The Reading List was a book club choice. I knew nothing about it, but reserved both the Kindle and audiobook at my local library. And lucky me, it was the audiobook that was available first. What a treat to immerse myself in the various voices and accents of Wembley, a neighborhood near London.
At its core, there is the mystery of this handwritten list of books:
Just in case you need it:
To Kill a Mockingbird
Rebecca
The Kite Runner
Life of Pi
Pride and Prejudice
Little Women
Beloved
A Suitable Boy
That same list is found by people all over the neighborhood. At the market, the Hindu temple, the yoga studio, and at the library. Is it random? Or had the recipients been chosen?
The list of books, its rationale, and who wrote it remain a mystery until the end. Still, the books and the library work their magic as a lonely widower, an unhappy teenage girl, and others are drawn together over the books on the list. They learn that “The library isn’t just about books.”
A few quotes from the book about the power and magic of books:
“Please try to remember that books aren’t always an escape; sometimes books teach us things. They show us the world; they don’t hide it.”
“Sometimes, books just take us away for a little while, and return us to our place with a new perspective.”
“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.”
“Books always change as the person who reads them changes too.”
When I was still teaching (ages ago now), I often stressed the connections books allow us to make. Between the book and ourselves, between books and other books, and between books and the world. This book makes all those heartfelt connections beautifully.
Recommend.
If you like books about books, please click to read about two of my favorites: Here and here.
Furthermore, there is growing evidence that reading fiction helps build empathy by letting us spend time seeing the world from another person’s point of view. It turns out Atticus Finch was right. Just something to think about when it comes to the issue of censorship and divisive politics.
Sara is a writer and editor. She lives in London and was born in Hertfordshire to Indian and English parents. Her debut novel The Reading List is partly inspired by her grandfather, who lived in Wembley and immediately found a connection with his granddaughter through books.
Lorie Smith Schaefer 