Did you manage to make it down to the Abu Dhabi Book Fair this year? For me, it's the highlight of the year; I've been going annually since 2009. There's just something about being surrounded by books that lifts the spirits! As usual, I left with bags full of additions to my library, but three books in particular are high priority on the reading list, and from just browsing through them, I feel it's my duty to provide recommendations. One, by Ashley Dartnell, titled (which means 'Foreign Girl' in Farsi) tells the tale of a girl growing up in Iran during the Shah's rule, with an American mother and British father. It is not often that you find such a compelling account of pre-revolutionary Iran, and this one is magical from the very first chapter. And now that I think of it, a great book to pick up if you're interested in that era is the memoir of Farah Pahlavi. The book by the one and only Shahbanou (Empress) of modern day Iran, titled , reads like a fairytale gone wrong. The second book I can't wait to start reading is by Dania El-Kadi, a Lebanese-American who writes in French, English and Arabic and currently lives in London. Her book, , looks at what happens with war threatens Lebanese women's plans. Finally, I got my hands on by Kathy Shalhoub, who also happens to be the first place winner of the launched by The National and the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. You can read her entry in the paper today, or . Shalhoub's book comes with a forward by Octavia Nasr, and tackles the identity crises of a "maybe-Lebanese". Can't wait for a day off, spent on the beach, head buried in a book!