The reading list : a novel
Record details
- ISBN: 9780063025288
-
Physical Description:
373 pages ; 24 cm
regular print
print - Publisher: New York, New York : William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2021]
- Copyright: ©2021
-
Badges:
- Top Holds Over Last 5 Years: 5 / 5.0
Search for related items by subject
Subject: | London (England) -- Fiction Libraries -- Fiction Grandfathers -- Fiction Books and reading -- Fiction Teenage girls -- Fiction Widowers -- Fiction Friendship -- Fiction |
Genre: | Domestic fiction. |
Available copies
- 16 of 18 copies available at BC Interlibrary Connect. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Castlegar Public Library.
Holds
- 4 current holds with 18 total copies.
Other Formats and Editions
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Castlegar Public Library | FIC ADA (Text) | 35146002232775 | Fiction | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2021 July #1
A recommendation list of eight novels is making its way around the small town of Wembley in the UK, impacting the lives of Mukesh, a widower who never quite understood his wife's love of books, and Aleisha, a young library worker who feels trapped by both her job and family responsibilities. It also touches others in the community who weave in and out of the story, but nobody seems to know who the mysterious list writer is. This moving debut demonstrates the power of novels to provide comfort in the face of devastating loss and loneliness. After a rocky first encounter, Mukesh and Aleisha soon bond over the reading list, and between the messages each book has for them and despite their differences, they find the strength to meet their challenges head-on. The story shifts between the list's first appearance in 2017 and Aleisha and Mukesh's meeting in 2019, with relatable characters and a heartwarming tone throughout. Readers who enjoyed Gabrielle Zevin's The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry and Nina George's The Little Paris Bookshop will find themselves drawn in by this book. Copyright 2021 Booklist Reviews. - BookPage Reviews : BookPage Reviews 2021 August
6 debut novelists for the last days of summerOur sincere apologies to the rest of the novels on your TBR list, but these debuts deserve a spot at the top. Based on other novels you've loved, we've recommended which of these six hot titles you'll most enjoy.
FOR FANS OFÂ
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin and Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur JaswalâË⦠THE READING LIST
Former book editor Sara Nisha Adams attributes her passion for reading to her early childhood, when she bonded with her grandfather over their shared love of literature. This relationship also served as the inspiration for The Reading List, a story about two lonely individuals whose initial common ground is, ironically, that neither has any interest in reading. 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.
(read the full review by Stephenie Harrison)
FOR FANS OF
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and The Invisible Woman by Erika RobuckâË⦠SISTERS IN ARMS
In Kaia Alderson's witty and powerful debut novel, World War II is a conflict not only between nations but also within the hearts of Grace Steele and Eliza Jones, two Black women serving in the U.S. Army's 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. It's a chance to prove themselves to their restrictive families and a prejudiced society. Sisters in Arms chronicles their story, which spans the constraints of New York City and the perils of war-torn Europe. During their service, their bond is tested, but Grace and Eliza learn to stick together to survive, and their romantic relationships enhance their personal stories. This is an outstanding historical novel that succeeds at celebrating the accomplishments of the Six Triple Eight Battalion through the lives of two audacious Black women.
(read the full review by Edith Kanyagia)
FOR FANS OFÂ
Deep River by Karl Marlantes and Barkskins by Annie ProulxâËâ¦Â DAMNATION SPRING
Ash Davidson's exceptional debut novel, Damnation Spring, follows aging logger Rich Gundersen and his family through 1977, a year of significant change in Northern California's redwood forest. Here, all politics are local: It slowly dawns on Rich's wife, Colleen, that herbicides, sprayed to help the logging industry, hurt babies; and the unethical owner of the timber company is a flawed and greedy local guy, not a corporate mover on Wall Street. Davidson grew up in Arcata, California, just south of the redwood forest she writes about in Damnation Spring. She's studied the lay of the land, and she expresses the heart and soul of this place and time.
(read the full review by Alden Mudge)
FOR FANS OF
Mary Beth Keane's Ask Again, Yes and J. Courtney Sullivan's Saints for All OccasionsWE ARE THE BRENNANS
Tracey Lange's debut novel tells the story of a large Irish American family grappling with the weight of secrets after Sunday, the only Brennan daughter, returns home after five years away. We Are the Brennans is well plotted, offering plenty of action, but it shines brightest in depicting family relationships, love mixed with resentment and guilt, and in its character development. We root for the Brennans the whole way through, waiting for them to face hard truths about one another and, we hope, to move forward together.
