The Boundless Book Club

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In this episode, we look at books and writers that put forward an unpopular opinion, including persuasive arguments for not becoming a mother, why you should be against empathy, and our author and editor guest Allison K Williams' opinion that not everyone has a book in them (that deserves readers).

Books and authors mentioned in this episode:

Motherhood by Sheila Heti

A thoughtful novel for those who are interested in both unpopular opinions and unique writing styles, Sheila Heti's auto fiction is a writing woman's exploration of motherhood, particularly the taboo reasons why she would not want to shoulder the role society has laid out for women for centuries.

Against Empathy by Paul Bloom

If you're anything like us over at the Boundless Book Club, you might be surprised by Paul Bloom's assertion that empathy is not the guiding light it is portrayed to be. Andrea takes us through this psychologist's take on the dangers of empathy as a tool for decision-making and how rationality and compassion are the way forward if we want to make the world a better place.

About Allison K Williams

Allison K Williams is a Writer, Editor, Speaker and Writing Coach. She is the author of Get Published in Literary Magazines and Seven Drafts: Self-Edit Like a Pro From Blank Page to Book which publishes later this year. She has edited and coached writers to deals with Penguin Random House, Knopf, Mantle, Spencer Hill, St. Martin’s and independent presses. She’s guided essayists to publication in the New Yorker, Time, the Guardian, the New York Times, McSweeney’s and TED Talks. Allison runs the Rebirth Your Book writing retreats virtually and around the world. As Social Media Editor for Brevity, she inspires thousands of writers with blogs on craft and the writing life. A former circus performer, Allison has written for NPR, CBC, the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, Creative Nonfiction, McSweeney’s, Kenyon Review Online and Travelers’ Tales.

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 part of the team that puts together the programme of events for the EmiratesLitFest each year. 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.

This episode was recorded 25 April. Since then, we have seen heart breaking parallels between one of the books we discuss in this episode and the reality facing families in Sheikh Jarrah. Our hearts go out to the families affected, and we pray for a cessation and reversal of the evictions.

In this episode, Ahlam, Andrea and Annabelle discuss books that allow us access to places we would normally be denied, whether glimpsing the afterlife, exile, North Korea, or a fog-covered island dominated by a sinister cult.

Author, translator and expert on North Korea, Immanuel Kim, joins us to share insight into one of the least visited countries in the world.

Books and authors mentioned in this episode:

Kololo Hill by Neema Shah

Partly inspired by her grandparents' journey from India to East Africa in the 1940s and set during the expulsion of Asians from Uganda by Idi Amin in the early 70s, Neema Shah's debut multi-generational story of an Indian family forced to flee their home at the whim of the 'Butcher of Uganda' is a pacey and moving read.

The Cult on Fog Island by Mariette Lindstein

Sometimes it's even harder to leave a place than it is to enter. This is the case in this psychological thriller about what appears to be the perfect island community, written by a former member of the Church of Scientology who was based at the cult's headquarters for 20 years.

Dying To Be Me by Anita Moorjani

The ultimate access denied that connects us all is the afterlife. This memoir details Moorjani's diagnosis with cancer, her subsequent near-death experience, how her healing process baffled doctors and how it helped her grapple with her own mortality.

About Immanuel Kim

Immanuel Kim is Korea Foundation and Kim-Renaud Associate Professor of Korean Literature and Culture Studies at George Washington University. He is the author of Rewriting Revolution: Women, Sexuality, and Memory in North Korean Fiction, and the translator of Friend by Paek Nam–nyong, one of North Korea’s most popular writers.

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 part of the team that puts together the programme of events for the EmiratesLitFest each year. 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, as the Academy Awards have just announced their best supporting actors and actresses we found ourselves wondering who would win the Boundless Book Club trophy for best supporting character. Join Ahlam, Andrea and Annabelle on a journey through some of their favourite supporting characters who definitely deserve more page time.

Stay tuned for a fascinating roaming conversation with Jasper Fforde coming in around the 28 minute mark.

Complete the survey for a chance to win fabulous books, perhaps even one signed by Jasper Fforde! https://survey.zohopublic.com/zs/ahCNu5

Books and authors mentioned in this episode:

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

I think you might be able to guess which jilted spinster Ahlam was drawn to in this classic about the young Pip, his mysterious benefactor, and his love for the beautiful Estella.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

The list of supporting characters in this beloved fantasy series is extensive, and mostly male, but the female characters of Middle Earth really hold their own. Can you guess which one Annabelle chose?

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

This incredible book that has captivated readers all over the world stars two twin sisters whose paths in life diverge when they make very different choices that will affect the way they are perceived in a fiercely segregated time and place. But Andrea argues the bounty hunter on the sidelines needs his own show.

