Golden Pages: Qur'ans and Other Manuscripts from the Collection of Ghassan I. Shaker Book

Read over a span of whatever odd days during this semester, the title is fitting, this book is exactly as it sounds. It was dry and super educational, basically detailing the entire history, development, and components of an Arabic novel. While the experience was torturous and one of the least enjoyable literary ventures I've ever experienced, I can't say I didn't learn anything. It's one of those things where, going through it, you can't help but moan and groan and tear a few hairs out over, but at the end, you realize, you come out learning a lot more than expected - and that maybe, in the end, the tears you've shed from boredom was worth it. It wasn't the best beginnings to start reading Arabic novels, but it definitely provided the background I feared I lacked going into the class. However, it's not exactly leisure reading material, so unless you're into super profound academic books chock-full of extensive page-long annotations, quotes in French and other languages, and SAT-worthy vocabulary, this probably isn't for you. However, if you are planning to dive into the world of Arabic fiction, especially if you're primarily accustomed to Western fiction, this is definitely a good introduction and is very enlightening, providing much needed background and foundations.