(read the full review by Sarah McCraw Crow)
FOR FANS OF
Swing Time by Zadie Smith and There There by Tommy OrangeTHE ETERNAL AUDIENCE OF ONE
Rwandan-born Namibian writer Rémy Ngamije's sharp-witted and incisive debut, The Eternal Audience of One, paints a revealing portrait of its peripatetic protagonist and the many places he's called home. Séraphin Turihamwe is a displaced Rwandan who feels most himself in Cape Town, South Africa, a place that doesn't welcome Black immigrants, and Ngamije brilliantly explores the irony in Séraphin's identities. The story unfolds through a collection of scenes all revolving around Séraphin's social life, his friends and the women he dates, that explore racism and social hierarchies. Ngamije's writing is beautiful, his observations original and precise, his sense of place unsurpassed. Every bit of insight, succinctly and humorously presented, will cause readers to stop and think.
(read the full review by Carole V. Bell)
FOR FANS OF
The Leavers by Lisa Ko and The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina HenrÃquezEDGE CASE
In YZ Chin's Edge Case, Edwina and her husband, Marlin, are in the U.S. on H-1B work visas. Both are from Malaysia; she is ethnic Chinese, and he is Chinese Indian. After Marlin's father dies, Marlin disappears. Compounding Edwina's anguish over Marlin's abandonment are her anxieties about her immigration status and daily racial insults. Chin is superb at describing the tumult of a woman being psychologically knocked about like a pachinko ball. Every chapter bears witness to Edwina's pain, befuddlement and sheer exhaustion, while also revealing her snarky sense of humor, resourcefulness, tenaciousness and capacity for love.
Copyright 2021 BookPage Reviews. - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2021 July #1
An aging widower and a lonely teenage girl form an unlikely friendship by bonding over books. Aleisha works at the Harrow Road Library in North London not for her love of books, but because she needs the money. When Mukesh, an older man who's recently lost his wife, visits the library seeking a book recommendation, Aleisha has little to offer. As he pushes for a suggestion, she becomes defensive, even rude. She regrets her behavior almost immediately, but she's more focused on difficulties in her home life, including her absentee father and her mentally fragile mother. Even so, when she stumbles on a handwritten reading list tucked into a just-returned book, she impulsively uses it as a way to apologize to Mukesh, recommending the first book, To Kill a Mockingbird. She also decides to read every book on the list herself, rationalizing that it will help pass the long days in the library. When Mukesh returns to tell Aleisha how much he enjoyed Mockingbird, they decide to create an impromptu book club. It seems this budding relationship is just the thing to save Mukesh from his continued grief over his late wife. Meanwhile, Aleisha begins relying on Mukesh as the only stable adult in her life. When Aleisha's family suffers a devastating event, Aleisha looks to Mukesh to help her pick up the pieces, but he's not sure he's the person she needs. Full of references to popular and classic novels, this debut focuses on reading as a means of processing and coping with challenging life events. The author deftly captures the quiet and listless vibe of ill-fated libraries everywhere. Told from the perspectives of both Aleisha and Mukesh, as well as a sampling of other characters, the story shows an insightful empathy for difficulties faced at divergent life stages. The author explores many difficult topics with grace, like mental illness, grief, abandonment, and self-doubt. Although the pace starts off slow, things pick up in the later pages and reach a satisfying conclusion. A quiet and thoughtful look into loneliness, community, and the benefits of readingâsuited for true bibliophiles. Copyright Kirkus 2021 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved. - Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 2021 March
In Adams's debut, teenage library worker Aleisha shares
Copyright 2021 Library Journal.The Reading List she's found (all scrunched up) with a widower trying to relate to his book-obsessed granddaughter (75,000-copy first printing). Alderson'sSisters in Arms tells the story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only all-Black battalion of the Women's Army Corps during World War II (150,000-copy first printing). Buxton'sFeral Creatures reintroduces us to S.T., the fabulously cheeky crow who starred in the multi-best-bookedHollow Kingdom . Ferguson, the Duchess of York, tells the Victorian-era story of Lady Margaret Montagu Scott inHer Heart for a Compass (150,000-copy first printing). Second in a spin-off from Hearne'sNew York Times best-selling "Iron Druid Chronicles" series,Paper & Blood features wily Scottish detective Al MacBharrais. In Jio's latest, Seattle-based librarian Valentina Baker receives news sentWith Love from London that she's inherited an apartment and bookshop from the mother who abandoned