About Jasper Fforde

Jasper Fforde has been writing in the Comedy/Fantasy Genre since 2001 when his novel 'The Eyre Affair' debuted on the New York Times Bestseller list. Since then he has published fourteen more books, several of them bestsellers, and counts his sales in millions. 'The Constant Rabbit' will be his 15th novel. He lives and works in Wales.

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 part of the team that puts together the programme of events for the EmiratesLitFest each year. 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, we look at books to read during the holy month of Ramadan. Ahlam gives us a whistle-stop tour of key facts, from fasting to the five pillars of Islam, before we speak to Buddhist Monk Gelong Thubten about all things mindfulness and meditation during Ramadan.

Books and authors mentioned in this episode:

Muslim Women Mystics: The Life and Work of Rabi'a and Other Women Mystics in Islam by Margaret Smith

Ahlam recommends this introduction to the great Sufi thinker, Rab'ia of Basra, in a book that discusses the contribution made by Basra and other women mystics to Islamic heritage and history.

Intuitive Fasting by Dr Will Cole

Chiropractor and practitioner of functional medicine Dr Will Cole might not be Andrea's favourite science writer but the recipes in his book look promising if you're looking for steadier blood sugar and a healthier approach when breaking your fast.

Breath by James Nestor

Science writer and journalist James Nestor's ten-year foray into investigating the history of scientific breakthroughs and studies into the 'lost art of breathing' cover the importance of nose breathing, hypoventilation training in athletes, the correlation between breathing and prayer, and much more

About Gelong Thubten

Gelong Thubten is a Buddhist monk, meditation teacher, and Sunday Times bestselling author of A Monk's Guide to Happiness. His new book, a practical guide complete with meditation exercises, is titled Handbook for Hard Times: A Monk's Guide to Fearless Living, due to be published March 2022.

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 part of the team that puts together the programme of events for the EmiratesLitFest each year. 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.

Do you have opinions about the show? Tell us what you think, so we can do better: https://survey.zohopublic.com/zs/ahCNu5

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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 of a year spent in a cabin in Spitsbergen surrounded by polar bears and deadly conditions in 1933 with her husband is a masterclass in resilience and inspiration for anyone travelling to the Arctic or following a loved one on a journey into the unknown.

Dark Matter by Michelle Paver

If you're ready for cold weather to seep into your fiction, you can try this horror/ghost story  set in an isolated base camp of a scientific expedition in Svalbard in 1937. Thanks to Emily Barr for the recommendation!

Brazzaville Beach by William Boyd

In the midst of raging civil wars in an unnamed African nation, ethologist Hope Clearwater is apprehensive of the results of ongoing primate research and grapples with the strain of her marriage to a brilliant mathematician on the brink.

An African in Greenland by Tété-Michel Kpomassie

Published in 1981, this Togo teenager's account of discovering a book about Greenland, and then working his way north over the course of a decade to get there is the travel memoir we can't wait to read next.

About Yrsa Sigurdaddotir

A prolific writer and civil engineer with both children’s books and dark crime fiction to her name, Yrsa Sigurdaddotir made her crime fiction debut in 2005 with Last Rituals and has been translated into more than thirty languages. The Silence of the Sea won the Petrona Award in 2015 and The Prey won the 2020 Icelandic Blood Drop Award for the best crime novel of 2020. Gallows Rock is her thirteenth adult novel and the fourth in the Freyja and Huldar Series. The Legacy is the first in this series and one of the titles mentioned in the episode.

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 part of the team that puts together the programme of events for the EmiratesLitFest each year. 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. 

Craic open a book with Ahlam, Andrea and Annabelle as they take you on a journey through the best of Irish banter, murder, ghosts, fairies, criminal masterminds, 70s nostalgia and more, in honour of St. Patrick's Day (but worth reading every day).

Sheila Maher also drops in from Dublin to recommend her top tip for a book by a fellow Irish author.

Books and authors mentioned in this episode:

Himself by Jess Kidd

Tall dark handsome stranger who has a way with the ladies and for seeing the dead, rolls into rural Irish town looking for answers about his mother, while tough old bird Mrs Cauley stages a play to help him reveal the inhabitants' secrets. If you're looking for another beautifully written tale with wit and a touch of endearing strangeness, Jess Kidd's second book Mr. Flood's Last Resort/The Hoarder is also highly recommended.

