I loved reading, I’d spend most of my time with my little face stuck between the spine of a book. So much so that my love for reading and silence was often confused with being sad/depressed. I stopped avidly reading when I went to boarding school, always being around people and friends made it really difficult for my generally extroverted self to carve out alone time.

Year before last, I read The Forest of Enchantments and it reminded me of how much I liked reading. Last year I managed to read 14 books, and for someone who hadn’t read in a long time - it was an accomplishment.

I’ve realized that reading can be transformative in so many ways. A show/movie will never be able to convey the succulent juiciness of a melon, the stickiness as it drips down your arm. A book can describe intimacy without the presence of physical touch. And that, is the power of books.

I’m trying to re-shape what my nights look like, post night time routine, pre-snores. Reading is something I want to include in that routine. The fight to turn my phone face down, exit TikTok scrolling is extremely hard, but I will persist in fighting the good fight lol.

Updating reading recommendations as I finish more books!

The Stationery Store - Marjan Kamali

This book describes eternal love, through time and space. Strength, perseverance, heartbreak & happiness.

Together Tea - Marjan Kamali

Another brilliant book by Kamali, describing love and belonging through a diasporic lens. The book also covers loss, and finding oneself through the exploration of the homeland.

a woman is no man - etaf rum

rum describes the live of isra as she navigates being a new bride from palestine in brooklyn, ny & her daughter, deya as she navigates being a first gen woman. a coming of age story combined with the lives of women living in the diaspora.