I Saw Ramallah: Metro's Book of the Month

It may be a London freesheet but Metro has a high-powered book club going on. Mourid Barghouti's memoir I Saw Ramallah (translated by Ahdaf Soueif) follows The Line of Beauty (August) and The White People (July) in what could potentially be the largest virtual book club out there. So if you're commuting in London, look out for Tube neighbours reading a book with this cover:
and say hi to book club members in person, or leave reviews and comments on the site for other readers to share.

BBC World Book Club goes to Egypt

Today's book club sees Nawal El-Saadawi in conversation with Harriett Gilbert, discussing the still-controversial classic Woman at Point Zero. You can listen to the broadcast online here.

On the same page, there's the opportunity to submit questions for the forthcoming bookclub with Alaa al-Aswany, who will be talking about The Yacoubian Building on 28 May -- and to see the discussion take place, at 4.15 that day in Bush House in London. If you would like to put a question to Alaa Al Aswany, or be in the audience, please email worldbookclub@bbc.co.uk or call on 0207 557 2778.

A Map of Love: Book Club and Author Event

The Guardian Book Club takes on Ahdaf Soueif's wonderful, award-winning novel over the next four weeks, with essay one, on languages in the novel, appearing today. The Book Club's chair, John Mullan, will host an event with Soueif on November 25th at the Guardian Newsroom in London: tickets available from book [dot] club [at] guardian [dot] co [dot] uk, or on 020 7886 9281.

The PEN Atlas is looking to start an online book club -- nominate your choice of titles here!

Reading Contemporary Arabic Literature: Where to Start?

Perhaps Alaa al-Aswany has whetted your appetite for fiction from the Middle East, or you're curious to read the stories written by the people seen in the news who rarely get to speak for themselves. Maybe you're planning a trip to Morocco (say, for the upcoming international Forum on Civilisations and Cultural Diversity) and want to know more about the country, or maybe you're just hungry for new voices, new reads. As the British Council's year-long New Arabic Books project shows, Arabic fiction publishing is thriving in the Middle East and Maghreb -- but where to start?

You could take advice from Kutub, a book club that's been running in Dubai for 2 1/2 years. Each month they gather at the Third Line gallery to discuss a juicy list of books. If you're looking for a tasty starter course in the diversity of Arab literature available in English, then here's Kutub's menu for October 2008:

Yalo by Elias Khoury
The New Year of the Revolutionary Bread Making Machine by Hassan Daoud
Adama by Turki al-Hamad
Woman at Point Zero (Imra’a ‘ind Nuqtat al-Sifr) Nawal As Sadaawi
The Last Chapter by Leila Abouzeid
Aunt Saffiya & the Monastery ( خالتي صفية والدير ) by Bahaa Taher
The Secret Life of Saaed the Pessoptomist by Emile Habiby
Black Magic by Hamdy el-Ghazzar
Wild Thorns by Sahar Khalifa
Leaves of Narcissus (Awraq Al-Narjis) by Somaya Ramadan
The Map of Love by Ahdaf Soueif

All well-loved favourites on your shelf? Further recommendations available here. And some great reads from Boulder Public Library's long-runniing Arabic Literature Discussion Group.