The Wonder by Emma Donoghue

Ireland. 1859. Science and faith clash in this story of a young girl who becomes a money-making attraction in a small town for reportedly surviving without food for months, and the nurse suspicious of the claims who forms a bond with her. Top tip - much like Trevor Noah's Born a Crime, Ahlam suggests this book is best listened to as an audiobook.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Artemis is a twelve-year-old criminal mastermind. Is he a match for Holly Short, who is part of a fairy special forces unit? Andrea is of course recommending Artemis Fowl, the criminally good children's classic suitable for all ages with good taste. She awards it top marks for both tugging at the heartstrings of adults and offering children a rollicking adventure full of Irish wit.

Six at the Table: Take the 70s, Add Family and Mix Well by Sheila Maher

Sheila Maher is a regular contributor to RTÉ Sunday Miscellany, and joins us to talk about her favourite Irish writers. Her own book is a memoir that takes a trip through 70s nostalgia - the story of a childhood told through meals shared and family trips.

The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan

Sheila Maher's recommendation is set in a rural Irish village and details the impact of an economic crash on 21 characters, masterfully told through 21 different chapters in the space of 170 moving pages.

More reading tips: https://blog.elfdubai.org/blogs/post/irish-authors-to-read-all-year

Music: Fiddle-De-Dee by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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 part of the team that puts together the programme of events for the EmiratesLitFest each year. 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. 

If you could magically be gifted some 'mad skills'- what would you choose? If you could talk to animals would you want to know what your tortoise is saying about you?

These are just some of the intense questions that Andrea, Ahlam and Annabelle from the Emirates Literature Foundation consider with Flora Rees, Head of Programming at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, as they each discuss books about people, creatures, and even bacteria with a particular set of skills even Liam Neeson would envy.

Books and authors mentioned in this episode:

Everything that Makes us Human by Jay Jayamohan

Flora Rees recommends this non-fiction memoir from children's neurosurgeon Jay Jayamohan which begins with him blasting ACDC in the operating theatre as he does what he does every day - navigates a tiny human brain with a 3D map he conjures in his mind's eye. From the humorous contrast of his music choices to the darker moments of difficult decisions and conversations with parents, these case notes are both inspiring and heart-breaking in equal measure.

Incredible Journeys: Exploring the Wonders of Animal Navigation by David Barrie

From bacteria that are able to recreate the Tokyo train system, to the paths of albatross, ants, bees and more, this book is full of stories of creatures who find their way around the world in a myriad of fascinating ways, and Barrie's observation that we could learn a lot about where we're going from being more engaged in the natural world, than from looking at Google maps.

An Adventurer's Guide to Outer Space by Isabel Thomas

It's hard enough to moonwalk on the dancefloor, but what about an actual moonwalk? Andrea recommends this book suitable for children and adults who want to know the answers to all the best questions like - during a spacewalk how do you scratch your nose if your face is in a helmet? What do you do if you need the toilet? If you want to know more about the rockstar mad skills required to be an astronaut, this is the book for you.

Sridevi: The Eternal Screen Goddess by Satyarth Nayak

The late Bollywood superstar was an icon who grew up on camera, playing the leading lady in the Indian film industry for three generations. The range of her acting talents and the languages she was able to perform in made her a force to be reckoned with. Ahlam talks about this biography by Satyarth Nayak, begun during her lifetime and finished sadly, after her tragic death, and the light it sheds on the rise of an eternal screen goddess.

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 part of the team that puts together the programme of events for the EmiratesLitFest each year. 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...

No stranger to being pride of place in bookstores, there are some authors that move us as much as they move sales. Andrea, Ahlam and Annabelle from the Emirates Literature Foundation each review a book by an author who is considered 'kind of a big deal' and decide if and why they're worth the hype.

Books and authors mentioned in this episode:

10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak  

A longtime Elif Shafak fan, Ahlam talks about Elif's connection to the Arab World and why she's so beloved in the region. After underlining almost all of her copy of the Forty Rules of Love, she reviews Shafak's latest novel that was nominated for the Booker Prize inspired by the findings that the human brain remains active 10 minutes and 38 seconds after death.

Adrift by Amin Maalouf

In Adrift: How Our World Lost its Way, the latest book published in English by one of the most popular writers in the Arab World, Maalouf traces some of the biggest global crises back to a handful of key moments in history.  

I am Malala by Christina Lamb and Malala Yousafzai

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai's autobiographical book subtitled The Girl Who Stood Up for Education co-written with journalist Christina Lamb, is the remarkable story of a teenage girl trying to discuss Twilight with her friends whilst navigating the impact of terrorism on her hometown.

All of the authors mentioned in this episode will be attending the upcoming 2021 Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.This episode was sponsored by Costa Coffee.

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 part of the team that puts together the programme of events for the EmiratesLitFest each year. 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. 

