The Reading List: A Novel

Written by Sara Nisha Adams

Narrated by Tara Divina, Sagar Arya and Paul Panting

A BEST OF SUMMER READ ACCORDING TO NEWSWEEK, PARADE MAGAZINE, NBC NEWS, LITHUB, AND POPSUGAR!

""The most heartfelt read of the summer...a surprising delight of a novel.""--Shondaland

An unforgettable and heartwarming debut about how a chance encounter with a list of library books helps forge an unlikely friendship between two very different people in a London suburb.

Widower Mukesh lives a quiet life in Wembley, in West London 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. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Aug 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063025356

Sara Nisha Adams

Sara Nisha Adams is a writer and editor. She lives in London and was born in Hertfordshire to Indian and English parents. Her first novel was The Reading List.

Reviews for The Reading List

[Nirasha Kannangara · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the most beautiful books I have read. Love it.

[manahil · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Truly magical. Will make you feel loved and seen. The story has something so warm and intriguing about it. Must read for book lovers.

[Norma Millner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It started off kind of slow, but just got better the further you read. The ending put all the pieces together.

[donbyk · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Touching and kind book of loss and friendship. And about loving good books! Marked now as one of my all time favorties

[Patricia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved the characters of this book. It is a story of two lonely souls who forge a friendship through books on the “reading list.” The books allow them to escape their grief and everyday troubles, and eventually help them heal.

[Ann G Miller-Sobel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The characters are so relatable. Ending a little disappointing. But this book brings reader and characters together as memories of texts share cascade through the pages.

[mchwest · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a great idea for a book, leave a list of books to read anonymously, and find out how many people read the list and why! Lots of characters and a couple different time lines, but thoroughly an enjoyable read.

[tangledthread · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I dropped the book off at the library today, before it was due. I tried for over 100 pages, but the characters never gelled for me. It's not clear whether the author was holding somethings back to reveal about characters later, or whether she's just not skilled at character development. Life is too short to push on with a book that is just not doing it for you.

[Ephraim Tsalik · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Beautifully written. Wasn’t sure what to expect but so glad I gave it a try.

[Aliaksei Usmanau · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

With time many of us put aside reading. For me it happened after starting my studies, a couple of renovations, new studies, setting up at work... I forgot why I loved reading, and this book is a great reminder why. The power of reflection upon your life through lives of novel characters (double layered), the power to drift away from this world if you need an escape, and the power to find courage for facing the challenges of your own life when you are having a dip - that's why.

[Patty Walters Pitts · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the most beautiful books I have read in a long time!! Characters and story woven together in such a thoughtful and well-developed way!

[Dayna Bennett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an engaging and beautiful story! It grabs you immediately. So well narrated, and the story is touching. I love the hopeful message - no, everything doesn’t happen for a reason. It’s the meaning we find in what happens. Beautiful book.

[Alma Lanjouw · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I want to read all the books I haven't read and reread!

[Ale H · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The power of books, to transport us to different lives, teach us and help us connect with other people (fictional or real) told through a beautiful story with many voices. Loved it ❤️

[April Calamaco · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting read. A lovely story but a little sad at the same time.

[Pamela Stewart · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh my god this has got to be one of my favorite books! I am a voracious reader but I think if you have any appreciation and understanding for books and how much they had to our lives and how much just reading can open our world, you will love this. So beautiful, so touching, so heartwarming.

[TinaMarie Baldwin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As a lover of books, what a great way to weave the story of each book and connect to the lives of the characters.

[Laura Hamilton · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It lost me at the end. I almost quit reading.

[Gina Johnson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent narration and lovely story about friendship and the power of books.

[sue1pritzker · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautifully written; a tale of readers and why reading is a vital force in their lives. Magnificent narration.

[Vix Huda · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very bitter sweet! Very cuteeeee I love it very much nice hints

[Sunny Days · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Full of love and tears. Beautifully written. Really enjoyed this book

[Karen Randall · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very sweet, feel-good. A reminder of how much some "must read" books affect us forever after.

[Lenore Sullivan Trammell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Read this as part of a book club and loved it! Characters were touching to me and each other and I loved the way the list was woven in.

[Mickayla Wheeler · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A lovely story about loss and community. When his wife of 50 years dies, Mr Patel is struggling to find a new way and he finds it at the library. A place his wife loved but he had never been. As he and several others read thru a list of mysterious origins, their lives are intwined and each regains a peace they lost. Rated G, there’s no bad language in every other sentence.

[Holly Rusch · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a lovely story. The characters were warm and inviting and the story a joy.

[Gaby QS · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one the most heartwarming books in the last couple of years. The characters and how their lives connect throughout the story is all beautifully written, woven with humanity, friendship, family and love. Enjoy!

[Lesley Raymond · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was so very delightful! A great feel-good escape from realty.

[Mandi Emineth · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was so beautiful. All of the characters were lovingly written and I genuinely liked them all.

This story is about the way books reach into you, touch you, and change you. It is about how the books in a particular reading list touch, change, and connect those who've found it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Shari Drube · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book. The characters were so well drawn and diverse. I loved them all and the story of kindness and love between them, all connected by a mysterious book reading list, was beautiful to see. Reminiscent of some Fredrik Backman novels. Highly recommend!