In a generally depressing article in Al Masry Al Youm about the few Cairenes who are targeted by the new bookstore boom (those “who can afford to shop for expensive Arabic and foreign books while sipping a cappuccino and savoring a marble cake”), I found this exciting gem:

But as competition is getting harsher in Cairo, [Diwan co-founder Hind] Wassef and some of her counterparts are contemplating searching for new markets outside the capital city and targeting readers with thinner wallets.Continue Reading

CAIRO I think tonight, June 11, I’m going to the signing of Khaled al-Berry’s new novel (I have strongly recommended his memoir, Life is More Beautiful Than Paradise). I don’t see anything about it on Kotob Khan’s website—where the signing is supposed to be?—but if there’s no signing, I guessContinue Reading

Thanks to Kotob Khan for making these available. Diwan also posts some bestsellers here, although their ranking or time frame isn’t clear. I have not seen bestseller lists from other booksellers. Many of the titles are familiar from last month’s list. A few are new: Mekkawi Said’s Downtown Acquisitions (3)Continue Reading