The Reading List
By Sara Nisha Adams
William Morrow & Company, 9780063025295, August 2022, 400pp.
The Short of It:
Sweet and charming. Wholesome, even.
The Rest of It:
This is another winner. A book about books and reading. I’ve been loving these this year.
Mukesh is a widow. He lost his dear Naina but his three adult daughters keep him on his toes, as well as his young granddaughter, Priya. They are all a bit chatty over him. “Get out more, Papa. Eat better, Papa. Make more friends, Papa.” They mean well.
Aleisha is a young teen, only seventeen and a librarian at the local library. She lives at home with her older brother Aiden, whom she adores, and her mother who is suffering from an unnamed mental break that causes her to have fits, remain inside a buttoned up house, and requires constant care. Between Aleisha and Aiden, they do the best they can for her, but what she needs is professional care and she refuses it.
To get Aleisha out of the house, Aiden encourages her to take a librarian job. Aleisha doesn’t read and really isn’t an example of customer service because what Aleisha wants is to be left alone.
In walks Mukesh. He asks Aleisha for a book recommendation. His wife used to read so much, he’d like to see what all the fuss is about. Aleisha is initially very rude to him. Sarcastic even. Mukesh is confused by this but goes on his way.
But then a list is left behind at the library. A list with books on it. She’s curious who left the list but thinks that maybe these can be the books she can recommend in the future. Books like To Kill a Mockingbird, Rebecca, Beloved, Little Women.
Aleisha uses this list and a friendship is born between Mr. P (Mukesh) and Aleisha. Down the line, this friendship becomes very important as they learn about themselves through books.
This was a wonderful read. Full of reading goodness but also dealing with some heavy topics. Love, loss, mental illness. Woven between these bookish interactions is a lot of pain and trial but in the end, there is hope.
Highly recommend. It’s an older title, came out in 2022 but I missed it when it first came out and it was readily available from the library! Lovers of libraries, grab a copy and enjoy.
Source: Borrowed
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