THE MIDDLE EAST

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

Age rating: 14+ (young adult)

Features: Persian mythology and a sapphic relationship

Plot: a captivating and utterly original fairy tale about a girl cursed to be poisonous to the touch, and who discovers what power might lie in such a curse. Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming...human or demon. Princess or monster.

Paranormal

Age rating: 15

Features: based on the Ma Waraa Al Tabiaa novel series, includes the supernatural Plot: haematologist Refaat Ismail, a strong scientific mind, encounters a series of unexplainable paranormal events. Soon, he starts questioning his life and loses sense of what he believes in.

The Beekeeper Of Aleppo By Christy Lefteri

Age rating: 14+

Plot: Nuri is a beekeeper; his wife, Afra, an artist. They live a simple life in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo - until the unthinkable happens. When all they care for is destroyed by war, they are forced to escape. As Nuri and Afra travel through a broken world, they must confront not only the pain of their own unspeakable loss, but dangers that would overwhelm the bravest of souls. Above all - and perhaps this is the hardest thing they face - they must journey to find each other again.

The Exchange

Age rating: 12

Plot: the series explores the tale of Farida and Munira, two ever competitive cousins who are effortlessly good at mathematics and are keen to take on Kuwait's hectic stock exchange. It tells the story of how the duo became the first women in the Kuwaiti Stock Exchange and the multiple challenges they faced in the male-dominated industry.