Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme that was started by @Lauren’s Page Turners but is now currently being hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog. This meme is quite easy to follow – just randomly pick a book from your to-be-read list and give the reasons why you want to read it. It is that simple.

This week’s book:

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

Blurb from Goodreads

An unforgettable and heartwarming debut about how a chance encounter with a list of library books helps forge an unlikely friendship between two very different people in a London suburb.

Widower Mukesh lives a quiet life in the London Borough of Ealing 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. 

Why I Want To Read It

Happy Monday everyone! Today happens to be the first Monday of December. The cold breeze has been making its presence felt lately; the notorious Manila heat has not been as stifling. The holiday seasons are just around the corner. As the year draws to a close, I hope you have all received or will receive the gifts that you have been pining for since the start of the year. I hope that your prayers have been answered and that you are reaping the fruits of the seeds you have sowed throughout the year. I also pray for your healing and that you will find the heart to forgive those who have trespassed against you. More importantly, I hope that you are all doing well and are all healthy, in spirit, mind, and body. If there is one wish that I hope would be granted it would be for this pandemic to end. 2022 is just over the horizon but I am anxious on what it will bring, not just to me but to everyone .

Monday is not my favorite day of the week and the tediousness of everything that happened today also reaffirms it. Haha. But then again, we still have to survive the day. If there is one thing I look forward to at the start of the week it would be a new Goodreads Monday update. With my reading rush, I am finally down to the last book in my 2021 Top 21 Reading List; I am currently reading James Baldwin’s semi-autobiographical novel, Go Tell It On The Mountain. After completing Richard Adams’ Watership Down, I have now officially completed my Goodreads 2021 Reading challenge. Yay!

Those are my latest updates. However, I am veering away from the spirit of this Goodreads Monday update (HAHA). For my Goodreads Monday updates, I have lately been featuring books that I recently added to my (perpetually growing) reading list. One of the latest additions to my Goodreads “Want to Read” is Sara Nisha Adams’ The Reading List.

Sara Nisha Adams, like Caleb Azumah Nelson whose work, Open Waters, was featured in last week’s Goodreads Monday update, is a British writer of mixed heritage. The Reading List is her debut novel; yes, Open Waters is also Nelson’s debut novel. Both books were also published in 2021. Another thing the two books and writers share in common: I randomly encountered them and out of sheer curiosity, I added them to my reading list because why not. With the rise of up and coming writers, I can’t help but also jump into the bandwagon. I am still a little apprehensive about this new breed of writers and voices on the rise but it wouldn’t hurt to try I guess.

Interestingly, The Reading List was inspired by Adams’ grandfather. Through reading and books, he found a connection with his granddaughter. This makes me look forward to what the book has in store. A book about books is bound to be beautiful, right? At least most of the time. How about you fellow reader? What are the most recent additions to your reading lists? Perhaps you could share it in the comment box. For now, happy Monday! I hope you will all have a great week ahead! And as always, happy reading!

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