Book Clubs

Festival Book Club (English)

Next Meeting: TBC

In our last meeting, we looked at… Not Bad People by Brandy Scott

Three friends, thirty years of shared secrets, one impulsive gesture… and a terrible accident.  

A clever, compelling debut novel with a unique premise of what happens when three best friends engage in what seems to be a harmless act, but instead results in tragedy, leading the women to confront buried resentments, shattering secrets, dark lies, and the moral consequences that could alter their lives forever.

Language: English; Age Group: 18+

The Guide

Can anyone join?

If you love books and talking about them with fellow bookworms, you’re in!

Do I need to pay anything?

There is no registration fee, the only requirements are a name, email address and contact number for our records. RSVP a week before via email or the Facebook group which you will be invited to once you officially register.

How do you choose titles?

The Festival Book Club largely focuses on works by authors attending the upcoming Emirates Airline Festival of Literature (4-9 February 2020).

This means that by the time the Festival arrives, when authors discuss their work in various events or ‘sessions’, you can really engage with the conversation and get a feel for what else in their backlist you’d like to add to your reading pile.

What is the format of discussions?

We discuss the book of the month for about an hour, looking at plot, character and language (it’s always useful to bring a few thoughts or a short passage that you’d like to read out and discuss) and at the end of the chat we have a quick recommendation round where we each recommend a book that isn’t on the book club list, because we can never have enough books.

Do you focus on one particular genre?

Nope. We cover literary fiction, historical fiction, non-fiction, works in translation, sci/fi fantasy and short story collections. This means there’s a discussion accessible to everyone at some point and it encourages regular members to break out of their comfort zones every once in a while.

Do I need to read the book before I attend?

It’s important to read the book before the discussion but we all have busy lives and sometimes they get in the way. If you haven’t finished the book but still want to join in that’s fine, but remember that Book Club is FULL OF SPOILERS, and we will ruin the ending for you. (You have been warned).

Do you still meet during the Summer months?

We do; however, we branch out for the Summer into some different titles before we move onto the new Festival Book Club year which starts in September.

Festival Book Club (Arabic)

More information coming soon!

Language: Arabic; Age Group: 18+

Children’s Book Club (9-11 years)

Next Meeting: September 2019 – date TBC

The Children’s Book Club is aimed at children between 9-11 years of age to meet monthly during term time at Costa Coffee Al Wasl (Costa Drive thru after Spinneys Umm Sequim heading to Jebel Ali) to discuss books including those by authors who will attend the 2020 Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. Click here to learn more about the location.

Register for the new season of the Children’s Book Clubs via the form below. All participants interested in attending from September 2019 must sign up using the form.

Due to space constraints, please ensure that you have confirmed attendance before arriving for the Club.

Please encourage your children to read the book in advance, so that they can join in the conversation.

Language: English; Age Group: 9-11 years

Register Below

Young Adults’ Book Club (12+ years)

Next Meeting: September 2019 – date TBC

The Young Adults’ Book Club is aimed at students over the age of 12. The book club will meet monthly during term time at Costa Coffee Al Wasl (Costa Drive thru after Spinneys Umm Sequim heading to Jebel Ali) to discuss books including those authors who will attend the 2020 Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. Click here to learn more about the location.

Register for the new season of the Young Adults’ Book Club via the form below. All participants interested in attending from September 2019 must sign up using the form.

Due to space constraints, please ensure that you have confirmed attendance before arriving for the Club.

Please encourage your children to read the book in advance, so that they can join in the conversation.

Language: English; Age Group: 12+ years

Register Below

Readers’ Majlis (English)

Next Meeting: May 15 (10am-12pm)

Emirates Literature Foundation is delighted to invite all book lovers to the monthly Readers’ Majlis. Every month we sit down to discuss books on a specific theme decided on by the members. It is the perfect opportunity for you to share your experiences and passion for literature with other like-minded enthusiasts.

Each group member will choose their own book or books to read and discuss at the Majlis. Discover new books of different genres and from a number of cultures at this unique reading group.

During the next book club meeting, we’ll be discussing the theme of spirituality.

Venue: Jameel Arts Centre (Project Space)

Language: English; Age Group: 18+