her. Wealthy newcomers wreak havoc to the point of horror in a lakeside rural town in Bram Stoker Award winner Jones'sMy Heart Is a Chainsaw (100,000-copy first printing).New York Times best-selling Kadrey wraps up his iconic "Sandman Slim" series with the Shoggot gang, led byKing Bullet , overrunning a virus-undone Los Angeles (75,000-copy first printing). Debuter Lange'sWe Are the Brennans features almost-30 Sunday Brennan returning from Los Angeles to New York to explain to both family and ex-fiancé why she left them five years ago (100,000-copy first printing). Author of theLJ best-bookedMexican Gothic , Moreno-Garcia returns withVelvet Was the Night , featuring a romance magazine-reading secretary in 1970s Mexico City obsessed with the disappearance of her beautiful next-door neighbor. Switching from big-hit dystopias, Mott sends his Black protagonist on oneHell of a Book tour in which he confronts police violence. In Pearce'sYours Cheerfully , first in a new series, advice columnist Emmeline Lake helps keep World War II London safe A(150,000-copy first printing). "Bridgerton" series author Quinn joins forces with her illustrator sister to create a graphic novel telling the story ofMiss Butterworth and the Mad Baron , first hinted at in the seventh book in the series (50,000-copy first printing). After a four-year renovation, Paris's glamorous Hotel Louis XVI reopens, with Steel allowingComplications to erupt. - LJ Express Reviews : LJ Express Reviews
DEBUT London-based widower Mukesh grieves the loss of his wife Naina and passes his days in routine loneliness. Seventeen-year-old Aleisha is working in her local library for the summer, escaping the troubles at home and tamping down university anxiety. When Mukash visits the library to return a book for his late wife and hoping to use reading to connect with his young and alienated granddaughter Priya, Aleisha gives him a list of novels she discovered in a returned copy of
Copyright 2021 LJExpress.To Kill a Mockingbird . As Aleisha, Mukash, and then Priya read through the list together, their lives open in surprising directions, demonstrating once again the enriching qualities of the novel.VERDICT This thoughtful and heartwarming debut joyfully joins Gabrielle Zevin'sThe Storied Life of A.J. Fikry , Antoine Laurain'sThe Red Notebook , and Nina George'sThe Little Paris Bookshop as yet another homage to the power of books and reading. An absolute delight to read, it will be catnip to book groups craving a story to remind them why we read and how very important libraries and book shops are.âSusan Clifford Braun, Bainbridge Island, WA - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2021 June #4
Adams's winsome debut follows a widower who takes up reading in order to honor the memory of his wife. After Londoner Mukesh's wife, Naina, dies, he picks up the book she was reading before she died,
Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly.The Time-Traveler's Wife , hoping "to turn the black letters and yellowed pages into a letter from Naina to him." When he later returns the book to the library, he meets the restless and prickly 17-year-old library worker Aleisha, who reluctantly took the job after encouragement from her troubled older brother, also a bookworm. As time passes, Mukesh and Aleisha become good friends, with Mukesh and his granddaughter, Priya, joining in on a reading list Aleisha found tucked in a returned book, which includes such classics asTo Kill a Mockingbird ,Little Women , andBeloved . When the creator of the list is revealed, there isn't much in the way of surprise, but it gains emotional resonance after Adams links the list to a late-breaking tragic event. Adams is a brisk and solid plotter, and has an easy hand with creating characters who are easy to root for. Readers will be charmed and touched.Agent: Hayley Steed, Madeleine Milburn Literary. (Aug.) - School Library Journal Reviews : SLJ Reviews 2021 August
Elderly Mukesh Patel has become a hermit since the death of his wife. Naina was an avid reader, a passion Mukesh never shared. Happening upon a library copy of
Copyright 2021 School Library Journal.The Time Traveler's Wife that she'd forgotten to return, he starts to read it and finds himself entranced. Teenager Aleisha is not a reader and is completely bored with her summer job as a library clerk. While she's checking in books, a piece of paper falls out of one. Titled "JUST IN CASE YOU NEED IT," it's a list of eight classic books, beginning withTo Kill a Mockingbird . With nothing else to do, she decides to read all the books on the list. Aleisha shares the list with Mukesh, who soon begins to use the library as an escape from his too-quiet home. The feeling of being immersed into the world of a book is accurately depicted. The novel is divided into sections based upon each book, and the characters eventually learn how the books' themes resonate in their own lives.VERDICT This is a book for lovers of books, especially fiction. It might also be perfect for those whothink they don't love books.âMarlyn Beebe, Long Beach P.L., CA