of the lessons the characters were learning in their lives from those stories. I highly recommend this novel, it's such a beautiful picture of friendship and family.I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

4.5 *A stunning debut novel! Kudos to Sara Nisha Adams for writing such a beautiful story!I listened to this audio and it captured my attention from beginning to end. This is a story about two very different people. Mukesh, is an 80 year old man who has recently lost his wife. He is still grieving and trying to cope. Aleisha, is a 17 year old girl with problems at home. Mukesh has never been a reader but his wife was. Aleisha is not a reader but works at the front desk at the local library. These two people are joined together by books when Aleisha finds a reading list tucked away in one of the books. She decides to begin to read the books and passes the list onto Mukesh.What follows is a lovely story about friendship and family and how the love of books can bring people together even in the darkest of times.It was wonderful how each book was incorporated in the chapters and the lives of the characters. I've read some of the books but this has inspired me to read them all!Here is the reading list in case you are wondering.The time traveler's wifeTo kill a mockingbirdRebeccaThe kite runnerLife of piPride and prejudiceLittle WomenBelovedA suitable boyThis is a story for everyone who loves books!

‘Just in case you need it : To kill a Mockingbird, Rebecca, The Kite Runner, Life of Pi, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, Beloved, A Suitable Boy.’Can I entice you into Harrow Road Library in Wembley, London? It’s a hub for some and let’s just say there are a number of characters who need the diversion of a good book and a mysterious list appears for those in need of it. Mukesh certainly needs to take his mind of his grief for his beloved wife Naina who died a couple of years ago. Naina was an avid reader and Mukesh finds a long overdue library loan of The Time Travellers Wife which he reads, loves and discovers it’s way to connect to her. He tries to return it but temporary librarian Aleisha is not in the best frame of mind when he does … their first encounter does not auger well … until she finds the list. This is one of the most beautiful books I have read in a while, what a cracking debut, this author sure can write! It’s wonderfully written and whilst it does contain topics that should not be uplifting, it actually is. The characters are simply fabulous. I love Mukesh who is an absolutely delightful elderly gentleman with an emphasis on the gentle man part. His daughters sure are characters too, let’s say they liven up the pages!!! I just want to give his granddaughter Priya a great big hug as she’s so lovely. Aleisha seems all hard edges but her life is not easy but she grows and grows as the book progresses largely due to books and unlikely but true friendship. They find a means to not only survive but to thrive. It is absolutely riveting and captivating, enthralling and charming. Apart from the spell binding story which makes you feel a whole range of emotions, it also reminds us how important libraries are to our communities. It’s a lose lose once they go. It’s also a fantastic triumphal fanfare for the love of books, as if we need a reminder!!! I’m sure we all have a list of our favourites that live in our hearts and minds and this reading list has some superb examples. So, thank you Sara Nisha Adams for making me smile, laugh and cry in the company of some characters that warm your heart. With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins, HarperFiction for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

It's a big call to make so early in the year but this may end up being a 2022 favourite!An absolutely lovely story with characters that were easy to connect with. The novel took me to highs and lows as I was drawn into a world that is a bibliophile's dream. The author did an incredible job of illustrating how books and libraries can nurture connections. These connections became instrumental in creating positive changes in our characters' lives. A list of books makes its way through a random collection of people within a community. No one knows who wrote the list or what it might mean, but when people start reading the books they start to find their own profound meanings in the pages of these great novels. It has inspired me to reread some of the books mentioned and have borrowed a couple I have not read from the list. Loved it.CW: (view spoiler)[suicide, grief, mental health issues (hide spoiler)]

Wow. This book broke my heart and then put it back together again! An ode to the power of books and libraries, Sara Nisha Adams's debut novel, The Reading List (2021), takes place in the London suburb of Wembley. Alternating between different characters, The Reading List features strangers whose lives intersect at the local library, brought together by a mysterious reading list. This reading list, author unknown, featuring a short list of classic novels, from Pride and Prejudice to To Kill a Mockingbird, tends to show up at serendipitous times in our characters' lives, usually when they're at a low point or feeling stuck. Almost showing up as if by magic. We have Mukesh Patel, a lonely grandfather and recent widower, who visits the library for the first time in an attempt to connect with his bookworm granddaughter, Priya. Ever since his wife Naina died (she was also an avid reader), he has been isolated from his family and wishes to reconnect with them. Then there's Aleisha, a library clerk working a summer job at the library before going off to college to study law. She and her brother, Aidan, are looking after their mentally ill mother, Leilah, without much support, and both of them struggle to keep it together. Both Mukesh and Aleisha are reluctant readers who strike up an unlikely friendship after Aleisha recommends various books to him from the reading list she found in a library book. Before they know it, they begin to see their worlds and their lives change. (Yes, it is somewhat of a cliché, the life-changing-magic-of-books, the ability to learn from stories and apply them to one's life, but it is well executed throughout The Reading List.) Mukesh reconnects with his granddaughter, finding unexpected joy in the books they read together, and Aleisha finds her mother coming out of her shell to enjoy the books she brings home from the library. Things appear to be getting better for both of our protagonists. Because this is a novel, things aren't always looking up. Grief, loneliness, and death creep up on our characters and test them and their newfound love of reading and sense of community with others at the library. (Make sure you have a box of tissues when you sit down to read this one. It is quite the tearjerker. Let's just say I practically dehydrated myself at various points while reading the book.) The Reading List is one of those rare books that resonates strongly with me at an emotional and spiritual level. Yes, this is a book about books, but it is way more than that. -Cora Find this book and other titles within our catalog. **September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month. Come to any La Crosse County Library location or visit us on our website to get your library card today! Happy reading!**

Books and libraries bring people together, and in this sweet, heartwarming read, Aleisha and Mukesh bond over books and help others do the same.Aleisha had never liked books, but she worked in a library.Mukesh had never read a book in his life, but his wife was an avid reader. When he met Aleisha she wasn't too friendly, but then one day they bonded.Aleisha found a reading list with books that she read and that she shared and discussed with Mukesh. In fact, that reading list was found all over town tucked in books, in grocery stores, and in any place where someone would likely find it.The mystery is who wrote “The Reading List.”THE READING LIST is an alluring, uplifting book that proves the magic power of books and their ability to connect people in so many ways.It also addresses the importance of libraries to help bring people and ideas together.Readers who enjoy a feel-good, sweet, clever read will want to add this book to their "reading list" this summer.What can be better than a book promoting the love of books and libraries and how they change your life and can bring you closer to others. 5/5This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow I loved this more than I thought I would. The name says it all but with a very deeper side to it. Nice characters that tug at the heartstrings and with loads of book reviews in the mix.