Great Reads

My previous lament over the unavailability of good bookstores here, or rather affordable and eclectic ones, has been solved in a wonderfully creative way. Previously I had relied upon my travels abroad to stock up, or often K would bring me a few on his return from a business trip.

I received an email a few weeks ago from a friend, citing that some women have joined together and formed a book sale. Everyone was encouraged to donate previously read English books of any genre, which were in good condition. Proceeds were to go to a small local charity, headed by one of the women, which provides basic necessities for expat workers from the lower income bracket.

There is an active and vibrant expat community here, and newcomers to Doha will find that there are a great variety of activities going on, along with many groups one can join. Though events like these are not uncommon, in the past I had mainly seen sales of household items, jewelry, arts and crafts etc., so this was the first event of its kind.

Initially there was a plan for one sale to be held in the morning, for women only. But the first was an overwhelming success, therefore another was held a few weeks later in the evening for the entire family. I was unable to attend the morning one, but managed to cajole K and the kids to come with me in the evening. Both events were hosted by women who not only graciously opened their homes, but provided delectable and mostly home made snacks as well - the hot artichoke dip was out of this world!

It was, to say the least, a great success; both well organized and well attended. I was happy to see quite a few fellow bookworms who also shared my dismay over the lack of availability of good reading material, gleefully sorting through the numerous boxes of books, like kids in a candy store. Besides books there were copious amounts of magazines as well as a small selection of videos, DVD’s and children’s games.

Noshing my way though several boxes, I found enough books to sustain me for quite some time. I bought about 10 books, plus a few more for the children. The prices were extremely reasonable – paperbacks were 5 riyals each or 5 for 20 riyals. The children’s books were a bit less, and hardcovers slightly more. I regret not being able to attend the one held in the morning, since I later heard that the choices were much more abundant.

I am delighted to report that these sales will be an ongoing event; the next one is already planned for the upcoming fall. So, I am happy that I will now be able to get my book fix on a regular basis. I will do a bit of spring/fall cleaning prior to the next event and take out some old and well read books so that others may enjoy them as much as I have.

Doha 18th International Book Fair

We recently attended the Doha 18th International Book Fair, sponsored by the National Council for Culture, Arts and Heritage. This is an annual event and was held at the magnificent new Qatar International Exhibition Center in the West Bay area of Doha. The exhibition was extremely well attended. We had arrived at 6 pm presuming we were early, since most people here tend to go out later at night, but we were in for a shock. Although the center has a huge parking lot, it was completely full. Some had even parked in the surrounding open grounds. Needless to say, parking was a nightmare, as it usually is at popular events and most shopping centers. We eventually followed someone with shopping bags and took their spot.

It was a mammoth event, with over 100 stalls and vendors. Major publishing houses from all over the Middle East (namely Syria, Egypt, Jordan and UAE among them) displayed their wares, along with a few Western ones such as Penguin and Scholastic. The vast majority of books - I would estimate at least 80-90% - were in Arabic. Many were religious books. We found a stall that specialized in Islamic texts in English, from where we picked up several excellent books. We saw many exquisite Qurans of all sizes, some which were over two feet! Seeing I was missing out on such great books, it fortified my inspiration to learn Arabic; something on my to-do list while I am living here.

Choices available in the general English section though, were scant. I had gone there with the presumption I would be able to pick up some good reading material, but came back empty handed. I did, however, see the British influence in this country. Qatar was once (like much of the world) a British colony. It regained its independence in 1971. I saw books by Enid Blyton, Agatha Christie, Roald Dahl, and the ever popular Barbara Cartland. There were also the classic novelists; Thomas Hardy, the Bronte sisters, Jane Austin, Rudyard Kipling, and the bard himself, William Shakespeare, just to name a few.

There were several good stalls for very young children which had both games and educational material. Though most were in Arabic, at this age language is less of a barrier. We all agreed A had the best shopping spree. We bough several educational items for him in addition to a few delightful and traditional Arabic toys.

I was also pleased to see college aptitude test preparation books (TOEFL, SAT and a few GRE & GMAT’s) were both in great supply and demand. Qatar places a great deal of importance on education. Guided under the auspices of the Emir’s wife, Sheikha Mozah, this is home to the Qatar Foundation’s Education City, which boasts branches of such prestigious US universities as the Weill Cornell Medical College, Georgetown School of Foreign Service, Carnegie Melon Schools of Computer Science and Business, Texas A&M University for Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical and Petroleum Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Arts, and soon to be added in 2008, Northwestern University Schools of Journalism and Communication. All universities offer four years Bachelors degrees, with the exception of Cornell, which offers a 6 year Doctor of Medicine degree.

Though there are plenty of book stores here, the majority are in Arabic. The only western outlets are Jarir Book Store and the newly opened Virgin Mega Store. Selections at both stores are limited and prices are exorbitant. There is a great demand here for good book stores. Though back home I preferred to go to independent book sellers, where I not only found the latest best sellers and other new books, I also found many rare items as well as some funky finds. But I can see how well the giant conglomerates like Barnes & Noble and Borders will do. I hope someone from the New Store Development department is reading this!