The READING LIST-A Book to Be Banned for being so Bad DO NOT READ IT

"The Reading List" by Sara Adams is intended as a tribute to bibliophiles. Sara Adams was born in England to Indian and English parents. The story is set in contemporary West London and connects two families of Indian heritage. The catalyst for the connection is a brusque conversation between Mukesh, a recently widowed older gentleman and Aleisha, a high school student who begrudgingly takes the desk job at the library. Mukesh's wife with whom he shared 3 daughters and 3 grandchildren was a dynamic, outgoing woman and voracious reader. Aleisha is a very intelligent teenager dealing with her parents' split, her mother's clinical depression and her own isolation from her peers. Though well intended as a symbiotic story of love, friendship and the omnipotence of reading, this is a mawkish melodrama over- loaded with trite witticisms. The reading list in the title refers to a mysterious scrap of paper discovered by Aleisha and several others with the titles of 11 novels. Mukesh meanders hesitantly to the library to return his wife's misplaced, over due library book, "The Time Traveler's Wife." Mukesh requests a reading selection from the librarian. Aleisha happened to be the librarian on duty. Meanwhile, Aleisha having dealt with her mother's debilitating depression, her attitude was gloomy and she's curt with Mukesh. From this unfavorable encounter, a friendship is germinated and flourishes along with the discoveries of pleasures stemming from reading; especially exchanges from shared readings. I'm vehemently opposed to censorship and book banning. I'm also against banal insights that are intended as pearls of wisdom. The author touches on the obvious memes of what reading deems. Aliesha needs a respite from her dismal days at home and finds "reading creates magic beyond its pages". Mukesh discovers "comfort in curling up with a book and his lonely days go faster." Both main characters make the obvious observation that reading is a good way of connecting with others. Aleisha's beloved older brother kills himself by jumping in front of a train which further exacerbated Aleisha's mental state and puts the final nail in the coffin on this already dreaded read. Oh brother! If the story wasn't maudlin enough already, Mukesh gets the idea of having a community gathering at the library not unlike Mickey Rooney wanting to put on a show to save the day. Mukesh suggested to Aliesha making the event a tribute to her late brother and encouraging support of the local library threatened to be shut down. "Snack and Stay" was the motto for the day to entice people to attend. At the very end of this overly long story is the miraculous discovery of a posthumous letter from Mukesh's late wife which resolves the enigmatic matter of the origin of the reading list. Why did I take the time to finish reading this annoying novel? It was the book assigned for the local library's monthly book group. It was a BIG MISTAKE and a big waste of time and paper.