Middle East/North African Lit discussion

Dear All,
Marhaba/hello! We're thinking about 2024 and want to hear your ideas. I was thinking of having 4 group reads like last year (and beyond that, members can also create their own unlimited buddy reads). I'm envisioning 3 of these as open reads, but if there's a book numerous people want to read, that can be changed...

1. Jan.–Mar. Open read for a Children’s/YA Book ("open read" = shared theme, book of your choice)
I’m reading The Turtle of Oman and The Turtle of Michigan by Naomi Shihab Nye.

2. Apr.–Jun. Open read for a book of poetry
(I have a book of poetry by a Saudi poet I’ve been meaning to read for awhile, but it’s only in Arabic.)

3. Jul.–Sep. Open read for Imaginative Fiction
My TBR include several in Arabic only, including two books by Ahmed Salah Al-Mahdi. He also has at least one YA fantasy in English: Reem: Into the Unknown.

4. Oct.–Dec. Historical/Mystery: The Djinn's Apple (تفاح الجن) by Djamila Morani will be coming out in Sawad Hussain's English translation in May 2024. To allow easy access for as many as possible, we can read it toward the end of the year. Who's interested in this?

In case there is any one interested in an Arabic-only buddy read, I'm planning to read these books that are not yet available in EN in 2024:
1) أوراق قديمة – عفاف طباله
2) fiction by Emily Nasrallah – محطات الرحيل | خبزنا اليومي

What do YOU want to read in 2024 that relates to the MENA/SWANA region? Let us know here!

Sounds good. I hope to participate more next year. I don't know where my time is gone this year. So thanks a lot for your power.

Thanks Johanna for responding! This group is available for members to use in different ways, according to your needs, which can shift from one time to another. I hope it's helpful for you and all the members in the coming year, whether it's just a reference viewed briefly in the rush of a busy season or a place where you can read thoughtfully and take time to converse with others about your experience and ideas.

For 2024, I'm thinking-

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak - probably in January

poetry by Naomi Shihab Nye - perhaps for Arab American Heritage month in April

and something for Pride Month in June- maybe A Map of Home: A Novel by Randa Jarrar or You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat

Does 'open read' mean to read within the theme, not necessarily same book? I could be up for a Naomi Shihab Nye children's book since I saw some of those in Open Library as well.

Hi Jen, Thanks for your response. Yes, that's exactly what is meant by "open read" - a book of your choice within the category. I've edited my post to include an explanation, as well as the months when I'm envisioning each to occur. If changes are wanted, let us know. We're happy to hear everyone's thoughts!

I am not sure about my choices for each theme yet. I hope That The Djinn's Apple will be out for a group read in Oct.–Dec. :)

Niledaughter wrote: "I am not sure about my choices for each theme yet. I hope That The Djinn's Apple will be out for a group read in Oct.–Dec. :)"

I would be interested in this too!

I have not been active for quite a while and hope to participate some next year. I like the sound of the Djinn book being translated next year. I’m not sure if I would participate in all 4 sections but it gives me a goal to consider.

I hope Dijnn book comes in time :)

For the children book category in January, I think I may give Wondrous Journeys in Strange Lands a try :)


Jen wrote: "For 2024, I'm thinking-

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak - probably in January..."

I may go for it but after finishing The Architect's Apprentice.

Niledaughter wrote: "I may go for it but after finishing The Architect's Apprentice..."

It will be my first by this author.

Maybe this book would be worth reading together: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

Niledaughter wrote: "Jen wrote: "For 2024, I'm thinking
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak - probably in January..."

I may go for it but after finishing The Architect's Apprentice.


..."

Cool :)

So, for first quarter/children's book, I'm thinking about Sitti's Secrets by Naomi Shihab Nye.
For second quarter/poetry, I was going to read poetry also by Nye. Although David's idea sounds lovely too.
For the last quarter, the suggested book sounds fun. We'll see closer to date if it's accessible and I have time.

Thanks for the ideas! I'd be happy to read The Translator of Desires: Poems, as David suggested. A related book is Agitated Air: Poems After Ibn Arabi, poems that resulted from a collaboration between 2 translators (Robin Moger and Yasmine Seale) reworking poems by Ibn Arabi from the 13th c. With this one, we could probably do Q&A with 1 or both of the translators if there was interest. I don't know Michael Sells personally (the translator in David's suggestion), but I have lots of respect for his work and would be happy to read it.

I'm happy to discuss Sitti's Secrets. Poetry by Nye is a great idea. She has a wonderful way with words. Here's an excellent list of children's books on Palestine: https://www.kotobli.com/en/lists/16-c...

Happy New year everyone!
Reminder:

We will start our year with: Open read for Children/ YA book.

The Djinn's Apple is available on Edelweiss

Great, thank you! The Arablit of Arabic to English translations anticipated in 2024: https://arablit.org/2024/01/01/arabic...

Mona wrote: "The Djinn's Apple is available on Edelweiss"

Great news!

Niledaughter wrote: "Happy New year everyone!
Reminder:

We will start our year with: Open read for Children/ YA book."

It is opn in here
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Will we do a challenge this year?

Jalilah, do you have something in mind or do you want to continue with the old one?

Jalilah wrote: "Will we do a challenge this year?"
That was my question too. A challenge helps motivate us to read widely and ask for recommendations from others!

Niledaughter wrote: "Jalilah, do you have something in mind or do you want to continue with the old one?"

Not really! I like the way there are so many regions.


Rachel wrote: "Jalilah wrote: "Will we do a challenge this year?"
That was my question too. A challenge helps motivate us to read widely and ask for recommendations from others!"

Exactly!

OK. we can continue as it is then :)

I wanted to know if it's possible to have a discord for discussions - it tends to be more active then?

