The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

THE READING LIST by Sara Nisha Adams is a story of resilience and connection, for both a young seventeen-year-old woman, Aleisha Thomas, and a roughly eighty-year-old man, Mukesh Patel. The intergenerational aspect, particularly watching these characters grow in their friendship and affection for each other, was uplifting. It’s exciting, too, to know that this debut novel is inspired in part by the author’s own grandfather, who actually lived in Wembley, England (where the story is set) and shared a love of books and libraries. The characters are wonderful, but the pacing seemed a bit slow. Also, Aleisha and Mukesh (“Mr. P.”) each experienced the death of a loved one so the story dealt with coping with grief, loss, and loneliness and was rather sad at points. However, avid readers will enjoy the frequent references to what are likely many of their own favorite books (To Kill a Mockingbird, Little Women, etc.). Adams was very clever in incorporating just enough information about those story lines and then tying them to challenges in her main characters’ lives. I found some of my own personal connections, too – as a wise character notes, “Sometimes, books just take us away for a little while, and return us to our place with a new perspective.” THE READING LIST is a LibraryReads selection for August – look for this new book, particularly if you are interested in even more reading recommendations. Eight titles feature in the story itself and Adams suggests another dozen or so of her personal favorites. The colorful cover conveys the celebration of reading within its pages.