If you love to read books about people who love books, this one is going to be right up your street! Our conversation will focus on The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

“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”.

Our Book Group is drop-in friendly, attendance is flexible, and you join-in when you choose to, no guilt.

We aim to centre the experience around relaxed and informal discussion and community. We value open dialogue, diverse viewpoints, and thoughtful exploration.

Enjoy lively conversation, and a Zoom room full of people who care about ideas, ethics, and being human in the world.

Kindly facilitated by our volunteer book group facilitators Gillian, Jenny, and Shelley.