Kalo Mina (Happy New Month), as we say in Greece! How is it already Sept?!

I tasted freedom this week.

It came in the form of a hot cup of coffee while my kids were finally back in school ☕️

I thought I would be so productive the first few days of peace, but I just needed to take a beat. Relish the calm after leaving a demanding job, followed by a busy summer. Enjoy a breather before diving into my next big project.

I went to my favorite second-hand bookstore, House of Prose, and went all out.

Excited to share honest #bookreviews of what I loved, didn’t love, and kinda liked. Please share yours!

Read: Humor Over Tearjerkers?

Do you know what DNF stands for?

Did not finish. In my case, I don’t do really sad books. I gravitate towards more uplifting stories.

If I wanted to feel down, I could take a look at what’s happening in Palestine every day as the world just watches.

Have you read Hello, Beautiful? The book was in the window display of every major bookstore in London and I couldn’t wait to dive in - literally reading at traffic lights and while hiding from my kids in the bathroom. If you liked A Little Life, you’ll love Hello, Beautiful, but I abandoned it because it was just so darn depressing.

Are you like me, or do you love a good tearjerker? What are we reading this week, fam?

Humor, on the other hand, is very hard to write. I love books with a bit of wit or a surprising way to leave a reader feeling uplifted. Here are three books to leave your day a little brighter:

The Worst Date Ever by Jane Bussmann

When a celebrity interviewer gets a crush on a serious war reporter, she follows in his footsteps to war-torn Uganda. The writing in this book was sharp, which is expected from a South Park writer.

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding

I’ll totally watch this movie multiple times (usually on a plane), but this book made it big for a reason. The pithy writing and romantic triangle make for a lighthearted, quick read.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

One of the best books I read in a long time, this was a beautiful, heartwarming story with an excellent surprise ending. The main character’s thoughts will make you laugh and cry in the best possible way.

Write: Solo or Buzz?

In my Google days – and definitely even earlier when I worked for newspapers and magazines – I loved the buzz of an office to get stuff done. Nothing makes an excel sheet more fun than multiple coffee breaks with work besties.

However… my creative writing always demanded a different type of energy. When working on my novel over the years, I needed a very quiet room. I like to sit by myself post-workout, post-coffee, post-kids drop off, and just enter into this… writing trance?

If I’m doing light editing or answering emails, nothing beats a friendly cafe. I discovered two excellent ones recently in Al Quoz: The Lolo House and another called Earth Roastery. I’m loving the vibe and the perfect flat white.

What are your fave writing conditions?

Inspire: Your AI Research Assistant

Writing involves a lot of research. The journalist in me loves this, because I used to tell stories and research for a living… and the techie in me really loves this because there is an explosion of tools to assist today.

My novel, What Will People Think?, divides time between Manhattan in 2011 and Jaffa, Palestine in 1947. This required a tremendous amount of historical research for factual accuracy. I went to actual libraries to read up on the subject and combed through online resources, like The British Army’s national website… and even got first-person anecdotes from my own grandmother.

Tools like NotebookLM would have been insanely helpful if they were around when I was writing! This incredible AI-powered research assistant lets you input info from multiple sources (Google Docs, URLs, research report in PDF form), and will spit out insights. I mean… wow.

In other news, our anti-pet household has turned into crazy cat lady heaven, with the addition of this latest kitten:

The kitten’s name is Candy Hamdan, a great stripper name 🫠 

Browse: These Links

The real world is stranger than fiction sometimes. Random crap from the www:

• Oasis 2025 concert nearly sold out, with hours of queuing and 1k GBP price tag

• 8 great novels by Arab women - (highly recommend Noor Naga’s)

• Only 70 people can eat this $10 Michelin starred ramen a day

• What it’s like to fly in Etihad’s 3 bedroom suite in the sky

• What this writer learned by staying offline for 1,000 hours

• Instagram fuels more self doubt than a catwalk

• We can now ‘upload’ our minds and live forever as machines

Countdown to My Novel’s Publication Day:

Thanks for reading! See you next week!

With kindness,

Sara