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 running an underground club, a Yoruba goddess in her element, Greek gods working at a London fashion magazine, and much more. Read it with..

My Name is Why by Lemn Sissay 

From an abundance of love to not enough, in this memoir, acclaimed poet and Manchester treasure Lemn Sissay explores his formative years spent in the UK care system and the upheaval caused by his foster family’s rejection.

Friend by Paek Nam-nyong, translated by Immanuel Kim

The first state-sanctioned novel from North Korea translated into English tells the story of a couple’s marriage unravelling, the judge who becomes involved in assessing their grounds for divorce, and a fascinating insight into a culture and society we are rarely granted access to. And speaking of the worlds we rarely see..

The Madman’s Library by Edward Brooke-Hitching

Here's something you definitely haven't seen before. If you could build a fantasy library with all the most weird and wonderful books from history, this book details what it would it would look like according to Edward Brooke-Hitching – from books made of cheese to books written in blood, there is no quirky page left unturned.

I Know You by Annabel Kantaria

When Taylor, an American wife moves to London to be with her husband who is frequently away on business, she turns to social media to escape her loneliness, and finds more sinister company than she bargained for. She should have read.. 

Surrounded by Psychopaths by Thomas Erikson

In this book, we learn how to spot a psychopath and the tricks they use to manipulate us. Surrounded by Psychopaths is the follow-up to bestselling Surrounded by Idiots. Read it and learn to spot the warning signs that will stop you from getting into the sticky situation Taylor found herself in.  

All of the authors mentioned in this episode will be attending the upcoming 2021 Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.This episode was sponsored by Costa Coffee.

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 part of the team that puts together the programme of events for the EmiratesLitFest each year. She runs the Festival Book Club and has a background in guesting and presenting on talk...

Episode Description

From the best books of the year, to your own personal favourites and beyond, how do you decide what books to give as gifts? In this episode Andrea and Annabelle explore the world of literary gift giving with poet and author of The Rainbow Factory Mark Fiddes, from their own go-to gifting choices, to the risks and rewards of book gifting and the book you should never ever give as gift.

The Best Books of the Year

Andrea kicks us off with some scientific research (an excel spreadsheet) to track which books have been mentioned the most across the best fiction books of the year lists. Can you guess which ones were the most popular? Have a think and listen to the episode to see if you’re right.

To explore this cutting edge analysis in more detail we’ve also put together a blog post which is available here: https://blog.elfdubai.org/blogs/post/best-books-2020-ultimate-list

Other books and authors mentioned in this episode:

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Susanna Clarke’s first novel in 16 years since Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, at around 200 packed pages, Piranesi features a protagonist based on the 18th Century Italian artist of the same name who lives in an infinite villa where nothing is quite what it seems.

Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

A recently divorced dad is looking forward to life as a bachelor until his ex-wife drops the kids off for the weekend and disappears without a trace, leaving him to manage. A novel with a twist that hits you like a train, Andrea wants to recommend this to everyone.

The Little Library Cookbook by Kate Young

If you like books and you like food, this book is a love letter to both. From a recipe for Paddington’s marmalade, to the afternoon tea in Rebecca, and the hot chocolate from Northern Lights, this is a cookbook that recreates the meals both large and small from literature and makes the perfect gift for hungry bookworms.

Middlemarch by George Eliot

If you’d told Mark Fiddes that Middlemarch is in essence the greatest soap opera ever told, he’d have got round to reading it a lot sooner. George Eliot’s tale of the interconnected lives of residents in this fictional provincial town keeps you spellbound over the course of 800 pages and is a masterclass in empathy.

The Doctor’s Kitchen by Rupy Aujla

Most of this book recommendation is concerned with Andrea delighted to confirm her bias that cinnamon is good for you, as she tells us about this cookbook written by an NHS doctor with an introduction to the health benefits of specific ingredients followed by recipes that combine them in health-boosting ways.

The Merry Spinster - Tales of Everyday Horror by Daniel Lavery

Annabelle recommends this collection of dark fairytale and children’s story retellings for anyone who likes their festivities with a pinch of Krampus and Nightmare Before Christmas. Be prepared for the beloved children’s story The Velveteen Rabbit to be forever ruined.

About our Guest:

Mark’s first collection The Rainbow Factory was published by Templar Poetry in 2016 following the success of his award-winning pamphlet The Chelsea Flower Show Massacre. Over the past year, he has won the Oxford Brookes University International Prize and been a winner in the National Poetry Competition, the Bridport Prize and the Robert Graves Prize. His work has also been published in Poetry Review, POEM, The New European, The Irish Times, Magma, Aesthetica, Poetry Salzburg and London Magazine among many others. He currently lives in the UAE....