Team What's On share what they are reading this summer
Novel ideas…
Calling all readers! Looking for some suggestions on what books to purchase next?
From heart-string-yanking memoirs to seductive romantic page-turners, this is your invitation to join our beach wear book club, and find out What’s On our essential vacation reads list.
Excessively Obsessed by Natasha Oakley
I’m ashamed to admit that my typical summer books to take to the beach are easy-read, predictable ending romance novels by authors like Emily Henry and Carly Fortune. Mostly because I like to go back to it after a day or two and not have completely forgotten where I left off. But for my European adventures this summer, I’m packing Excessively Obsessed, the empowering book for entrepreneurs by Natasha Oakley. The Monday Swimwear founder has penned her guide to reaching your own goals and stepping out of your comfort zone, both high on my 2024 agenda. – Alice Holtham-Pargin, Group Editor
Dhs100, amazon.ae
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Nothing says captivating ‘holiday read’ like a treatise on metaphysics and the nature of existence by a Roman emperor who’s been dead for nearly two thousand years. Yep, I’m that fun at parties. I must have read it 12 or 13 times in the past, but I will never be done with what the Philosopher King’s Meditations has to teach me. It’s essentially a collection of his thoughts, a stream of stoic consciousness that is so infinitely dense with relevant mantra that it probably registers as having tangible mass. Reading it in a relaxed setting, with time for the mind to wander, amplifies its centring effects, but don’t take my word for it, as old mate Marcus says “Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.” – Miles Buckeridge, Deputy Editor
Dhs38, amazon.ae
I am Zlatan Ibrahimovic by David Lagercrantz and Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Absolutely worth a re-read. I first read Ibra’s autobiography a decade ago and was very fascinated with everything it packed. Learn more about one of the greatest footballers in history, who’s lived his life and career as a brash, outspoken, walk-the-talk persona, putting critics in their place and racking up records like nobody’s business. Notable things you’d want to look out for include his career-defining relationship with super-agent Mino Raiola, how he first met his wife Helena after blocking her off in traffic, and misadventures from his childhood in Malmo. There might also be a couple mentions in there about how he made the bicycle kick his signature move. Enjoy. –Dinesh Ramanathan, Deputy Editor
Dhs68, amazon.ae
Jo van Gogh-Bonger: The Woman who Made Vincent Famous by Hans Luijten
I have an entire bookcase dedicated to just my art books, and one I can’t wait to dive into before my Amsterdam vacation in September is this eye-opener by Hans Luijten. Little is known about Johanna van Gogh-Bonger who made Van Gogh THE Van Gogh, but this book showcases how she took charge of the artist’s legacy and devoted her life after her husband’s (Theo, Van Gogh’s brother) death to spreading his name and work. From navigating a male-dominated art world to publishing his letters, organising exhibitions in The Netherlands, and making strategic sales, this book is an informative biography, giving a much-needed voice to the dedicated woman who introduced the world to the greatest painter of all time. –Aarti Saundalkar, Online Reporter
Dhs91, amazon.com
Against The Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa
Like many watching the ongoing horror in Palestine through a screen, I’ve felt a range of emotions, from anger to helplessness. Now more than ever, it’s important to dig deeper, educate ourselves on the history of the situation, and to shed a light on Palestinian voices. From the author of the international bestselling book Mornings in Jenin comes Against the Loveless World. This fiction-grounded-in-reality novel offers a unique, compelling perspective through the lens of Nahr, a female Palestinian refugee. It’s an eye-opening, heartbreaking, and gripping read. Based on interviews conducted by Abulhawa, who was born in Kuwait after her family suffered the first Nakba, the book sheds light on the enduring resilience and suffering of the Palestinian people. You’ll be glad you’re wearing your sunnies, that’s all I can say. –Tamara Wright, Online Reporter
Dhs60, uae.kinokuniya.com
The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons
First, a before-you-read warning, this isn’t an easy book to read – I glide through the pages because it is such a gripping book. But it isn’t easy. This romantic novel follows the love story of Tatiana and Alexander in 1941 Leningrad, Soviet Union as the German army advances through the country on a war path. It’s heartbreaking at times, hearing about the hardships that Tatiana and her family have to endure during the harsh cold winter without heating, or food supplies, while Alexander is away fighting in the war. I will not spoil too much, but the tears I shed and the laughs I have let out reading this book every year say it all. It’s a special book to me as it is one that my mother and I try to read annually – so there’s also sentimental value. I forgot to mention, it’s a trilogy of about 900 pages per book – settle in for a long but beautiful ride. -Shelby Gee, Junior Reporter
Dhs85, amazon.ae
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
This one has been on my list for a while now and the hope is that I’ll get around to reading it this summer. Being a somewhat confused third-culture kid, stories of immigrants, especially stories of Indian immigrants trying to find their place in a foreign land, really resonate with me. The Namesake is one such story of a Bengali family settled in America and what a generational gap entails. Being in the Middle East, I never had the kind of struggle that the protagonists of a lot of these stories do, living in a far more alienating era of the West, but grappling with a diluted understanding of your cultural self is still a universal tale, and writers like Jhumpa Lahiri speak my written language – real, grounded, human and full of heart. In the future, when I have a bestselling book on the shelf, that’s what I want it to emulate. –Manaal Fatimah Junior Reporter
Dhs38, amazon.ae