In her debut novel, The Reading List, Sara Nisha Adams explores the power of books to help build community and heal from within. The story follows characters who come in contact with an anonymously written list of books, intriguingly labeled “Just in case you need it.” The book touchingly explores how reading the books and sharing the list impacts the character’s lives.
These book club questions for The Reading List will help you dive into the lives of the main characters and their relationships with each other, their families, and the books on the list. Mukesh is a widower dealing with the grief of losing his wife, and trying to make sense of his new life and the challenges he’s facing. Aleisha is a teen begrudgingly working a summer job at the library, while hiding the painful realities of her home life. Their paths collide in a way that they both need, and the book list changes their lives in meaningful ways.
Use this The Reading List discussion guide to discuss the relationships and connections between the characters, and your opinions on the books on the list. Besides the book club questions, the guide also includes a synopsis, selected reviews from other readers, and 3 books like The Reading List for your next reading choice.
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The Reading List Synopsis
(We always chose to provide the publisher synopsis because we feel that it’s worthwhile to discuss whether the official book description actually squared with your experience of the book.)
The Reading List, Sara Nisha Adams
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.
10 Book Club Questions for The Reading List
These questions have been tailored to this book’s specific reading experience, but if you want more ideas, we also have an article with 101 generic book club questions.
- Was there one character you connected to more than the others? Why?
- Are there any books you have read that resonated with you the way the books on the reading list did with these characters?
- Have you read the books on this list? What do you think of them? Here’s a list on Goodreads to refresh your memory.
- “These are the books that brought me closer to myself, that shaped me and my world — I hope they’ll bring you light and joy and, if you ever miss me, you’ll find me within their pages.” Do you have any books that make you feel a special connection to another person, place, or time?
- “It was strange, the idea that this book wasn’t just for him, it was for everyone. All these people who had taken it out before him, people who would take it out after him. Every reader, unknowingly connected in some small way.” Do you think about the other people who have read the books you have? How does it make you feel?
- “Despite it all, she had never once tried to talk to him about how he should feel when she was gone, what he should do for himself, to bring her back. That was all he had ever wanted to know.” What do you think about the description of Mukesh and his daughter’s grief? Could you relate to it?
- Were there any scenes you found particularly funny or endearing?
- What do you think about the description of Aleisha’s mom’s mental illness? Did it ring true to you? Could you relate to it?
- What do you think about Aiden’s death? Did you see it coming or was it a surprise for you?
- How did Aleisha and Mukesh grow and change because of the books they read? What do you think their lives would be like if they had never found the reading list?
Selected Reviews for The Reading List
(Use these selected Goodreads reviews to compare with your own experience of the book. Do you agree or disagree with the reviews?)
”Sweet and lovely story that touches both your heart and your literary heart. Sad, saccharine at times, but so uplifting. This book and the joy and inspiration that reading the books on the list brought to these characters, happened to be just what I needed.”
“The characters are predictable and the writing quite uninteresting. I mean I like the idea and maybe it could’ve gone somewhere, but that wasn’t explored. Both Mukesh and Aleisha are not relatable. Books are the common factor between them and there’s a reading list (but of course) but that’s that. The reading list however is interesting and can be talked about a lot more than the book of which it is a part. Like I said, the writing doesn’t lead you to imagine, it doesn’t make you empathize with the characters, nor does it excite you. I can see why it might work for other readers, but it just didn’t do anything for me.”
“Beautiful and heartfelt, this novel is an ode to book lovers everywhere. I just absolutely loved this book! It is more than a story of a found reading list, it’s the story of family—both the one that is related to you and the one you create. It’s the story of grief and learning how to deal with that grief. And it’s the story of how books can help you hide and also can help you heal…I think that the experience of reading this book is incredibly enhanced if the reader has read all or some of the books on the list. I personally had read all except one and I think it helped me to understand the depth of the lessons the characters were learning in their lives from those stories.”
“In a Nutshell: Didn’t expect much, didn’t get much. Should have loved the ode to books, reading, and libraries, but the paper-thin character detailing and the lack of overall structure and sense in the plot didn’t work in favour of my reading experience. Plus, there were errors in the references it makes to the classics—so disappointing.”
Books Like The Reading List
Around here, we are suckers for books about books. And if you are too, we have a long list of books featuring books, books set in libraries and books set in bookstores.
We’ve also got a series of book club guides for these sorts of novels including: The Book of Doors, The Lost Bookshop, The Thirteenth Tale, Book Lovers, The Dictionary of Lost Words, and The Library Book.
The Keeper of Stories, Sally Page
Janice works as a house cleaner, and throughout her life has collected interesting stories about other’s lives. When she starts cleaning for Mrs. B, she is encouraged to share her own story, and despite Janice’s reluctance she starts sharing about herself. The stories that unfold are heartwarming, poignant, sad, and full of literary references.
The Library, Bella Osborne
Two patrons of the local library form an unlikely friendship. Maggie is a seventy-two year old pensioner who has lived alone on her farm for ten years, struggling with her loneliness. Tom is a sixteen year old boy who has lost his mother and is dealing with watching his father spiral into alcoholism. Both find refuge at the local library, and become a much needed support to each other and their struggling local library.
The Night of Many Endings, Melissa Payne
Nora Martinez works at her small community library in Silver Ridge, Colorado. Orphaned at a young age, Nora watched her brother slip into addiction and eventually disappear. Hoping to one day be reunited with him, she cares for the library and the other lonely patrons who use it as a refuge from their troubled lives. One night a snowstorm causes these patrons to be trapped in the library with Nora for a night. This fateful night together reveals things about each character that are moving and revelatory, and may change their lives and perspectives forever.
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