What’s better than getting completely lost in a mesmerising book – whether fiction or not? Here are eight books from (and of) the region we cannot wait to read this August.

Warda, Sonallah Ibrahim (Yale University Press)

Ibrahim’s, one of Egypt’s most important novelists, masterpiece takes us to Cairo in the 1950s presenting an intersection of conflicting dreams and political destinies. Warda, although published already in 2000 in Arabic, has been recently translated into English by the magnificent Hosam Aboul-Ela. In this novel, the idealistic reporter Rushdy encounters the enchanting Warda at a clandestine leftist meeting, and their fates would be forever linked. After Warda goes missing, Rushdy immerses himself in her diaries in a quest to uncover her whereabouts. The quest takes him to the hills of Dhofar, Oman, where he discovers Warda’s guerrilla role in a regional uprising and secret involvement in revolutions with echoes around the globe. Piece by revelatory piece, Rushdy uncovers the truth about Warda—and the fiery commitment that drove her to choose the life she lived.

A story of intrigue, passion and revolution — what’s not to love?

Roundabout of Death, Faysal Khartash (New Vessel Press)

Set in Aleppo in 2012, when everyday life was metronomically punctuated by bombing, Roundabout of Death offers a powerful witness to the violence that obliterated the ancient city’s rich layers of history, its neighbourhoods and medieval and Ottoman landmarks. It might not be the lightest of books, but an important one, telling the story from the perspective of an ‘ordinary’ man, a teacher of Arabic for whom daily errands become life-threatening tasks. Death hovers ever closer while the teacher roams Aleppo’s streets and byways, minutely observing the perils of urban life in an uncanny twist on Baudelaire’s flâneur.

Perhaps somewhat an unusual summer read as the book is not particularly ‘light’ — however, not all summer reads ought to be.

The Republic of False Truths, Alaa Al Aswany (Penguin Random House)

Al Aswany’s latest novel is centred on the Egyptian revolution, taking us inside the battle raging between those in power and those prepared to lay down their lives in the defense of freedom. There is General Alwany, a high-ranking member of the government’s security agency, a pious man who loves his family yet won’t hesitate to torture enemies of the state; Asma, a young teacher who chafes against the brazen corruption at her school; Ashraf, an out-of-work actor who is having an affair with his maid and who gets pulled into Tahrir Square through a chance encounter; Nourhan, a television personality who loyally defends those in power; and many more. As these lives collide, a new generation finds a voice, love blossoms across class divides, and the revolution gains strength. Even the general finds himself at a crossroads as his own daughter joins the protests. Yet the old regime will not give up without a fight.

We’ve been missing Cairo a lot recently, and the Republic of False Truths offers a fantastic opportunity to revisit the familiar city and reflect, once again, on the revolution.

I’m in Seattle, Where Are You? Mortada Gzar (Amazon Crossing)

In this memoir, novelist Mortada Gzar, a student at the University of Baghdad, tells a story of love and resilience. As the US occupation of Iraq rages, Gzar has a chance encounter with Morise, an African American soldier. It’s love at first sight, a threat to them both, and a moment of self-discovery. Challenged by society’s rejection and Morise’s return to the US, Mortada takes the page to understand himself. In his deeply affecting memoir, Mortada interweaves tales of his childhood work as a scrap-metal collector in a war zone and the indignities faced by openly gay artists in Iraq with his impossible love story and journey to the US. Marginalized by his own society, he is surprised to discover the racism he finds in a new one.

Gzar’s memoir is such an important one, thank you for writing this book, Mortada Gzar. Also, we are preparing with a box of tissues – anticipating many, many tears.

The Heart of Lebanon, Ameen Rihani (Syracuse University Press)

Unfortunately, we are unable to travel to Lebanon this summer, yet we can’t wait to read Rihani’s new book chronicling his return to his native Lebanon from his long stay in New York, set out on nine journeys through the Lebanese countryside, from the rising mountains to the shores of the Mediterranean documented in intimate detail.

Expect lots of exploring; rural villages like Rihani’s childhood home of Freike; the flora and fauna of massive cedar forests; and archaeological sites that reveal the history of Lebanon. Similarly, be prepared for many heartwarming encounters; goatherds, healers, monks and many more along the way, while Rihani depicts the country’s sweeping scenery as the author narrates the soul of Lebanon and its people through candid and often humorous notes.

My First and Only Love, Sahar Khalifeh (Hoopoe)

Palestinian writer Sahar Khalifeh’s latest novel is a deeply poetic account of love and resistance through a young girl’s eyes. Nidal, after many decades of restless exile, returns to her family home in Nablus, where she had lived with her grandmother before the 1948 Nakba that scattered her family across the globe. She was a young girl when the popular resistance began and, through the bloodshed and bitter struggle, Nidal fell in love with freedom fighter Rabie. He was her first and only real love—him and all that he represented: Palestine in its youth and spring, the resistance fighters in the hills, the nation as embodied in her family home and in the land. Many years later, Nidal and Rabie meet, and he encourages her to read her uncle Amin’s memoirs. She immerses herself in the details of her family and national past and discovers that her absent mother had been nurse and lover to Palestinian leader Abdel-Qader al-Husseini. Set in the final days of the British Mandate, Sahar Khalifeh’s spins an epic tale filled with emotional urgency and political immediacy.

We can’t wait to travel to Palestine in our minds and hearts and enjoy Khalifeh’s beautifully flowing language. Maybe a kanafeh next to us, sitting in a charming garden right by the olive trees (or: in the metro on our way to work, but one can always dream, right?)

The Book of Ramallah, Maya Abu Al-Hayat (editor) (Comma Press)

Maya Abu Al-Hayat has edited a beautiful book on a city like no other. Featuring Maya Abu Al-Hayat, Anas Abu Rahma, Liana Badr, Ahlam Bsharat, Ameer Hamad, Khaled Hourani, Ahmad Jaber, Ziad Khadash, Ibrahim Nasrallah and Mahmoud Shukair, The Book of Ramallah takes us on a tour of the West Bank’s de facto capital – a relatively new town compared to the other Palestinian cities. The stories elaborate on Ramallah’s contradictions: traditional Palestinian architecture jostling against aspirational developments and cultural initiatives, a thriving nightlife in one district, with much more conservative, religious attitudes in the next. Most striking however – as these stories show – is the quiet dignity, resilience and humour of its people; citizens who take their lives into their hands every time they travel from one place to the next, who continue to live through countless sieges, and yet still find the time, and resourcefulness, to create.

Afro-Berber Planet: The Trans-Saharan Arts at the Tiskiwin Museum, from Marrakech to Timbuktu, Bert Flint (Zamân Books)

No Mathqaf reading list would be complete without art(esque) books – we are art historians and museologists, after all. Bert Flint’s, a collector and anthropologist, Afro-Berber Planet is an augmented reissue of the guide to the Tiskiwin museum in Marrakech following his various travels through Trans-Saharan Africa. This pocket book aims at sharing with a large audience the great journey of Afro-Berber arts from the Eastern High Atlas to the Niger River; where emerges a visual culture both millennium and contemporary, extending from the North African region to the Sahel countries.

We are looking forward to a mesmerising trip across Trans-Saharan Africa (and prepared to book us a tour ASAP the pandemic allows us to do so).

Happy readings, dear friends! Also, if you have any must-read books, please share them with us!