TV is a diversion. YouTube, a distraction. Movies (the best of them) offer two hours' immersion. But when it comes to being truly lifted out of ourselves, to learning about worlds and lives not our own, to having our imaginations sparked and to sheer, lose-yourself pleasure, can anything compete with a great book?
Despite gloomy predictions about the end of print, books are alive and well, thank you very much. While sales are down worldwide due to the global financial crisis (the American Association of Publishers reported a 12 per cent decline in the United States last year), we continue to buy, borrow, lend and read books. At an average of Dh60 for a paperback novel, it's the best entertainment deal in town.
Book fans don't just number among the pre-digital generation. The Kids and Family Reading Report, a Scholastic Books project published in 2008, reveals heartening statistics: among the five- to 17-year-olds interviewed, 75 per cent said that no matter what they could do online, they would "always want to read books printed on paper". Even more reassuring, 63 per cent of those surveyed said they prefer to read books when they "want to use their imaginations".
The Scholastic study also shows that parents who read "for fun" every day are six times more likely than parents who read less often to have children who also read recreationally every day. And when the child rearing is over and the kids are passing on the reading bug to their kids, you can get to the books you always wanted to read but didn't have time for.
Whether we're fluent in English or Arabic, Urdu or Tamil, Abu Dhabi is a city of high-frequency readers and unabashed book lovers. We spoke to five families - from two-year-olds to 60-year-olds - to find out who's reading what, and why.
It's a warm room of browns and beiges, with comfy chairs and carpets. Eiman al Zaabi turns the pages of a picture book while her young son and daughter sit on her lap. Saeed, her older son, sprawls on an adjacent couch, brow slightly furrowed, listening.
Al Zaabi's nieces and nephew are sprawled across the carpet at her feet. The youngest hold their own books, small hands turning small pages. Sometimes they look up to listen; sometimes their own books are more interesting.
It's a room made for reading. While the children are served a before-bed snack of juice and miniature doughnuts, al Zaabi says: "I used to not like to read. I used to watch a lot of movies. My teachers were always saying: 'Read! Read! Read!'"
Now a teacher herself - of information technology at Abu Dhabi Women's College, the school she graduated from - al Zaabi has become a passionate reader.
"I actually don't read fiction," she says. "I read because I want to learn and I learn the most from non-fiction."
She's currently reading Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman. The book explains that "we use emotions to make important decisions" al Zaabi says. "We need our emotions as much as our heads, maybe even more. We need to have empathy, patience, understanding."
She smiles slightly. "Women are more intelligent emotionally, I think."
Al Zaabi also recently read Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love. "That book read like a novel," she says. "It was so courageous and funny. I think it will help men understand women - what we're really like."
At that moment there's a misunderstanding across the room. Ibrahim, al Zaabi's two-year-old nephew, throws his book on the floor, sheds tears. It's a skirmish over a book, it seems. Someone brings in a pet turtle to show me and tempers are sorted and soothed.
Reading is highly encouraged in this household of cousins (al Zaabi's sister's family lives here as well, since the sisters' husbands are brothers.) There's even a library upstairs, though it seems every room contains the kind of comfortable couch and warm light that invite reading.
"I so much want them to get into reading," al Zaabi says as she watches the children. "We give them incentives such as stickers if they read the Quran, say their prayers and read books."
She really has to push, however, to get the children to read in their mother tongue: "They don't like reading in Arabic." Children's books in Arabic tend to be, in her words, "shallow". It's a problem she encounters in her own reading, particularly when it comes to the self-help books she's drawn to.
Al Zaabi, who hopes to move into the field of personal growth and stress management, says: "It's a new area here. In the past you didn't get a book to get help; you didn't go to see a psychologist. It just wasn't in the open. But now, with more and more people getting educated, it's starting to change."
It's time for evening prayers and al Zaabi leaves me momentarily in the company of six children. Saeed, nine, eyes me somewhat warily, but the girls - al Zaabi's nieces, 10-year-old Alya, and three-year-old Salama, and six-year-old daughter, also named Alya - are eager to talk.
"I read Harry Potter in Arabic," says the elder Alya.
