5 November 2026, Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Looking for pages that will transport and renew you this festive season? Emirates Literature Foundation has compiled a less-than-traditional reading list featuring authors who have taken – and continue to take – the stage at Emirates LitFest in Dubai.
Ahlam Bolooki, CEO of Emirates Literature Foundation and Director of Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, said: "In a city as internationally connected as Dubai, literature has a unique role to play in helping us understand the many cultures and experiences that shape our community. At the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, we bring together writers and thinkers from around the world, giving audiences the opportunity to engage with stories that challenge familiar perspectives, uncover shared histories and introduce them to worlds they may never have encountered otherwise. Diwali is a wonderful reminder of the cultural traditions that enrich our lives, but it is also an opportunity to look beyond what we know. Through this reading list, we hope to encourage readers to be curious, explore unfamiliar voices and discover just how much there is to learn from one another."
These picks swap holiday summaries for deeply moving historical retellings, fast-paced domestic dramas and culinary heritage:
1. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
A sweeping, stunning portrait of Kerala following three generations and their connection to the land. Through magisterial prose, Abraham Verghese explores the resilience of human spirit and the sacred bond of family. Not to be missed if Oprah Winfrey's description is to be trusted: "one of the best books I've read in my entire life."
2. Shattered Lands by Sam Dalrymple
Shattered Lands, for the first time, presents the whole story of how the Indian Empire was unmade. As told by Sam Dalrymple, a Delhi-raised Scottish historian, this debut work reframes South Asia's history through deep archival research, previously untranslated private memoirs, and interviews in English, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Punjabi, Konyak, Arabic and Burmese.
3. The First House by Avni Doshi
Based in Dubai, Avni Doshi is a highly acclaimed contemporary novelist whose debut novel was shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize. This, her second novel, centers on a very specific Indian-American experience – textured by cultural, familial, and diasporic layers. Highly symbolic, Doshi takes readers on a darker journey of self-examination.
4. The Rise of Indian Food by Himanshu Saini
At the helm of Trèsind Studio – the world's first and only Indian restaurant to hold three MICHELIN stars – is chef Himanshu Saini. Released in May 2026, this deeply personal account delves into a childhood steeped in agriculture, intense culinary training in Delhi and his move to Dubai alongside recipes representing the five different regions in India.
5. The Outsider by Vir Das
Bringing a little extra light and laughter this Diwali, Vir Das' memoir is about more than his rise to comedic fame. It's a powerful quest for belonging to which everyone can relate, with chaotic detours through Bollywood and Hollywood.
6. Once Elephants Lived Here by Geetanjali Shree
Published in June 2026, this collection of short stories explores the invisible boundaries of human life, memory, and history. It is written with the same playful wordplay, non-linear structure, and magical realism that won Geetanjali Shree the International Booker Prize back in 2022: a major milestone as the first novel translated from any Indian language (Hindi) to win the prestigious award.
7. Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq
Another International Booker Prize champion, who made history by writing the first Kannada-language work and first short story collection to ever win, Banu Mushtaq's voice is defined by a dry, sharp humour. She draws on her experience as a lawyer defending women's rights to shed a light on patriarchal communities across Southern India.
8. Annapurna Poems by Yuyutsu Sharma
Considered his most definitive work, this poetry anthology captures Yuyutsu Sharma's lifelong connection to the mountain ranges of Nepal. Even if you read this 100 times, you will always find new mysteries and hard truths within the lines of his verse.