May Booked For Lunch Selection The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

Monday, May 22, 2023 @ Noon.

This May we are discussing The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams. A Bookpage starred review describes this debut novel as "an uplifting and tenderhearted celebration of libraries and the transformative power of books, The Reading List is particularly perfect for book clubs and sure to brighten any reader’s day."

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.

Join Robin Brz in person or online via Zoom, on Monday, May 22 at noon. Regular and large print copies are available now at the adult circulation desk. Digital editions are available for download using Libby. Registration is encouraged using our calendar or by email at RBrzozowski@cwmars.org.