A strange mix of books in Qatar

Books, books everywhere, but not a jot to read.

This, Dear Reader, is what I’d feared when moving from South Africa to Qatar – a proliferation of books, yes, but few of them decipherable, as they would mainly be in Arabic.

I wasn’t wrong. But I wasn’t right either. It’s just strange mix.

There is no shortage of Arabic literature in Qatar – be it in the Qatar National Library, at book shops, book fairs, schools, universities or even from book dispensing machines.

As a country that takes great pride in its arts, heritage and culture, this is to be expected.

What is surprising, however, is the apparent easy lack of access to English literature (read decent novels) and other reading materials, given that English is widely spoken by the large ex-pat population living here.

Given that readers without books are akin to ducks without water, we bookworms (especially the South African ones), “make a plan”.

And it’s a quest that extends well beyond Kindle reading or exorbitant Amazon book delivery orders.

So here follows some insights on where and how to secure your reading fix in Qatar. 

(And, if there are other means, pray, Dear Reader, do tell!)

Book shops in Qatar

Book shops in Qatar are generally not where my reading needs are met.

There are very few book shops in Doha, and those that we have found do not offer a wide variety of fiction or non-fiction reads in English. And, what they do have when you do the maths, are expensive (rarely less than R450 for a novel).

There are classics, yes, and even popular novels. But the latter are almost always a season or three behind what’s available in South Africa, the UK and Europe.

To be fair, I have not been to all of the book shops in Doha, but those I have visited fall far short of the likes of South Africa’s Exclusive Books, Gqeberha’s Fogarty’s Bookshop and the excellent bookstores across the UK. (Yes, I know, I am the visitor here!)

There is Jarir Bookstore, a market leader in the Middle East when it comes to IT products, electronics and books and Alif and Fnac, which is a French brand. Most of these shops come with stationery offers, too.

Timeoutdoha.com has a helpful article on where to find book shops in Doha.

Library books in Qatar

When it comes to quality and quantity of English books, the Qatar National Library, however, bucks the trend.

This architectural wonder in Education City is home to more than a million books, including a vast selection of English literature.

Becoming a member of the library is straightforward if you are a resident. I have taken out several books here and been able to renew them online.

According to their 2024 annual report, some 403 000 books were borrowed, while 2.8 million resources were downloaded by the 77 000 app users taking advantage of the “portable libraries”.

They have a brilliant children’s section, are forever hosting reading-related events and have an interesting heritage division which offers guided tours.

Book fairs in Qatar

As part of the country’s quest to instill a culture of reading, it hosts book fairs and exhibitions, the biggest and most popular of which is the annual Doha International Book Fair in May.

Like most exhibitions in Qatar – and there are many – the Book Fair entry is free.

The Fair attracts more than 500 publishing houses from 43 countries with a catalogue of 166 000 titles. Yes, that’s a great many books.

Albeit that the majority of books are in are Arabic, there is an appreciable number of English books, and they come at very reasonable prices (there’s no tax in Qatar).

In addition to filling up on new novels, there are always interesting side shows, such as calligraphy classes, author and other literary-related talks (usually, and understandably, in Arabic) and a dedicated children’s programme. It’s pretty much the equivalent of the Franschoek Literary Festival, running for 10 days at the Doha Exhibition and Conference Centre (DECC) in the city centre.

The H’s joy of collecting literature, called “tsundoku” in Japanese (which is just a nice way of describing “hoarding”), reaches new heights at the book fairs in Qatar. We now even have TinTin comics in Arabic!

Book clubs in Qatar

I miss my book club in South Africa!

I know there are book clubs linked to the Qatar National Library, as part of Qatar Reads initiative, and a similar effort is underway at the Museum of Islamic Art called the Majilis Book Club.

There is also the Doha Bookworms.

The latter is the closest I have come to an independent group meeting to socialise and talk books …

Second-hand books in Qatar

Fortunately, I am privy to nabbing “pre-loved” reads, recommended by friends, who happily pass on their books, just as I forward mine to like-minded readers. We tend to all bring them back to Qatar from our home countries.

From time to time, schools in Doha host “boot sales” and you can pick up second-hand books.

And then there’s our church’s Thrift Store at the Anglican Church of Epiphany at the Religious Complex.

Apart from donations of clothing and household goods, the volunteer-run store receives large numbers of books.

At QAR2 (that’s less than R10) for adult books, and QAR1 for children’s books, I am in literary heaven.  Those who donate their books come from throughout the world, which means you are exposed to new authors. (Right now, it’s all India for me.)

Birds of a feather

I, like you Dear Reader, have spent so many happy hours within the pages of books, transported to other times and other places.

I especially am doing so now, during Summer, when the weather in Qatar, makes outdoor activities impossible.

My work environment means I am surrounded by those who treasure stories too. And if their reading suggestions do not resonate (though this is rare), I turn to the Good Book Appreciation Society on Facebook for recommendations.

I suppose all that’s missing is that of belonging to a book club in Doha – one that emulates the sharing, learning, friendship, and fun and other benefits of our GQ book club, where I happily and gratefully remain a “country member”.