For this inaugural episode of the Boundless Book Club from the Emirates Literature Foundation, you’ll find Ahlam, Andrea and Annabelle talking about Isolation, and books that in some way connect to the topic of either physical, or perhaps more common, social isolation.  We also discuss how the social distancing and subsequent lock down has affected our own reading, and what genre we reach for in this time of need. Books recommended in this episode: Men without Women, by Haruki Murakami Ahlam starts off confessing to a penchant for all things Japanese. First up is a collection of short ..read more

The gossip column goes literary in this sixth episode of the Boundless Book Club from the Emirates Literature Foundation where you’ll find Ahlam, Andrea and Annabelle diving into some juicy scandal and controversies from the book world, from the Marxist subtext of Green Eggs and Ham to marketing fails in 2020, and more. Books and authors mentioned in this episode: American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins In American Dirt a Mexican woman has to leave her life behind and escape as an undocumented immigrant to the United States. Within the context of staggering statistics on representation in American p ..read more

In this episode of the Boundless Book Club from the Emirates Literature Foundation, you’ll find Ahlam, Andrea and Annabelle talking about self-help – its popularity as a genre, and if it is something you can find on their own bookshelves.   Books and authors mentioned in this episode: How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from Your Next Raise, Promotion, Or Job, by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith  Andrea wishes she’d found this book years ago and now finds herself nodding along to advice she’s since learned to be true and ‘hold-back’ traits of ..read more

Every year the Booker Prize is awarded to the best original novel written in English and published in the UK. The longlist of 13 is whittled down to a shortlist of six, with much debate and discussion over who should win, who will win, and which books we are most delighted to have discovered. Ahead of the winner announcement on 19 November, Andrea, Ahlam and Annabelle from the Emirates Literature Foundation caught up with Saeed Saeed, Arts and Culture features writer for The National (thenationalnews.com) to d ..read more

Talking about books that are The Business, the Emirates Literature Foundation team delves into the books you can find on the shelves of the business section of a book shop.  With not one but two special guests, this episode welcomes Mimi Nicklin, author of Softening the Edge, who shares her thoughts on harnessing the power of empathy in the corporate world, and the Foundation’s very own CEO and Trustee, Isobel Abulhoul, who brings a book title we, the team around her, try not to take personally.. Books and authors recommended in this episode: Softening the Edge, by Mimi Nicklin Mimi and A ..read more

In this episode of the Boundless Book Club from the Emirates Literature Foundation, you’ll find Ahlam, Andrea and Annabelle talking about fiction and non-fiction books that offer hope in dark times, and which might brighten up your own bookshelf. This topic was suggested by a listener, and we do our best to please. You might be surprised by the books that made the list..   Books and authors mentioned in this episode: Fifty Million Rising, by Saadia Zahidi Nothing says ‘Hope’ quite like cold, hard, facts and figures that demonstrate how an entire generation of women in the Muslim world ent ..read more

In this episode of the Boundless Book Club from the Emirates Literature Foundation, you’ll find Ahlam, Andrea and Annabelle talking to Saeed Saeed, Arts and Culture features writer for The National (thenational.ae), about the voices from the Middle East that we want everyone to know about. There are so many though and this is just a small selection so we will definitely have to revisit this topic. If you have any suggestions, send us a message on social media or ping us an email on comms@emirateslitfest.com.   Books and authors mentioned in this episode: Baghdad Noir, edited by Samuel Shi ..read more

In this second episode of the Boundless Book Club from the Emirates Literature Foundation, you’ll find Ahlam, Andrea and Annabelle asking if there is such a thing as a ‘guilty pleasure’ when it comes to reading, and what books they have hidden at the back of the bookshelf.   In this episode: Love Letters of Great Men, by John C. Kirkland You might be surprised that a book of letters from Bonaparte, Darwin, Churchill and many other old important dudes would be a source of shame, but Ahlam’s reason for purchasing it from a New York bookstore had more to do with the Sex and the City movie an ..read more

Do you have opinions about the show? Tell us what you think, so we can do better: https://survey.zohopublic.com/zs/ahCNu5 ---- In this episode, Andrea and Annabelle look at books that take their characters to some dangerous places, from the isolation of a cabin in the Arctic, to the simmering violence of an African jungle, before speaking to bestselling Icelandic crime writer Yrsa Sigurdardottir about writing crime fiction in the land of fire and ice. Books and authors mentioned in this episode: A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter Austrian housewife Christiane Ritter's memoir ..read more

An espresso and an early start, hot cocoa and cold weather – there are some things in life that are just a perfect match. In this episode, we discover that books are no exception, as Andrea, Ahlam and Annabelle from the Emirates Literature Foundation each select two books that are perfect companions. Side-by-side or one after the other, these are the perfect pairings.   Books and authors mentioned in this episode:   Love in Colour by Bolu Babalola  In this anthology of love stories inspired by legendary figures from myth and history, you can expect to see Nefertiti run ..read more