"I like princess books," says little Alya. "I like them in English."
"Harry Potter was scary," continues her cousin.
I ask Saeed if he likes adventure books. He moves his hand back and forth: so-so. "I like Sam's Duck," he whispers.
"Is it funny?" I ask.
"No, not sad. Not funny. Normal," Saeed says.
Ibrahim brings over a tiny board book, Spot in the Garden. His grin tells me this is his favourite.
Little Alya recounts a fairy tale she recently read. It is another meandering plot line. "I think books are a little bit scary and a little bit happy," she finally concludes.
"She reads the most," says al Zaabi, re-entering the room. "Oh, this is Abdullah's favourite." She hands me an obviously loved book. The end pages are covered in coloured-pencil "drawings". It's part of Ted Dewan's Bing Bunny series for toddlers, Go Picnic.
"How about a picnic in the square?" Bing asks his bunny friend Flop.
"No. Too much dog poo," says Flop.
And Saeed, the eldest, who's managed to keep his dignity intact throughout, points at the page and laughs, making sure I get it.
The al Zaabi family's picks
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Sam's Duck by Michael Morpurgo
Bing Bunny series by Ted Dewan
Spot in the Garden (Little Spot Board Books) by Eric Hill
As a university student in India, Naren Simone wrote poetry. Gail Dickinson majored in English literature in her native British Columbia. Four decades and two demanding careers later - Simone is chief executive officer of an engineering company based in Saudi Arabia, and Dickinson recently retired as an emergency room doctor at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City - are wending their way back to their early loves.
The couple met in Saudi Arabia, where both worked during the 1990s. At the time, Dickinson says, "Naren was only reading professional journals".
We're perched on stools at a high, round table strategically placed for the best 14th-storey view of the Corniche. The room is bright with sunshine and contemporary art. Dickinson pours tea.
Simone's passion for writing had been shelved as he concentrated on his career and raising a family (he has two grown children from a previous marriage). "It took an unfortunate incident - September 11 - to start writing again," he says. "I was working at the time for a consulting business in Saudi but our clients were American. After September 11, that business world closed."
Shortly afterward, Dickinson went away for a three-week conference. "I got back and discovered he'd written a novel," she says, running to get a copy.
"I've self-published one, but completed four others," says Simone, smiling modestly. A conspiracy-theory novel, Truth Seekers, which Dickinson proudly hands me, sold more than 1,000 copies in the first week.
Writing novels has changed what Simone reads. "When Naren began writing again, he began reading serious fiction," Dickinson says.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Naga
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.4-inch IPS LCD, 400 nits, toughened glass
CPU: Unisoc T610; Mali G52 GPU
Memory: 4GB
Storage: 64GB, up to 512GB microSD
Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio
Battery: 8200mAh, up to 10 hours video
Platform: Android 11
Audio: Stereo speakers, 2 mics
Durability: IP52
Biometrics: Face unlock
Price: Dh849
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV
Power: 360bhp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh282,870
On sale: now
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
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
T20 World Cup Qualifier A, Muscat
Friday, February 18: 10am - Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm - Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am - Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm - UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am - Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm - Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm – semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm – final
UAE squad: Ahmed Raza (captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
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
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
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)
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
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
LEADERBOARD
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FIGHT CARD
Sara El Bakkali v Anisha Kadka (Lightweight, female)
Mohammed Adil Al Debi v Moaz Abdelgawad (Bantamweight)
Amir Boureslan v Mahmoud Zanouny (Welterweight)
Abrorbek Madaminbekov v Mohammed Al Katheeri (Featherweight)
Ibrahem Bilal v Emad Arafa (Super featherweight)
Ahmed Abdolaziz v Imad Essassi (Middleweight)
Milena Martinou v Ilham Bourakkadi (Bantamweight, female)
Noureddine El Agouti v Mohamed Mardi (Welterweight)
Nabil Ouach v Ymad Atrous (Middleweight)
Nouredin Samir v Zainalabid Dadachev (Lightweight)
Marlon Ribeiro v Mehdi Oubahammou (Welterweight)
Brad Stanton v Mohamed El Boukhari (Super welterweight
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