The Boundless Book Club

In this episode, Annabelle and Andrea team up with Nivea Serrao to take on some of the buzziest books from social media. They are also joined by the YA superstar, social media sensation and one of the New York Times youngest bestselling authors, the one and only Chloe Gong. (TikTok: @thechloegong)

To find out more about the impact social media is having on literature, listen to Episode 3 from this season.

Books and authors mentioned in this episode include:

One of Us is Lying, by Karen M McManus

The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars in this twisty page turner.

These Violent Delights, by Chloe Gong

Romeo & Juliette in 1920s Shanghai with a big bad threatening the very existence of our protagonists.

This Woven Kingdom, by Tahereh Mafi

A Cinderella story set in a magical Middle East-flavoured kingdom, with magic, Jinn, and forbidden love, blowing up on TikTok.

About Chloe Gong:

Chloe Gong is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights and its sequel Our Violent Ends. She is a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she double-majored in English and International Relations. Born in Shanghai and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Chloe is now located in New York pretending to be a real adult.

Need more recommendations? How about some armchair travel or perhaps we can tempt you with the Best Books of 2021 for your TBR?

About us:

Andrea Gissdal is the Ex Head of Communications and Marketing for the Emirates Literature Foundation, and current resident podcaster. A book pusher and compulsive book clubber, she is a literary omnivore with a preference for fiction. Andrea also dabbles in creative writing, and once scored 82 points in one move in Scrabble. Best day ever.

Annabelle Corton is the English Programme Manager at the Emirates Literature Foundation. She runs the Festival Book Club and has a background in guesting and presenting on talk radio shows about various literary topics. She likes words like ‘equinox’ and ‘vespa’, and loves a good pun. She’ll read anything in reach, but has a fondness for witty tussles of good vs. evil on page and screen, especially vampire fiction where a great deal is at stake. Get it? Stake? ….She’s not sorry.

Dipping into the cool pond of myths and magical make believe, Ahlam and Andrea share their top tips before speaking with actor, director, comedian and author of wonderful children's books, Ben Miller!

Books and authors mentioned include:

Shahnameh: The Epic of the Persian Kings, by Ferdowsi

Part myth, part history, these epic tales contain magical birds, superhuman heroes and centuries-long battles.

The Silence of the Girls, by Pat Barker

This retelling of the Iliad and the battle of Troy from another perspective works not only as a great story, but makes us question history as we know it.

Ben Miller is an actor, director and comedian and the bestselling author of magical stories for all the family: The Night I Met Father Christmas, The Boy Who Made the World Disappear, The Day I Fell Into a Fairytale, How I Became a Dog Called Midnight and Diary of a Christmas Elf. His next children's book will be released in September 2022. He is best-known for the Armstrong and Miller sketch show, the Johnny English and Paddington films, BBC's Death in Paradise and recent Netflix smash, Bridgerton.

About us:

Ahlam Bolooki is the Festival Director for the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, the largest celebration of the written and spoken word in the Arab World. Ahlam finds it difficult to choose a favourite genre as it’s always changing and she’s still in the midst of discovering her literary self. She’s catching up on all the gems she missed as a child such as The Little Prince and The Giving Tree, but has also developed a new appetite for Crime Fiction so who knows what’s next?

Andrea Gissdal is the Ex Head of Communications and Marketing for the Emirates Literature Foundation, and current resident podcaster. A book pusher and compulsive book clubber, she is a literary omnivore with a preference for fiction. Andrea also dabbles in creative writing, and once scored 82 points in one move in Scrabble. Best day ever.

Annabelle Corton is the English Programme Manager at the Emirates Literature Foundation. She runs the Festival Book Club and has a background in guesting and presenting on talk radio shows about various literary topics. She likes words like ‘equinox’ and ‘vespa’, and loves a good pun. She’ll read anything in reach, but has a fondness for witty tussles of good vs. evil on page and screen, especially vampire fiction where a great deal is at stake. Get it? Stake? ….She’s not sorry.

On this episode the team talk about some smashing debut novels, before they are joined by the critics' favourite debut writer of 2022, Jo Browning Wroe, author of A Terrible Kindness, who shares some of the background to her debut novel as well as some great writing tips.

