"Widower Mukesh lives a quiet life in West London, where 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 when she discovers a forgotten slip of paper in the back of To Kill a Mockingbird. It's a list of novels she's never heard of before. Intrigued, 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 away 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 wonders if the books might be a lifeline for him too. So begins a new chapter for both of them, as the reading list creates a bond between two lonely souls and even circulates throughout their community, its impact widening as readers learn how fiction

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.

Bright but anxious teenager Aleisha is 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. When she passes along the list to a lonely widower, a connection between two lonely souls is formed, as fiction helps them escape their grief and everyday troubles and find joy again.

Working at the local library, Aleisha reads every book on a secret list she found, which transports her from the painful realities she's facing at home, and decides to pass the list on to a lonely widower desperate to connect with his bookworm granddaughter.

Working at the local library, Aleisha reads every book on a secret list she found, which transports her from the painful realities she's facing at home, and decides to pass the list on to a lonely widower desperate to connect with his bookworm granddaughter.