Is there anyone else here who would participate in a discord discussion?

Nice when the challance runs again. I wasn't very succesfull last year, but you cann't know what's this year! And happy newyear for all of you!

Melanie wrote: "Is there anyone else here who would participate in a discord discussion?"

Sounds interesting, but I don't know what to discusse there.

Niledaughter wrote: "OK. we can continue as it is then :)"

The new challenge (2024) is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Niledaughter wrote: "Niledaughter wrote: "OK. we can continue as it is then :)"

The new challenge (2024) is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/..."

Shukran! ❤️

Melanie wrote: "Dear All,
Marhaba/hello! We're thinking about 2024 and want to hear your ideas. I was thinking of having 4 group reads like last year (and beyond that, members can also create their own unlimited b..."

Hey, I wanted to ask about the term imaginative fiction cuz I don't find much when I google it. Would it mean stories with imagined worlds or other otherworldly elements?
How do others understand this term?

You can interpret it however you like, just fiction if you prefer. For me, yes I had in mind imagined worlds or something out of the ordinary (that requires imagination).

Melanie wrote: "You can interpret it however you like, just fiction if you prefer. For me, yes I had in mind imagined worlds or something out of the ordinary (that requires imagination)."

Ok thanks. I like the idea of finding something fitting your interpretation to stretch me outside my usual reading style :)

At the moment, I'm tempted by The Djinn Falls in Love & Other Stories which includes but is not entirely MENA authors; and also A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark, also a short story. Oh pardon, this author is from the US.

Another one I'd be interested in for second quarter- poetry by Garous Abdolmalekian. I read some years ago a beautiful poem that I believe comes from his book Lean Against This Late Hour.

Thanks Jen, that looks wonderful. I've requested a copy :)

Niledaughter wrote: "The new challenge (2024) is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/..."

Thank you! I just wrote my 2024 list :)
Would it be possible to create the reading challenge "tool" like in past years (I mean the challenge with the widget like the one here)?

Yes, I just noticed the 2024 challenge is not up yet

OK, I'll set it once on my computer.

Challenge:

https://www.goodreads.com/challenges/...

Thank you :)

Jen, I know I'm early, but I read Lean Against This Late Hour by Garous Abdolmalekian. I particularly liked this short poem:

Your dress waving in the wind.
This
is the only flag I love.

Melanie wrote: "Jen, I know I'm early, but I read Lean Against This Late Hour by Garous Abdolmalekian. I particularly liked this short poem:

Your dress waving in the wind.
This
is the only flag I ..."

yessss! this is the one I knew already! is the collection worth the read or is this the only standout for you?
I had other poetry ideas for second quarter as well but may not fit them all in. Appreciate the feedback.

Honestly yes it was the only standout for me. The poet is very talented, but there is a lot of violence and sadness (understandable, of course, just heavy).

Melanie wrote: "Honestly yes it was the only standout for me. The poet is very talented, but there is a lot of violence and sadness (understandable, of course, just heavy)."

Oh, that's too bad. That doesn't sound like the direction I want to go with poetry. Thanks for letting me know. I'll likely go a different direction then...

I enjoyed this first quarter devoted to YA and children's reads! I just might try to squeeze one more audiobook in. Let me know if anyone has YA romance suggestions. I'm quite into romances lately :) I loved that romance was part of the story in As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow which I read earlier this year.

My latest ideas for 2nd and 3rd quarter are:

poetry:
-19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East by Naomi Shihab Nye
-Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth by Warsan Shire

imaginative:
-Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed (graphic novel!)
-Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (audiobook is read by the author and has great reviews)
-I Stared at the Night of the City by Bachtyar Ali

And I plan to read When We Were Sisters by Fatimah Asghar. This is a novel but they are also a poet and I've read that poetry is incorporated in this book. So I want to read this and the Naomi Shihab Nye in honor of both Arab-American Heritage Month and Poetry Month next month.

Thanks for the update, Jen! For YA romance, I can recommend The Servant (FYI the original Arabic title is just "Fatin," the protagonist's name). The Open Door by Latifa Al-Zayyat also has romance, but the characters are a bit older (think early 20s, in college). This 2nd book is also longer and more complex than the 1st suggestion.

For anyone who wants to fit in one more kids' book, did I already recommend Banana Dream? I enjoyed it. And not a book, but I recently watched the film "Peace by Chocolate," for anyone who wants a heartwarming film about a Syrian refugee family starting over in small-town Canada.

For the upcoming poetry read, I'm planning to read The Translator of Desires: Poems (pre-modern) and one contemporary in Arabic only: تجاوز.

Hi, I don't think I'll be continuing The Djinn's Apple. I'm sure it's purely a me-thing because it was good objectively to what I read. Although I'll be honest, it felt like it would fall better under middle grade literature than YA.

Hi Mona, No worries. Thanks for the heads-up. I'm still planning to read it later this year and you're welcome to share in the discussion any thoughts you have. Wishing you some good reads this year! :)

Hi All, I just saw a new book, releasing tomorrow: The Jinn Daughter by Rania Hanna (Syrian-American). This could work for the "imaginative lit" open read (tentatively for July-September 2024).

Melanie wrote: "Hi All, I just saw a new book, releasing tomorrow: The Jinn Daughter by Rania Hanna (Syrian-American). This could work for the "imaginative lit" open read (tentat..."

I would love to read this book!

I read the sample and still plan to get the book and read it later this year :)

FYI there is an upcoming free online event series for "Voices of Palestinian Women Authors." Each session will be an interactive experience where participants will have the opportunity to discuss and analyze the selected book. Some of the authors will be present to discuss their work. Requires prior registration at this link:
https://www.eventbrite.es/e/voices-of...