“Sorry, it’s sold out.”
On a Saturday evening in one of the UAE's largest bookshops, a teenager waits at the customer service desk with the “Favourites” folder on TikTok open on her phone. Scrolling through several book recommendation videos, she asks the employee if certain titles are in stock.
Unfortunately, many are not.
With a sigh and a quick scribble of her number on a piece of paper, the girl thanks the attendant and walks back to join her friends, who are sitting on the floor in a corner of the shop.
Sometimes we get special requests to order certain books because they are new and have become popular on TikTok
Roma Masilungan
Piles of other popular books on TikTok are scattered around them as they discuss which ones are worth buying.
The queue at the payment counter has grown to more than 15 people by the time the teenagers choose books.
“It is all because of BookTok,” Borders bookstore employee Roma Masilungan says.
A sub-community, or niche, on the app TikTok, called BookTok, focuses on videos relating to books and literature. These include recommendations, reviews, reactions, skits, memes, fan casts and much more. The hashtag currently has 47.5 billion views, with more than 83,000 from the UAE.
Ms Masilungan has been working in customer service at Borders for about six years and says there have been many young people specifically inquiring about popular books on the app since 2020.
“Sometimes we get special requests to order certain books because they are new and have become popular on TikTok.”
She has also noticed that this trend is most common among teenage girls and particularly about books written by Colleen Hoover.
It Ends With Us, for instance, is Hoover’s most viral book and has been on the bestseller lists at Kinokuniya and Borders since 2021.
A powerful tool for marketing
BookTok inquiries have became so frequent that it is common for bookshops to create entire shelves and several display tables at the entrance of the store dedicated to books trending on the app, making it easier for customers to find them.
"The book-related videos are great for marketing to young people,” says Aizza Quinones, who has been working at Borders for more than seven years.
“We usually place bulk orders for these books often because they sell very quickly.”
So, what converts a viewer on TikTok into a buyer and reader at a bookstore?
Going with the crowd is one of the main factors that affects this, says Suraksha Mukesh, 19, a frequent reader and UAE resident.
“People, especially young girls, want to conform to the norms and the trends on TikTok,” she says.
Ms Mukesh believes the "it girl" trend is a good example of this, where female creators post videos of the books they read along with their aesthetically desirable lifestyle.
If her followers want to be like her, then they will want to read the same books, she says.
Ms Mukesh says she is influenced by them as well and she finds herself buying books about self help or feminism solely because her favourite BookTokkers are reading them.
Targeted audience
Moreover, the “For You” page on TikTok is highly personalised for each user, so there is an increased sense of intimacy and trust between audience and creator in comparison with platforms such as the Amazon-owned book catalogue site “Goodreads”.
Ms Mukesh says she feels the creators are speaking to her directly when they recommend books.
“I’ve never intentionally searched up book-related videos but it is as if the creators know what type of books I would like.”
As a result, she feels there is a corner of TikTok that is a community of readers, who share their opinions in the comments section, relate to each other and together gush over the books they love.
“I even joined a [chat room] that I found on TikTok with readers and we would all talk about our favourite books or recommend some to each other.
“I don’t think I will ever go back to traditionally [researching] books. The list of book recommendations from TikTok in my notes app is ever-growing and will remain with me for ever.”
Lubna Abdul Nazar, 26, echoes the sentiments.
As a BookTok creator, she has noticed many people engaging with her content often, having conversations in her comment section, and even going out to buy the books she recommends after they see her videos.
When checking her analytics, Ms Abdul Nazar has also realised that her most viral videos are short, funny ones about book jokes; however, her most saved and shared are the longer videos, such as book reviews.
“I feel like I can connect with my audience more if I am talking to them directly. These are the videos I personally love to watch as well.”
Avid reader Mohaddesa Meherali, 19, agrees with this.
She says the most attractive videos are those that have a summary of the book as well as how the creator honestly feels about it, without the unnecessary hype.
“I also think videos on books written by authors of colour, or those that contain diverse characters are very likely to be popular on TikTok,” she says.
Ms Meherali says the BookTokkers on the platform “are often critical readers and quickly spot hidden biases or problematic ideas”. However, they also give the authors credit where credit is due, which she finds to be a good balance.
“BookTok has made some great progress in helping readers diversify their shelves. I took a step back and thought, ‘that's a lot of white authors on my shelf’.”
Ms Abdul Nazar wears a hijab and, as a Muslim creator, thinks she has a role to play in adding to this diversity on BookTok.
She enjoys reading and sharing books with Muslim leads and a positive representation of Islam.
“People in the region are able to relate to me more and therefore be more trusting of my recommendations.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
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GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
T20 World Cup Qualifier fixtures
Tuesday, October 29
Qualifier one, 2.10pm – Netherlands v UAE
Qualifier two, 7.30pm – Namibia v Oman
Wednesday, October 30
Qualifier three, 2.10pm – Scotland v loser of qualifier one
Qualifier four, 7.30pm – Hong Kong v loser of qualifier two
Thursday, October 31
Fifth-place playoff, 2.10pm – winner of qualifier three v winner of qualifier four
Friday, November 1
Semi-final one, 2.10pm – Ireland v winner of qualifier one
Semi-final two, 7.30pm – PNG v winner of qualifier two
Saturday, November 2
Third-place playoff, 2.10pm
Final, 7.30pm
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.
Red Sparrow
Dir: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Egerton, Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Irons
Three stars
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
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Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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Transmission: 9-speed auto
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The five pillars of Islam
The biog
Age: 35
Inspiration: Wife and kids
Favourite book: Changes all the time but my new favourite is Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Best Travel Destination: Bora Bora , French Polynesia
Favourite run: Jabel Hafeet, I also enjoy running the 30km loop in Al Wathba cycling track
Sweet%20Tooth
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Gully Boy
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
Rating: 4/5 stars
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
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
Company%C2%A0profile
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Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
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.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
If you go:
Getting there:
Flying to Guyana requires first reaching New York with either Emirates or Etihad, then connecting with JetBlue or Caribbean Air at JFK airport. Prices start from around Dh7,000.
Getting around:
Wildlife Worldwide offers a range of Guyana itineraries, such as its small group tour, the 15-day ‘Ultimate Guyana Nature Experience’ which features Georgetown, the Iwokrama Rainforest (one of the world’s four remaining pristine tropical rainforests left in the world), the Amerindian village of Surama and the Rupununi Savannah, known for its giant anteaters and river otters; wildlifeworldwide.com
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
