In the words of the legendary Fred Dagg, “We don’t know how lucky we are”. Why? In New Zealand we are fortunate to have a thriving network of amazing public libraries (which are funded by local government). The situation in the UK is very dire with nearly 800 libraries shut down since 2010 and many library jobs having been lost as a result of these closures. This is the back drop for Sarah Nisha Adams ’novel, The Reading List.
The story is based around the small Harlow Road Library, which is in the suburb of Wembly in London. Aleisha is 17 years old and working in the library for the summer break (and not too impressed with her job). We also meet Mukesh, who is struggling to rebuild his life after the death of his beloved wife, Naina. The one thing that ties these characters (and others) together is the discovery of a mysterious reading list. The reading list is titled “Just in case you need it” and seems to be the kind of reading list that you need at certain times in your life.
Mukesh finds his way into the library because of the Time Traveller’s Wife which was Naina’s last library book that she read before she died. Mukesh wanted to get close to her memory and understand why she loved reading so much (and also get close to his granddaughter Priya who is a real bookworm).
Aleisha doesn’t have a lot of time for reading. Aiden, her brother, was the reader in the family. In fact, she only got the job because Aiden persuaded her to go for it (and she missed out on the job at Top Shop). At the start of the book she comes across as the bored, sassy teenager who seems out of place in that environment.
Over the course of the book we see how the reading list changes the lives of these two characters. Mukesh starts to come out of his shell and get out and about. He is keen to connect with other people and discuss his books. Aleisha grows to love reading and the way that she can escape out of her life and head and into the minds and lives of the characters via books.
While the main bulk of the story revolves around Aleisha and Murkesh, there are small chapters interspersed within the story that show how different people come across their own copy of the reading list. These chapters are interesting, but the characters aren’t really involved in the main story so they seem a bit random and superfluous to the story.
I would love to one day pick up a library book and find a random reading list in one of the pages. It would make a nice change from choosing my own books. If anyone reading this would like to start a list and leave it in the Õtorohanga Library - please feel free.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a feel good read that spoke of the joys of reading and the life changing role that books can play in our lives. I recommend this book most highly, it is an entertaining, heart-warming read.
Photo Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Camberwell_Library,_UK_%28210998815%29.jpg
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