As I enter my 20s and prepare to graduate from university, I reflect on the five books that have spiked my imagination and my love for storytelling. Whether it was through friends’ recommendations or just filled with the most eye opening analogies that would keep me up all night, here are five reads you can find stacked in my dorm room.
Room by Emma Donoghue (2010)
Can you imagine a single room being the only world you know? This book captures the innocence of a 5-year-old boy and his perspective on the confines of his physical world. Jack was born into the room in which his kidnapped mother has lived since she was 19. Jack’s voice is one that I still carry with me even months after finishing the book. Donoghue fills us in on his mother’s sacrifices and their captor’s cruelty through Jack’s narration, dialogue and eavesdropping moments. Even now I can hear him chatting away.
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert (2015)
I’ve never related to a book in my life as much as I related to this one. Gilbert tells the true story of creativity, the messy angles before the beautiful. She shares pieces of her journey with creativity through her experience as a novelist and different encounters with friends. From childhood life lessons to mind-blowing analogies about creative living, reading this book will feel like catching up with an old friend for coffee and trading life stories.
The Crossing by Samar Yazbek (2015)
This book felt like reading into the diary of a courageous Syrian woman who has chosen to share her vulnerability with me. Yazbek recounts her trips back to the ruins of northern Syria in 2012 and 2013 to set up small women’s projects. She tells the stories of people who are living under siege and who feel like the world has abandoned them. The book carries endless accounts of bombing raids and the constant presence of death. “The only victor in Syria is death: no one talks of anything else,” she writes. “Everything is relative and open to doubt; the only certainty is that death will triumph.”
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (2007)
This book’s emotions not only touched my heart but also gave me an insight into the different sides that one occurrence can have. Picoult tells the story of a high school shooting through the eyes of 17-year-old Peter who changed the lives of all of his classmates after being bullied for years by them. From a psychological perspective, this book will open your eyes to the destructive results of bullying which still remain a silent puppeteer of many minds today.
The Memory of Forgetfulness by Mahmoud Darwish (1982)
The sequence of prose poems in this book vividly recreate the agony of a city under terrible siege. In this book, Mahmoud Darwish uses the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon and the shelling of Beirut to reflect on the invasion and its political and historical dimensions. It tells of the role of a writer in time of war. Reading this book gives a Turkish cup of coffee the symbol of pain and courage. “And I want nothing more from the passing days than the aroma of coffee. The aroma of coffee so I can hold myself together, stand on my feet, and be transformed from something that crawls, into a human being.”
Omnia Al Saleh is an intern for The National. She is studying mass communications with an emphasis on journalism at American University of Sharjah
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Read more:
My favourite reads: Kevin Hackett
My favourite reads: Dania Saadi
My favourite reads: Joe Jenkins
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
How they line up for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix
1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2 Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
3 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
4 Max Verstappen, Red Bull
5 Kevin Magnussen, Haas
6 Romain Grosjean, Haas
7 Nico Hulkenberg, Renault
*8 Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull
9 Carlos Sainz, Renault
10 Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
11 Fernando Alonso, McLaren
12 Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren
13 Sergio Perez, Force India
14 Lance Stroll, Williams
15 Esteban Ocon, Force India
16 Brendon Hartley, Toro Rosso
17 Marcus Ericsson, Sauber
18 Charles Leclerc, Sauber
19 Sergey Sirotkin, Williams
20 Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso
* Daniel Ricciardo qualified fifth but had a three-place grid penalty for speeding in red flag conditions during practice
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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