Getting lost in a book is one of life’s greatest pleasures. While many stories have the ability to fuel an infinite love of reading, there will be always be one – whether it was read as a young child or young adult – that lit that initial spark, opening our eyes to the endless possibilities to be found in the world of literature.
Here, The National's features desk share the books that first sparked their love-affair with reading…
‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ – C S Lewis (1950)
As a child growing up in a difficult home environment, the book that opened my eyes to the power of reading was The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe in The Chronicles of Narnia series. Its pages transported me into a new, magical world, filled with adventures and wonder, and was a key to another universe, where I could leave behind the trauma of my home life. At a time when I was too young to understand what was happening around me in the real world, it was a lifeline for me to be given access to that freedom whenever I needed. The images the book conjured were so vivid, I can still summon the feeling of pushing through the fur coats to reach safety on the other side.
Sarah Maisey, deputy Luxury editor
‘The Enchanted Wood’ – Enid Blyton (1939)
Enid Blyton's The Enchanted Wood taught me that books can be magical things. I learnt that – much like the book's starring character, the Faraway Tree – books can transport you to new places and introduce you to people, ideas and fantastical creatures that exist far beyond the realms of even the most vivid of childish imaginations. The book, which is the first in a trilogy, tells the story of Jo, Bessie and Fanny, who move to a new house near a large wood. While exploring, they discover a magical tree, inhabited by a host of colourful characters, including Moon Face, Silky the fairy, the Saucepan Man, Dame Washalot and the Angry Pixie. At the top of the tree is a ladder that leads to a magical land that changes all the time. I still wish I could visit the Land of Birthdays or the Land of Do-As-You-Please.
Selina Denman, head of magazines
‘Ghostly Companions’ - Vivien Alcock (1984)
The book that made me fall in love with reading was a collection of spooky stories called Ghostly Companions by Vivien Alcock. There was a story about a haunted ship's masthead that, despite being sold to a young boy at auction, only wanted to return to the sea; the Greek nymph Echo who fell in love with a boy in a forest, and a vengeful secretary who refused to let being dead stand in the way of her leaving her job, and stayed on to haunt the typewriter, terrorising the new PA. Although they were spooky, the stories weren't terrifyingly scary, and I appreciated the talent it took to write ghost stories for children that didn't scar them for life. I actually tracked a copy of the book down last year, some 30-plus years after I had first read it, to read it again and to pass on to my own children. The stories were as good as I remembered.
Gemma White, lifestyle writer
‘Sunset Song’ - Lewis Grassic Gibbon (1932)
In high school, I read Lewis Grassic Gibbon's Sunset Song and it became my first literary love. First published in 1932, Sunset Song is part of trilogy called A Scots Quair and tells the story of Chris Guthrie, a young girl growing up in the north east of Scotland at the start of the 20th century. It touches on the subjects of love, loss, politics, feminism, family life and the human spirit, and is written in a blended form of Scots that's also accessible to English speakers. Filled with a healthy smattering of claik (gossip), dool (grief) and douce (joy), it's a tear-jerking classic that's stuck with me to this day – I always make sure I have a copy on my bookshelf.
Hayley Skirka, deputy travel editor
‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ - JK Rowling (1998)
The book that made me fall in love with reading was Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J K Rowling. I picked up the second book after watching the first Harry Potter film. I was so intrigued to learn more about the characters and their stories that I decided to skip waiting for the sequel and just read the book instead. I was so captivated by the world of Harry Potter that, for the next decade, every time a new book came out, I'd buy it the same night and finish it within a couple of days. This stayed with me even when I went away to college and the last book came out when I was 19. I'll always remember the magic I felt while reading the series for the first time.
Evelyn Lau, assistant features editor
‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ - Harper Lee (1960)
How do you introduce young minds to the horrors of racism? Simple: write a book on its gut-wrenching unfairness from a child's simple, cuttingly honest point of view. The tree-climbing tomboy in me was thrilled to meet Scout Finch. I could relate instantly to her thorn-tattered clothes, play-acting histrionics and obsession with getting a reaction from mysterious neighbour Boo, all of which echoed the tricks I got up to in my ramshackle playground in 1990s Bombay. As I read on, the illicit nature of the crime being discussed (rape) and its ridiculously unfair ramifications (racism) drove home both important life lessons and a lifelong love for reading.