Books and authors:

Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus

Set in the 1960s, this is a story of an unconventional female scientist with a quiet game-plan to change the world, and Tamreez loved it.

How to Kill Your Family, by Bella Mackie

Andrea is on a mission to make everyone laugh out loud in public by pushing this revenge comedy slash family drama slash slasher.

Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors, by Aravind Jayan

A bittersweet comedy offering candid insight into contemporary Indian society and an online generation, Annabelle predicts this one will be big when it drops in July.

Jo Browning Wroe grew up in a crematorium in Birmingham. She has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia and is now Creative Writing Supervisor at Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge. Her debut novel, A Terrible Kindness, was shortlisted for the Bridport Peggy Chapman-Andrews award. 

About us:

Andrea Gissdal is the Ex Head of Communications and Marketing for the Emirates Literature Foundation, and current resident podcaster. A book pusher and compulsive book clubber, she is a literary omnivore with a preference for fiction. Andrea also dabbles in creative writing, and once scored 82 points in one move in Scrabble. Best day ever.

Annabelle Corton is the English Programme Manager at the Emirates Literature Foundation. She runs the Festival Book Club and has a background in guesting and presenting on talk radio shows about various literary topics. She likes words like ‘equinox’ and ‘vespa’, and loves a good pun. She’ll read anything in reach, but has a fondness for witty tussles of good vs. evil on page and screen, especially vampire fiction where a great deal is at stake. Get it? Stake? ….She’s not sorry.

In this episode Andrea and Annabelle investigate modern love with psychologist, relationship expert, and author, Ty Tashiro.

As always, there are two fantastic novels to consider when you explore the evolution of love and relationships.

Books and authors mentioned:

Love Marriage, by Monica Ali

Two families come together and unravel ahead of their children's wedding. Characters with depth deal with their secrets and traumas in this beautiful novel.

Exciting Times, by Naoise Dolan

A more modern relationship story would be heard to find, from the poster child of the millennial novel.

Dr Ty Tashiro is an author, social scientist, and relationship expert with a Ph.D in Psychology. His first book, The Science of Happily Ever After, shows how our decision-making abilities falter when it comes to choosing mates and how insights from social science can help us make smarter decisions.

In Awkward: The Science of Why We’re Socially Awkward and Why That’s Awesome, he explains why some of the same characteristics that make people feel socially awkward can be the same traits that propel them toward extraordinary achievements.

About us:

Andrea Gissdal is the Ex Head of Communications and Marketing for the Emirates Literature Foundation, and current resident podcaster. A book pusher and compulsive book clubber, she is a literary omnivore with a preference for fiction. Andrea also dabbles in creative writing, and once scored 82 points in one move in Scrabble. Best day ever.

Annabelle Corton is the English Programme Manager at the Emirates Literature Foundation. She runs the Festival Book Club and has a background in guesting and presenting on talk radio shows about various literary topics. She likes words like ‘equinox’ and ‘vespa’, and loves a good pun. She’ll read anything in reach, but has a fondness for witty tussles of good vs. evil on page and screen, especially vampire fiction where a great deal is at stake. Get it? Stake? ….She’s not sorry.

For many years, people have been talking about the decline of the book, with shorter attention spans and a general thirst for instant gratification. But we have seen reading and books make a major mainstream come-back since the start of the pandemic. 

So instead of interviewing an author or recommending books, today, we dive into the results of a study we have just published about trends in literature with our partners and friends from Four Communications.

The Emirates Literature Foundation team are joined by Natalie Amos, Managing Director Lifestyle MENA, and dialling in from London is Truda Spruyt, Managing director Culture at Four Communications, where her clients include the International Booker Prize, and the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction.

Download the white paper: https://www.elfdubai.org/en/white-paper-read-between-the-lines

Click here to take the test and find out what kind of reader you are!

It is a gorgeous sunny morning in Dubai, but readers know there is always darkness lurking beneath the surface. In this episode the Emirates Literature Foundation team talk about sneaky, manipulative, and secretive behaviours.

Andrea and Annabelle are joined by Maham for a quick book recommendation, before internationally bestselling writer of crime fiction, Sophie Hannah, comes on to talk about her latest book, her characters, and her love of luxury spas.

