As we mentioned last week, and as part of our continuous pursuit at Sail to encourage and endear reading to our social media followers, we’ve launched a campaign this month under the social media hashtag: #SailBookRecommendations. In this hashtag we are curating a daily book recommendation from our team members and from our followers, those book recommendations are short and brief to entice people’s curiosity, and we are tapping in all genres to appeal to all our followers and readers. The campaign is hosted on our Instagram: @SailPublishing and on our facebook: Sail eMagazine.
Below are some of our posted book recommendations during the past week:
- Book title: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
- Author: Mark Haddon
- Genre: fiction novel / Mystery
A wonderful mystery novel told through the perspective of an autistic fifteen-year-old named Christopher. This book follows the search for family, the search for honesty, and the search for comfort in a world that is harsh on giving someone any of that. It focuses on the importance of being real, and I think that if anyone is looking for a reason to be a better person in any way, this surely is the book to read.
Reviewed by Amani AlJundi
- Book title: Dark Matter
- Author: Blake Crouch
- Genre: Science Fiction
Dr. Jason Dessen is a professor, husband, and father. He has a quiet life and every now and then he wonders if he had made different choices years ago how would his life be. One night on his way back home, the life he has taken for granted is turned upside down. Gripping, thrilling and intense this book is all these things and more. The author lets you believe you know how the story is unfolding but there are twists and turns that you won’t see coming. If a good Sci-fi book is what you are looking for then pick this one up!
Reviewed by Mariam Alhosani
- Book Title: Cooked – A natural history of transformation
- Author: Michael Pollan
- Genre: Nonfiction / Social culinary anthropology
Take your last meal and cut it down to the most essential ingredients. This book explains the transformative journey your ingredient takes from its raw form to your complex edible meal. The author breaks down four basic elements of fire, air, water, and earth to explain the transformations these elements had in carving up societies. Whether it’s by breathing air into grain and transforming it into bread, or controlling death through a complex journey of fermentation, the author explains the process of all these elements in a four-chapter book. Beyond transformation, the author adds in a realization of our modern food industries and the consumers’ lack of understanding what real food is and its importance in forming up our societies, families, and own health.
Reviewed by Nasser AlFalasi
- Book title: The Unbearable Lightness of Being
- Author:Milan Kundera
- Genre: Philosophical fiction
If you are looking for a more philosophical book on the pursuit of love and the pain it offers, then this is most definitely the one for you. Although it is a little more difficult to read, Kundera goes through four different points of views, four different answers to one of the biggest answers in life: What is it to love and be loved in return?
Reviewed by Amani AlJundi
- Book Title: Persepolis
- Author: Marjane Satrapi
- Genre: Comics / Autobiography
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi tells the authors’ account of an interrupted childhood, growing up during the Iranian revolution and its impact on Iranian society to this very day. It makes you wonder-How do we understand the Iran of today? More importantly, how do we swim through so much historical detail without getting lost? Persepolis takes you on a visual, honest and completely daring adventure of life as a young Iranian girl, before, after and during the Iranian revolution of 1979. Themes of love, loss, torture, and personal discovery are expressed in the most unique way all throughout. Presented as a graphic novel, every detail from imagery and word is majestically paired to draw not only a reaction, but also allows the reader to develop a real understanding of the complex history of Iran and all the events that brought the nation to its current cultural and political situation.
We always hear of important historical events such as the Iranian revolution on an occasional basis, nod our heads in sympathy, and move on with our lives without truly understanding the context or the consequences of what really happened back then. But the need to know still lingers within us. This is a definite must read for the curious lovers of history, who have an interest in knowing but get lost in the world of dates and complicated details.
Reviewed by Yara Younis
- Book Title: The Light of Paris
- Author:Eleanor Brown
- Genre: Fiction novel / Family drama
The book follows Madeleine, who throughout her life, has been trapped by family’s expectations. No matter how hard she tried to please her mother or husband, nothing worked for her. However, it all changed when one day, she decided to go back to her hometown and discovered an old diary of her grandmother which she has written in her 20’s.
Through this change, Madeleine will be given the chance to change her life, like her grandma was given the chance, but will Madeleine change the route of her life? That’s what you will discover in the book.
Reviewed by Khawla Rashid
- Book title: Bird Box
- Author: Josh Malerman
- Genre: Fiction/ Horror
Bird Box by Josh Malerman is a horror story that follows the protagonist Malorie and her fellow friends who are trying to survive from “the monster”. Written in the third person point of view, this book establishes a very creepy, bone-chilling atmosphere that guarantees to give you an adrenaline rush.
This book is very character-driven. It is all about the motives of the characters and how their psychological state of mind affects the story going forward. Each and every character introduced in this book has some sort of significance and their relationships will develop to get the story going further.
Honestly, this book got me thinking a lot. In the state of disaster, who are the real monsters? Do we turn into monsters? How monstrous can humans be? How safe is the world?
Reviewed by our Adeeb Nami
- Book Title: Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
- Author: Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
- Genre: Nonfiction
‘’Women hold up half the sky.’’ – Chinese Proverb
A must read book, I won’t say for every woman, but for men as well. It is heart-breaking , and an eye-opener. It goes from the issue of human trafficking, to maternal mortality and honor killing. The basic recurring theme throughout the book is the importance of education women, for they hold “half the sky”. Do you want to boost the economy? Educate and empower women. Want to curb population growth? Educate girls. Reduce violence and victims of rape? Educate and keep on educating! Educating women is an investment; it has a ripple effect.
Reviewed by Mahaba AlSaleh
