Contemporary fiction · Similar reads
Books like The Reading List
The best books like The Reading List are Beloved, A Visit from the Goon Squad, and Bel Canto. The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams is about grief and loss, community and belonging, books as connection. If that's what drew you in, here are 12 books that share its DNA — each summarized on Superbook, and ready to chat with in the app.
- Beloved
01
Toni Morrison · Literary fiction
Beloved is set in post-Civil War Ohio, where Sethe, a formerly enslaved woman, lives with her daughter Denver in a house shadowed by the ghost of a baby she killed rather than let be taken back into slavery.
A kindred contemporary fiction read.
Read the summary → - A Visit from the Goon Squad
02
Jennifer Egan · Literary fiction
A Visit from the Goon Squad is a novel told in thirteen chapters, each from a different point of view and sometimes in a radically different form — including one chapter composed entirely as a PowerPoint presentation.
A kindred contemporary fiction read.
Read the summary → - Bel Canto
03
Ann Patchett · Literary fiction
Bel Canto opens at a birthday party in an unnamed South American country: a Japanese industrialist, Hosokawa, is celebrating in the private residence of the country's vice president, the sole attraction being a performance by his favorite soprano, Roxane Coss.
A kindred contemporary fiction read.
Read the summary → - The Alchemist
04
Paulo Coelho · Religion & Spirituality
The Alchemist is a Brazilian novel first published in 1988 and translated into 80 languages, making it one of the most translated books in history.
A kindred contemporary fiction read.
Read the summary → - Still Life
05
Louise Penny · Mystery
Still Life is the first novel featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec, and the book that introduces the fictional village of Three Pines in Quebec's Eastern Townships.
Shares grief and loss and community and belonging with The Reading List.
Read the summary → - Firefly Lane
06
Kristin Hannah · Contemporary fiction
Tully Hart and Kate Mularkey meet in the summer of 1974 as fourteen-year-olds on Firefly Lane in rural Washington State, and their friendship spans three decades — through high school, college, careers in television journalism, marriages, and heartbreak.
Both dig into grief and loss.
Read the summary → - Remarkably Bright Creatures
07
Shelby Van Pelt · Contemporary fiction
Marcellus is a giant Pacific octopus living in the Sowell Bay Aquarium.
Both dig into grief and loss.
Read the summary → - Reminders of Him
08
Colleen Hoover · Contemporary fiction
Kenna Rowan is released from prison after serving five years for a drunk driving accident that killed her boyfriend Scotty.
Both dig into grief and loss.
Read the summary → - The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
09
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
Gabrielle Zevin · Contemporary fiction
A.J.
Both dig into community and belonging.
Read the summary → - A Fatal Grace
10
Louise Penny · Mystery
A Fatal Grace is the second novel in Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, set in the fictional Quebec village of Three Pines.
Both dig into community and belonging.
Read the summary → - Emma
11
Jane Austen · Classics
Emma Woodhouse is handsome, clever, and rich, and she has been comfortable and a little bit wrong about things her entire life.
Both dig into community and belonging.
Read the summary → - Flowers for Algernon
12
Daniel Keyes · Science fiction
Flowers for Algernon is narrated through progress reports written by Charlie Gordon, a 32-year-old man with an intellectual disability who becomes the first human subject in an experimental surgery designed to dramatically increase intelligence.
Both dig into loneliness.
Read the summary →
Books like The Reading List: quick answers
What are the best books like The Reading List?
The best books like The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams are Beloved by Toni Morrison, A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Still Life by Louise Penny, plus 7 more below. Each was chosen for themes it shares with The Reading List, such as grief and loss, community and belonging, books as connection.
What should I read after The Reading List?
A natural next read after The Reading List is Beloved by Toni Morrison. A kindred contemporary fiction read. Other strong choices are A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
What books are similar to The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams?
The Reading List centers on grief and loss, community and belonging, books as connection. Books with a similar feel include Beloved by Toni Morrison, A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Still Life by Louise Penny, Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah — all free to read and chat with on Superbook.
