Charmed & Dangerous: Bronwyn the Witch #1
Candace Havens (2005)
This chick-friendly romance by US resident Havens takes an adventurous turn when Bronwyn, a 25-year-old witch from Texas, accepts a job with the British prime minister and finds herself travelling to Dubai, where she meets a sheikh who insists she accept the use of his private jet.
Dhs60, available at Kinokuniya
Carte Blanche
Jeffery Deaver (2011)
Deaver decided to set scenes from his new James Bond book in Dubai after visiting the emirate; the American says he was taken aback by the contrast of ancient culture and modern architecture, calling it ‘an incredibly fun and exhilarating place’. In the book, Bond spends several action-packed hours in Dubai hunting a baddie.
Dhs72, available at Kinokuniya
Rigged
Ben Mezrich (2009)
A New York Times best-selling author from New Jersey is behind this get-rich-quick story of a young Italian-American kid who finds himself in the money-hungry world of oil exchange. After heading to Dubai, he meets a young Muslim and sets out on a mission to transform the oil trading industry.
Dhs64, available at Kinokuniya
The Sand Fish
Maha Gargash (2009)
Set in the ’50s in the Trucial States (which later became the UAE), Emirati writer Maha Gargash offers readers a glimpse into the coming of age of a 17-year-old girl from a poor family. When, by arrangement, she is forced to marry a rich, much older man, Noora struggles to adjust to her new home by the sea.
Dhs64, available at Kinokuniya
Camels Love Dubai
Stephen Wilkins (2009)
This is the second Dubai-based book from British former resident Stephen Wilkins (his first, Dubai Creek, tells the story of a London expat). This time, the story focuses on a young Sri Lankan boy who convinces a wealthy man to foster him after his family is lost during a tsunami.
Dhs59, available at Magrudy’s
Dubai, The Story of the World’s Fastest City
Jim Krane (2009)
Living in the UAE, taking fast cars and skyscrapers for granted, it’s easy to forget what has happened here in the past 50 years. The intriguing events of Dubai’s transformation from a tiny pearl-diving and fishing village to a stunning city are told in this account by a long-term American resident in Dubai.
Dhs80, available at Borders
Breaking Trail
Tom Morimoto (2007)
You may be wondering where the UAE fits into the memoir of a Japanese-Canadian soldier. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the author, then 16 years old, worked his way across Canada, falling into odd jobs along the way. After a brief career in the Canadian army he became an engineer, which saw him travelling the world, with his adventures eventually landing him in Dubai.
Dhs81, available at Magrudy’s
Dubai: The Vulnerability of Success
Christopher M Davidson (2008)
Anyone interested in Dubai’s post-oil strategies and the future shape of the economy should check out this in-depth study by Davidson. Many of us may think we know a lot about the issues facing the UAE, but the author of this novel used to work at Zayed University, and he presents future problems with an authorative view against a detailed historical background.
Dhs85, available at Kinokuniya
Hello Dubai
Joe Bennett (2010)
This tome, subtitled ‘Skiing, Sand and Shopping in the World’s Weirdest City’, is ideal for anyone looking to relive that first-year-in-Dubai honeymoon period. Residents will enjoy travel writer Bennett’s witty account of how the emirate grew from a pearl-diving port to a booming metropolis. Expect an accurate read from the former Dubai resident.
Dhs56, available at Kinokuniya
Doctor Lark: The Benefits of a Medical Education
Bill Larkworthy (2010)
The life story of British-born doctor Bill Larkworthy takes us from London’s old Charing Cross Hospital to his RAF days in Penang to a life in Saudi (which eventually involved prison time), culminating in a move to Dubai and the formation of the Dubai London Clinic, the much-loved establishment in Jumeirah.
Dhs85, available at Magrudy’s
