Love to read? Visit these 5 fantastic book havens in Dubai

We're talking old-school readers, who love the smell of books, collect bookmarks and get upset over dog-eared books.

We like to read - fiction, biographies, autobiographies, non-fiction, poetry, and more. Enough has been said about the dying habit of reading and the divide between traditional readers vs. modern-age readers - the reality is that paperbacks or e-books, readers exist. Now, since that is sorted, we'd like to go a step further and share with you the fact that Dubai is 'still' home to many traditional readers. We're talking old-school readers, who love the smell of books, collect bookmarks and get upset over dog-eared books. And, for their benefit, we made stopovers at few of the city's book havens. On the menu: piles of good books and steaming cups of coffee, chai and hot chocolate (muffins and cupcakes, if you please). It's time to sit down and enjoy a book.
Here's a book - just read
"As bookworms ourselves, we've always longed for a home away from home, to indulge in literature, minus the infiltration of technology. You often find people sitting in coffee shops, typing away on their laptops, browsing social media on their phones, etc. Rarely do you find people sitting down with a book in hand! This got us thinking - why has it become so difficult for people to enjoy a book? Is it because our phone or laptop is always with us, whereas our books aren't? Whatever the reason may be, we decided that we will carry our love for books into our outlets and make it easier for people to indulge in books by making them more accessible," share Ola Sinno and Hannad Abi Haydar, owners and co-founders, Spill the Bean, Sunset Mall, Jumeirah (043388559).
They set up a book exchange system (a customer could place a book in the library and enjoy a free cup of coffee in return), whereby they housed a large library of books that customers could choose from, take home or read in the café - free of charge. "We initially brought in our old books and bought some from second-hand flea markets, but found that to be insufficient. So, we teamed up with the Book Shelter, who kindly provided us with more books." On the shelves: cooking books, health and fitness books, children's storybooks, novels, spy books, classics, etc. On the menu: eggs, bagels, cookies, pancakes, speciality coffee, etc. 
Munchies and Tales
"I was a bit tired of mainstream cafes and of having to visit a mall every time you wanted to enjoy a coffee or meal out. The concept of friendly neighbourhood book cafés exists elsewhere and is slowly becoming popular in our region. Neighbourhood cafes like ours are for those who are looking for something a little different - a 'home from home' environment," says Dareen Charafeddine, founder, Book Munch Café (Al Safa, 04388 4006 and Business Bay, 045149459). Interestingly, the name of the café was inspired by Oliver Jeffers' The Incredible Book Eating Boy - a boy who loved books so much that he ate every one of them!
"As for the combination of a bookshop and café, we feel that this is a perfect marriage of two of life's greatest pleasures - reading and eating. Taking the time out to read is a luxury but also of great importance - and for many people having a cup of tea and munching on a treat whilst enjoying a great book provides a true escape and is a very fulfilling experience." They have a good selection of about 4,000 books, which are all for sale. "We hand pick every title - fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks, and children's books." On the menu: eggs, juices, soups, salads, wraps, coffee, tea, etc.
Let's connect
"The concept of this café is to create a space where people connect with each other over delicious food and beverages," says Basil Moosa, CEO, DownTown Café, Al Karama.
Their library is stocked with their private collection, which has been sourced after careful considerations of what the customers would like to read. Here, you can read and take home any book. "We lend the books. Also, recommendations and second-hand books from our customers are always welcomed." Over a 100 plus books can be found here. The genres include science fiction, action, adventure, romance, mysteries, autobiographies, encyclopaedias, children's books, etc. On the menu: coffee, tea, smoothies, salads, burgers, sandwiches, etc.
It's 'official'!
"We're a book rental service. We keep about 2,500 books in our office for people to browse through when they come to attend our story times and other events. Children and mothers who attend the events love to come into the office and choose their own books," says Eden June Michael, founder, Bookish.ae (045527240). They source books from the US, the UK, India, Jordan, and the UAE (a mix of second-hand books, plus a few bought from bookstores, and directly from local authors). Interestingly, their collection (adult fiction and non-fiction, children, teens and young adult) includes many books that are not sold in the UAE. Remember, Bookish is an office, not a retail space (readers receive the books at their homes). You can visit them during office hours and sit down with a book of your choice in their space. They have a collection of 7,000 books.
For the love of art
"We stock contemporary art books (not all are for sale), mainly on Middle Eastern art; other books are about art in general - about the advent of pop art, the art of Arabic letter type design, Asian contemporary art, and a few on artists, architecture and design too," says Mehroz Shaikh, art gallery assistant, XVA Gallery, Al Fahidi neighbourhood. (043535383). They stock magazines too - contemporary Middle Eastern titles like Tribe, Canvas, Selections, and the Artforum International Magazine. "Books, in general, go with the holistic approach of our brand, which is an intellectual recluse for people looking for something unique, something with character and substance. With our traditional setup, far away from the commercial brands of Dubai, adorned with contemporary art, design items and sculptures, we aim for a place that is accepting and open to all kinds of people," he adds.
The books are stocked in XVA's hotel rooms, which have their own unique concept - all 14 (soon to be 15) rooms have different books and artworks.
purva@khaleejtimes.com 

• Dubai