Books and authors:

Sometimes I Lie, by Alice Feeny

Twisty enough to make your head spin, nothing is what it seems in this domestic noir. read it now before the TV show starring Sarah Michelle Gellar comes out.

The God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy

A family drama or a textbook of morality? Maham recommends a favourite read where each of the characters have secrets to hide.

The Couple at the Table, by Sophie Hannah

Six couples. One luxury resort. And the perfect murder.

A woman on her honeymoon receives a note warning her about the couple at the table next to hers, but all the tables are the same distance from each other. Who would write this note, and what does it mean?

Sophie Hannah is the master of outlandish and impossible mysteries, and in this podcast she explains how she plots her novels, and how she found inspiration in the works of Agatha Christie, even before she began writing Poirot novels.

It's the end of January. We don't know how it came around so soon, but it did, and the pressure is on for that fresh slate feeling - and books are here to help. On this episode of The Boundless Book Club Ahlam, Andrea and Annabelle are joined by the Emirates Literature Foundation's very own Maham Uzair to recommend four books to help you live your #bestlife, in a realistic, genuinely useful and practical way all with authors who are appearing at this year's Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. No quick fixes here, thankyouverymuch.

Books mentioned in this episode:

The Doctor's Kitchen by Dr Rupy Aujla

Another cookbook you'll buy and abandon on the shelf? Not so with Dr Rupy who knows a thing or two about busy schedules as an NHS GP. The path to a healthier life is through small consistent changes so even if you don't make a single recipe from his books, the guiding principles and ingredient lists are the arsenal you need when you're not sure what to add to that mystery curry you're making when you get home, or what to buy on your next grocery shop.

The Cracks that Let the Light In by Jessica Moxham

This recommendation is inspiration fodder for absolutely anyone, especially parents who need a guiding light in dark times. As Jess herself says - "This is a book about what happened when it felt like my life had fallen apart and how I put it back together. It’s about family, love and how to be happy despite your life turning out nothing like you planned." and in these uncertain times, Jess' story is all the more relevant.

Twelve and a Half by Gary Vaynerchuk

In his latest bestselling book, GaryVee shares how he has embraced twelve and a half key skills to become a better leader. Not only is Gary Vaynerchuk a serial entrepreneur and one of the world’s leading marketing experts, he is also the author of six bestselling business books, including most recently Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success. He is the chairman of VaynerX and CEO of the media agency VaynerMedia.

Languages of Loss by Sasha Bates

After the unexpected death of her husband Bill, Sasha draws on her years of psychotherapy work in this book to make sense of her own personal experience of grief. Wherever you’re at in your own relationship with grief and loss, this book is a practical exploration of grappling with difficult and overwhelming emotions, and is an excellent and necessary reminder that it's ok to feel what you're feeling.

About us:

Ahlam Bolooki is the Festival Director for the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, the largest celebration of the written and spoken word in the Arab World. Ahlam finds it difficult to choose a favourite genre as it’s always changing and she’s still in the midst of discovering her literary self. She’s catching up on all the gems she missed as a child such as The Little Prince and The Giving Tree, but has also developed a new appetite for Crime Fiction so who knows what’s next?

Andrea Gissdal is the Head of Communications and Marketing for the Emirates Literature Foundation. From a voracious and indiscriminate reader as a child, to a part time bookseller as a student, as an adult she has become a literary omnivore but with a preference for fiction. She also dabbles in creative writing, and has a penchant for Scrabble.

Annabelle Corton is the English Programme Manager at the Emirates Literature Foundation. She runs the Festival Book Club and has a background in guesting and presenting on talk radio shows about various literary topics. She likes words like ‘equinox’ and ‘vespa’, and loves a good pun. She’ll read anything in reach, but has a fondness for witty tussles of good vs. evil on page and screen, especially vampire fiction where a...

On this episode the LitFest team are talking about the books that might not get the full page erudite book reviews by venerated critics, but what they do get is a 5/5 for unputdownability. And luckily, these authors are all coming to the Emirates LItFest is February.

Authors and books include:

My Heart is a Chainsaw, by Stephen Graham Jones

Nivea Serrao recommends this beautifully written horror novel.

Sleepyhead, by Mark Billingham

Funny and horrific in equal measures, this is the first outing for DI Tom Thorne, and the start of a 17 book series of bestsellers.

