This is a running list of the group reads happening at MENA on Goodreads. For current updates, visit the MENA Lit Group.

2025 Reading Schedule

The group has planned three reads:

  • Jan-Mar Granada by Radwa Ashour
  • May-Aug Open Read for Fiction
  • Sep-Dec Open Read for Nonfiction

For the following, the Group Discussion has ended but the conversation is always open to new contributions

2024

  • Jan-Mar Open Read for Children’s/YA (my focus on author Naomi Shihab Nye)
  • Apr-Jun Open Read for Poetry
  • Jul-Sep Open Read for Imaginative Lit (my focus on new book The Jinn Daughter by Rania Hanna)
  • Oct-Dec | The Djinn’s Apple (Ar. تفاح الجن) by Jamila Mourani. English translation by Sawad Hussain.

2023

  • The Night Will Have Its Say by Ibrahim al-Koni (Jan.-Mar. Rasha)
  • The House of Rust by Khadija Abdalla Bajaber (Apr.-Jun. Melanie)
  • Open Non-Fiction Read (Jul.-Sep. I’m reading Shelf Life: Chronicles of a Cairo Bookseller by Nadia Wassef)
  • Oct.-Dec. | If it is available in English translation (by Sawad Hussain) by then, The Djinn’s Apple (Ar. تفاح الجن) by Jamila Mourani. You can read an excerpt here. You can read about the book here.

2022

  • Sons of the People by Reem Bassiouney (Jan.-Feb. Melanie)
  • Bird Summons by Leila Aboulela (Mar.-Apr. Niledaughter)
  • The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak (May-June Melanie)
  • Stealth by Sonallah Ibrahim (July-Aug. Marcia)
  • The Night Will Have Its Say (Sep.-Oct. Niledaughter – skipped, perhaps in 2023)
  • Jokha Alharthi (Celestial Bodies and Bitter Orange Tree) (Nov.-Dec. Niledaughter/Marcia)

2021

  • Flight Against Time by Emily Nasrallah (Jan.-Feb. Melanie)
  • Women without Men (Mar.-Apr. Niledaughter)
  • A Border Passage by Leila Ahmed (May-June Melanie)
  • Granada by Radwa Ashour (July-Aug. Marcia)
  • For Bread Alone by Mohamed Choukri (Sep.-Oct. Niledaughter)
  • The Book Smuggler by Omaima Al-Khamis (Nov.-Dec. Melanie)

2020

2019

  • Jan. In the Name of Identity Amin Maalouf (Eileen)
  • Feb. Baghdad: City of Peace, City of Blood Justin Marozzi (Tamara)
  • Mar. Always Coca-Cola Alexandra Chreiteh (Melanie and M. Lynx Qualey)
  • Apr. (Topic: Beirut)
  • May (Topic: MENA Historical Figures) – I’m leading a discussion of The Architect’s Apprentice starting May 7. Anyone interested can contribute to our earlier discussion of the same book here.
  • June (Topic: Cairo) and Embrace on the Brooklyn Bridge by Ezzedine Fishere (Melanie)
  • July Mhani Alaoui Books (Melanie)
  • Aug. (Topic: Isfahan/Shiraz)
  • Sep. (Topic: Feminism)
  • Oct. (Topic: Istanbul)
  • Nov. (Topic: Fantasy & Folktales)
  • Dec. (Topic: Jerusalem)

2018

  • Jan 15 – Mar 1 North Africa The Open Door, Latifa Zayyat (Melanie leading) Goodreads discussion here, my post of related resources here
  • Mar 1 – Apr 30 North Africa Horses of God, Mahi Binebine (Carol leading)
  • May 1 – Jun 30 Special Read: 101 Nights, Bruce Fudge (Melanie leading)
  • Jun 15 – Jul 31 The Levant (Al-Sham) Code Name: Butterfly, Ahlam Bsharat (Marcia leading)
  • Jul 15 – Aug 31 Arabian Peninsula (#1) The Green Bicycle by Haifaa al Mansour (Melanie leading)
  • Aug 15 – Sep 30 History Book A History of the Arab Peoples by Albert Hourani (Nile Daughter leading)
  • Sep 15 – Oct 31 Vertigo event (Marcia leading)
  • Oct 15 – Nov 30 Iran / Trukey #1 Three Daughters of Eve (Lila leading)
  • Nov 30 – Dec 31 Iran / Trukey #2 Refuge by Dina Nayeri (Eileen leading)