The Reading List - Adams - 4 stars

[Jgrace]

The Reading List - Sara Nisha Adams
Audio performance by multi narrators
4 stars

I like lists. I like checking things off some lists and adding items to other lists. Given the number of ‘Top Ten’,‘Best of’, or TBR lists to be found almost everywhere, listing is a common human activity. This book starts with a list of somewhat unrelated great books. It turns up inside random library books and other odd places.

It’s a sweet story that unfolds as the characters read through the listed books and connect with each other along the way. I liked the elderly widower, Mukesh, as he came out of his shell of grief. I worried about the young library worker, Aleisha, who struggles with a dysfunctional family and her own grief. There were times when I felt the plot moved too slowly toward a predictable ending. And, I was frustrated with the unresolved issues in Aleisha’s family. (view spoiler)[(It was one of those times when I wanted to reach inside a book to both shake up and save a character. Serious mental health disease needs serious professional intervention! Reading may give Aleisha some comfort, but it is less than a bandaid to make a substantial difference.) (hide spoiler)] I did enjoy the community effort to save the neighborhood library. This fictional story was the perfect companion followup to my reading of Susan Orlean’s The Library Book.

[Booknblues]

I'm glad you liked this book.