The Reading List

Synopsis: Mukesh is a lonely widower in Wembley. He lost his beloved wife Naina to cancer two years ago, and he has withdrawn into a solitary life ruled by routine. Mukesh is not a reader, but Naina was, and he finds a copy of The Time Traveler’s Wife taken out of the local library by his wife. He reads it and discovers Naina within it. The story speaks to him about his life for Naina and the heartrending experience of losing her to cancer. This leads Mukesh to the library to return the book, where he has an unpleasant encounter with seventeen year old Aleisha. She has her own issues to deal with! However, the two do ultimately forge a bond. Aleisha finds a crumpled reading list and they begin to read and discuss the books and the surprising impact they make on their lives.

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

Review: This charming debut novel really pulled me in! Sad at times, a little too sweet at times, but it really pulls on your literary heart and your actual heart. It’s a story of how books can help you to hide and escape from the world, but also can help you heal. It’s about families, the ones you are related to and the ones you create. It’s a lovely ode to the joys of reading—how we find comfort in the stories similar to our own, gratitude for our own families after reading about others, and the satisfying stretch of considering a different perspective other than your own. If you have read the books on the reading list, it might bring back great memories of your previous reading pleasure. If you haven’t read them, it might inspire you! I had read all but A Suitable Boy, so look for that in a future blog post. Well, maybe, it’s 1500 pages!! That’s a lot of reading. I was initially slow to warm up to this book, but after the first few chapters I became a fan.

Rating: 4/5

Recipe: Mukesh is struggling a bit in the kitchen. It’s implied that his wife did most of the cooking, and his daughters worry that all he is eating is mung beans. I’ll admit, I’m not familiar with mung beans. They are cultivated mainly in East, Southeast, and South Asia, and not that familiar to us in the US. Split peas or lentils would make a good substitute. And friends, we will not be surprised that like all things, they are available on Amazon.

Ingredients

t tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds

3 tablespoons crushed garlic

14 oz crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger

2 tablespoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 cups water

1 cup mung beans

14 oz can coconut milk

1-2 medium limes, juiced

1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro

1) In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil. Add the cumin seeds and cook for about 1 minute, until they just start to darken.

2) Add the garlic, sauce 3-4 minutes

3) Add the crushed tomatoes, ginger, coriander, turmeric, salt and cayenne and stir to combine. Sauce for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

4) Add the water and the mung beans. Increase the heat, bring to a boil, the reduce to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.

5) Once the beans are cooked, stir in the coconut milk. Raise heat to medium until it just comes to a boil. then turn heat off, add cilantro and the juice of one lime.