The Hunting Party, by Lucy Foley

A snowed-in murder mystery with toxic friendships? Yes please, says Andrea.

The Bridgerton series, by Julia Quinn

You may have seen the series, but the books are, as always, better. Each book has a different sibling as protagonist, and Nivea particularly recommends The Viscount Who Loved Me.

Yesterday, by Felicia Yap

This speculative fiction and crime mash-up asks, how do you solve a murder when you only remember yesterday?

About us:

Andrea Gissdal is the Head of Communications and Marketing for the Emirates Literature Foundation. From a voracious and indiscriminate reader as a child, to a part time bookseller as a student, as an adult she has become a literary omnivore but with a preference for fiction. She also dabbles in creative writing, and once scored 82 points in one move in Scrabble. Best day ever.

Annabelle Corton is the English Programme Manager at the Emirates Literature Foundation. She runs the Festival Book Club and has a background in guesting and presenting on talk radio shows about various literary topics. She likes words like ‘equinox’ and ‘vespa’, and loves a good pun. She’ll read anything in reach, but has a fondness for witty tussles of good vs. evil on page and screen, especially vampire fiction where a great deal is at stake. Get it? Stake? ….She’s not sorry.

Toxic friendships, septuagenarian sleuths, solar powered robots, and talking religious cats are just a few of the topics addressed on this episode of the Boundless Book Club as Ahlam, Andrea and Annabelle are joined by author Annabel Kantaria to discuss the best books published this year, before moving on to discuss Annabel's own 2021 publication under the pseudonym Anna Kent: domestic thriller The House of Whispers.

About Annabel Kantaria:

Annabel has five published novels, with the latest, The House of Whispers, written under the pseudonym Anna Kent. She has a bachelor's degree in psychology, has worked as an editor for a woman's magazine and teaches workshops on writing and editing, including for inmates in Dubai Central Prison.

Books mentioned in this episode:

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro  

Andrea has scoured the internet for the many 'Best Books of the Year' lists courtesy of critics and booksellers, taking in Vogue, The Guardian, The New York Times and many more. Names like Colson Whitehead with Harlem Shuffle, and Sally Rooney with Beautiful World, Where Are You? come up repeatedly, and in shared second place you'll find Rachel Cusk's Second Place, tied with Jonathan Franzen's Crossroads and Patricia Lockwood's No One Is Talking About This, but the clear winner for the most mentions on these list is Ishiguro's nuanced take on the inner life of a solar powered 'artificial friend' called Klara.

The House of Whispers by Anna Kent

Grace and Abi fell out at university years ago, but now Grace is making contact with Abi after she's started a new life for herself. As Grace slips back into her friend's life, something isn't quite right - and Abi's husband can't help but wonder why Grace has returned to exert this unnerving influence over his wife.

Worst. Idea. Ever. by Jane Fallon

Annabel Kantaria's recommendation is a tale of two best friends whose relationship is threatened when one of them tells a (well-meaning) white lie. Lydia's online business is struggling, and Georgia sets up a fake account to pose as a potential customer but Lydia starts sharing more than business with her, and Georgia is shocked by the truths that start pouring out.

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

Multiple narrators tell this story of a man called Ted who lives in the last house on Needless Street, with his talking, religious cat Olivia, and his daughter Lauren. Children have been disappearing from the lake near Ted's house and Dee, who lost her sister years prior in the same lake, is sure Ted has something to do with it. A roller coaster horror/thriller tale that you'll inhale in one sitting.

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

How can you talk about the best books of 2021 without mentioning the ones that flew off the shelves? After the incredible success of The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman published another cosy crime caper in September this year: Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron are back and this time they have murder, stolen diamonds and violent mobsters to contend with.

About us:

Ahlam Bolooki is the Festival Director for the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, the largest celebration of the written and spoken word in the Arab World. Ahlam finds it difficult to choose a favourite genre as it’s always changing and she’s still in the midst of discovering her literary self. She’s catching up on all the gems she missed as a child such as The Little Prince and The Giving Tree, but has also developed a new appetite for Crime Fiction so who knows what’s next?

Andrea Gissdal is the Head of Communications and Marketing for the Emirates Literature Foundation. From a voracious and indiscriminate reader as a child, to a part time...