Guest post by book addict, literary consultant and blogger Sumaiyya Naseem! Sumaiyya is a bookworm and reading enthusiast from Jeddah and I’ve been following her awesome Sumaiyya books Instagram account for ages. I’m always in awe (and admittedly a bit jealous too) of how she has the time to consume all the great books she posts about. I asked Sumaiyya to share with us her top recommended books from the Middle East.
The following is her top 15 book choices written by authors from the Middle East region. I loved this list and found so many great book recommendations I can’t wait to get a hold of some of these gems. Have you read any of them? My personal favorite from the ones I’ve read on this list is A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. What’s yours?
Here’s Sumaiyyah’s tip for finding these books for readers living in Saudi Arabia: “Some of the books are available in Jarir bookstore and Virgin (usually), but it’s best to order them from Amazon (they ship to Saudi post where people can pick it up) or Book Depository (free shipping).
1. The Bastard of Istanbul
Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak
A mysterious family curse, a clairvoyant and her jinns, and two young women at the heart of it all. This is a beautiful, powerful book with strong female characters, a lot of history and family secrets. It also has its fair share of young intellectuals (in Café Kundera of all places) and the search for identity and heritage. The Bastard of Istanbul is definitely a must read and a wonderful introduction into the world of Elif Shafak.
“That was the one thing about the rain that likened it to sorrow: You did your best to remain untouched, safe and dry, but if and when you failed, there came a point in which you started seeing the problem less in terms of drops than as an incessant gush, and thereby you decide you might as well get drenched.”
...[ Continue to next page ]
Share This Post