Panna Munyal, lifestyle editor
‘Blood Brothers’ - Willy Russell (1981)
I was a voracious reader before my school years, thanks to nightly bedtime renditions of Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl, but this play was the first to teach me that words intended for the stage can be just as powerful on the page. Originally intended as a musical, penned by Liverpudlian playwright Russell and first performed in the 1980s, the tale follows the lives of twin brothers separated at birth. Delving into the complex issues of nature versus nurture, as well as class divides, familial ties, trust and loyalty, Blood Brothers offers a gritty commentary on social inequality, with some lighter moments belying how heartbroken the tragic end will leave you. After years of being forced to read Shakespeare, Byron and Shelley, this accessible, relatable, modern-day tale was the first – and only – book I read in the classroom that moved me to tears.
Emma Day, head of features
‘Flour Babies’ - Anne Fine (1992)
I think like most millennials, the Harry Potter series is when I really fell in love with reading, but my earliest memory of the joy of reading has to be Anne Fine's Flour Babies. I remember it being the first book I borrowed from the school library that wasn't a picture book, I think I was in Year 4 at the time, so around about eight years old. The sense of achievement I had when I finished it spurred me on to keep reading, and is probably what keeps me reading now! The story is about a group of naughty children tasked with caring for a pretend baby for three weeks, which is in fact a bag of flour. A classic school task in TV shows, but one I don't actually ever remember doing in class.
Farah Andrews, assistant features editor
‘The Prophet’ - Kahlil Gibran (1923)
While this wasn't exactly on my official English reading list, it is a book my headmaster gave to me to read when I was at school in Bahrain. One of Lebanese-American poet and writer Kahlil Gibran's best-known works, The Prophet is a compilation of 26 prose poems, told as sermons by a wise man called Al Mustafa. It is a work that Mr Frost hoped would shed some light on life's meaning for a 16-year-old me. In many ways, it did. Al Mustafa is about to go home after 12 years in exile on a fictional island and he is asked to share his views on some of life's biggest conundrums, from love and work to family and death. It may have been originally published in 1923, but his musings are timeless and they've famously influenced the likes of The Beatles, John F Kennedy and Indira Gandhi.
Katy Gillett, deputy features editor
‘The Suitcase Kid’ – Jacqueline Wilson (1992)
I don't remember the exact age I was, but when the time came for me to progress from short children's stories to novels, my mum gifted me the complete collection of Jacqueline Wilson books for Christmas. I remembering excitedly devouring them all, but it was The Suitcase Kid, in particular, that stayed with me. As a child fresh from their parent's divorce, it resonated with me. The book tells the story of Andy, who, along with her stuffed rabbit Radish, moves back and forth between her parents' houses each week after they separate, and has to learn to accept their new partners and families. The story helped me to understand and process the emotions I was feeling at the time about my own changing home set-up, and feel grateful that I didn't have any of the horrible step-siblings that Andy had to contend with. I still have the set of books in my childhood bedroom at my mum's house, and imagine I always will.
Sophie Prideaux, assistant feature editor
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Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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Always use only regulated platforms
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Results
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1hr 32mins 03.897sec
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda) at 0.745s
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 37.383s
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) 46.466s
5.Sergio Perez (Red Bull-Honda) 52.047s
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 59.090s
7. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 1:06.004
8. Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari) 1:07.100
9. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri-Honda) 1:25.692
10. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1:26.713,
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
The Specs
Price, base Dh379,000
Engine 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 503bhp
Torque 443Nm
On sale now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Everton 2 Southampton 1
Everton: Walcott (15'), Richarlison (31' )
Southampton: Ings (54')
Man of the match: Theo Walcott (Everton)
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
F1 The Movie
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Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
The biog
Favourite film: The Notebook
Favourite book: What I know for sure by Oprah Winfrey
Favourite quote: “Social equality is the only basis of human happiness” Nelson Madela. Hometown: Emmen, The Netherlands
Favourite activities: Walking on the beach, eating at restaurants and spending time with friends
Job: Founder and Managing Director of Mawaheb from Beautiful Peopl
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The%20specs
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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
Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE
Price, base / as tested Dh274,000 (estimate)
Engine 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 245hp @ 4,200rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
INDIA'S%20TOP%20INFLUENCERS
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RESULT
Huddersfield Town 2 Manchester United 1
Huddersfield: Mooy (28'), Depoitre (33')
Manchester United: Rashford (78')
Man of the Match: Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town)
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Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
