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Please share your recommendations in here .

The Penguin's Song - Lebanon
Printed in Beirut- Lebanon
The Frightened Ones- Syria
A Sky So Close- Syria

A book recommended by Kenza ,message 20
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Good morning @niledaughter :)

I would like to suggest a book from a Syrian author: My country Kassem Eid.
Have not read it yet but read great review about it.

Majdouline wrote: "Good morning @niledaughter :)

I would like to suggest a book from a Syrian author: My country Kassem Eid.
Have not read it yet but read great review about it."

Thanks for recommending My Country: A Syrian Memoir :)

My choice was Flight Against Time by Emily Nasrallah and it was wonderful. It focussed on the topic of exile and migration at the time of the Lebanese Civil War.
The way Nasrallah painted her protagonist was very skilful, flowing backwards and forwards in time between Radwan's life in Lebanon and his experiences in Canada and New York. In what is a very short book, Nasrallah creates a very compassionate view of a man struggling with his situation.
It is particularly interesting to read this knowing that Nasrallah remained in Lebanon throughout the war. The final dilemma and conclusion had me gripped and then thinking over what happened until now. I would also praise the fluidity and ease of the translation. A great read.

Thank you, Richard. That book is on my to-read list!

I am looking for a novel from an author from Al Sham that is more recent and covers current events. I often prefer female authors but not always.
Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Jalilah wrote: "I am looking for a novel from an author from Al Sham that is more recent and covers current events. I often prefer female authors but not always.
Any suggestions would be appreciated!"

Nothing comes to my mind new, I was thinking of reading The Night Counter, I see you already read it.

Considering the chaos in Lebanon, I guess Confessions could be mentioned, but I have not read it myself.

I read The Arsonists' City for this category
Here is my review /review/show...

For this year, 2022 I read The Occasional Virgin by Hanan Al-Shaykh and really enjoyed it.
Here is my review:
/book/show/3...

The Cry of the Dove by Fadia Faqir. Here is my review: /review/show...

The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar. Here is my review: /review/show...

Rachel wrote: "The Cry of the Dove by Fadia Faqir. Here is my review: /review/show...

[bookcover:The Map of Sal..."

Thank you! I read Map of Salt and Stars, but had never heard of The Cry of the Dove. I definitely would like to read it!

I wanted to read (cry if the Dove) for a while now.

Lebanon:
An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine is a quiet, but beautifully written story about an elderly woman living in Beirut, ensconced with her beloved books. ⭐⭐�� here is my review

Rachel wrote: "Lebanon:
An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine is a quiet, but beautifully written story about an elderly woman living in..."

I loved this book, so much so I’d like to read it again!

Farewell Damascus, Ghana Samman. Looks interesting. See review in Banipal, Autum/Winter, 2017.

Into the Wadi is a memoir by Australian author Michele Drouart about meeting her Jordanian husband while studying in America, and the time she spent subsequently with his family in Jordan. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review

For the 2023 challenge I read As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

I'm currently listening to Syrian YA novel As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh. Audiobooks are new to me. Though I'm loving it, I find myself wishing to read it too.

By the way, I've noticed the paperback version in Europe has a short story included, and the author has a couple short stories on her website here -
I noticed one is called Kenan, which is the name of the love interest in ALATLTG. So, I'm curious to know if there's a connection.

As for ALATLTG, I'm quite absorbed so far. It is full of tragedy, taking place in the midst of a violent Syrian revolution but the love story is now a big part too which is bringing plenty of nice moments of sweetness and joy. There is also heartwarming familial love, but also much loss.

I finished As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow. Sometimes the love story felt a bit too sweet and wholesome. I'm interested in reading more YA to compare. This genre is new for me so I'm not sure if that's too fussy a complaint for a YA book. It's a minor complaint from me as, overall, I really enjoyed it.

As for Lebanon, I just learned of Children of the Roomje: A Family's Journey from Lebanon by Elmaz Abinader, a memoir I think sounds good. I'm not sure if I'll make time for it this year but wanted to share it. This author is of Lebanese descent, born in the US though.
I just read an essay from this author in the nature writing collection The Colors of Nature: Culture, Identity, and the Natural World (diverse authors, US-centric) which was about Palestine. I liked her writing here.

Jen wrote: "I finished As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow. Sometimes the love story felt a bit too sweet and wholesome. I'm interested in reading more YA to compare. This genre is new for me so I'..."

It’s YA and agree the love story is sweet and wholesome, but I think it was very realistic considering the circumstances. I read it for last years challenge.

For 2024 I will be reading The Wrong End of the Telescope by Rabih Alameddine for this prompt.
If you want something more complex and grown up you might like it. It also deals with Syrian refugees, but the lead character is a trans woman of Lebanese ancestry.

Jalilah wrote: "Jen wrote: "I finished As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow. Sometimes the love story felt a bit too sweet and wholesome. I'm interested in reading more YA to compare. This genre is new ..."

Yea, I would say overall the story is quite heavy for YA, but this sort of life is the reality for some people at this age, so it's worthy as content and presented well for YA literature.

I look forward to hearing your final thoughts on the Alameddine- I'm very interested in that author. I had my eye on Koolaids: The Art of War, also an LGBTQ+ story, but I'm glad you reminded me of this one too which I remember reading about but hadn't yet added to TBR.