This is an utterly charming book about the highs and lows of running a bookstore in Cairo. The author talks about how she founded the store with her sister and their friend and how they and the bookstore(s) have changed over the past 20 years. The author looks unflinchingly at her own life, talking often about her unfavorable traits and being very judgemental towards both herself and others. She doesn't shy away from talking about some personal details of her life, even though she doesn't go into as much depth to call this a memoir.

The narrative often takes a step back, talking about Egypt, history and political forces that impact both the author and Diwan, the bookstore. These external forces affect which books are displayed, and what languages and cultures are showcased to create a balance that wouldn't offend (although it often does). This narrative style of the book was very effective because it provided the wider picture that allowed the reader to see the situation from the author's point of view without expecting any prior knowledge.

The narrator was flawless in voicing the book and, with great comic timing, added to the humor already present in the book.

Shelf Life was an absolute delight to read, for many reasons. It's a story for those who love books and bookstores as it tells the story of Diwan, Egypt's leading independent bookstore. Additionally, there's the story of author Nadia Wassef- Diwan's cofounder which tells of her success as a businesswoman and her personal life over the years. Overall, there was a lot of balance between all the aspects, and I love the way the sections of the book were structured to reflect the genre sections in a bookstore.
I listened to the audiobook version and found it an enjoyable way to hear the story.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

In 2002, with her friend and sister, Nadia Wassef opened Cairo's first female-owned bookstore chain, Diwan, which is not dissimilar to America's Barnes & Noble. Wassef is proud of this feat, and rightfully so — she and her business partners carved out a Third Space for women in Egypt's traditional patriarchy and revolutionary society. But her narration is often crass, self-righteous, and demeaning to her staff and colleagues, distracting the reader from the store's external success.

Books about books hold a special place in my (and, I believe, many others') heart. Shelf Life was certainly able to satisfy that.

With the tagline "Chronicles of a Cairo Bookseller," Nadia Wassef, co-owner of Egyptian bookstore, Diwan, perfectly accomplished what she set out to do in this one-of-a-kind memoir.

I loved learning about some of the things that went into creating the first modern bookstore in Egypt. I also really enjoyed that Shelf Life discussed, not only the story of Diwan, but also Wassef's personal life, both in relation to the store and not. Commentary of Egyptian social structure was also an integral part of this book and I found myself especially interested in the way the author talked about how the goings-on in the country impacted the store. With so many interwoven topics being covered in this book, I think Shelf Life would have benefited from being longer. As I made my way through this book, I found myself wanting more of the details of the things that were discussed, from the stories of the various people involved with Diwan, to how events in everyday Egyptian society tied into Wassef and Diwan's story.

Fascinating look inside a "woman-owned" business in Egypt. Inspiring story about persevering and succeeding despite the odds being stacked against you. Also a great demonstration of the ability to be flexible with the changing tide of the world around you.

cultural-exploration, cultural-heritage, bookseller, Egypt, business, family, family-dynamics, friendship, misogyny, businesswoman, identity, entrepreneur, Arab-world-view, 21st-century, politics, trailblazing, class-consciousness*****
In a culture historically dismissive of women, with a negative history of colonialism and political upheaval, this woman and her sister and friend decided to do something altogether new. They started a bookstore. With a cafe. And toilets for women. Naysayers said that Egyptians don't read and don't buy books. Not true! She takes us through the highs and lows of learning business and personnel management along with the peculiarities of governmental oversight. The business thrived until Arab Spring and world turmoil, and she opted out at a time of governmental change before the pandemic. What a wonderful book! Added benefit was learning so much about Egyptian history, literature, and culture!
I listened to this memoir in audio and narrator - Vaneh Assadourian- was a perfect match for the text. I have a thing about being able to pronounce names and words that are out of my comfort zone and she filled that role while speaking English as clearly as my Norwegian relatives.
I requested and received a free temporary copy from Dreamscape Media via NetGalley. THANK YOU!

From the moment I heard this book was coming (expected publication date October 5), I was ever-so-anxious to read it. Learning about three women building a successful business in a religiously conservative patriarchy—and including the Arab Spring protests/rebellions starting in 2011—was fascinating.

The book is loosely organized by chapters relating to the genre sections of the bookshop. This didn't prove as effective or interesting a tool as it might have been.

Aspects I especially liked: history of the area; description of the particular challenges women business owners face in Egypt; the bookstore as a third place (community-building); discussion about what makes a book a classic; some of the anecdotes involving individual people in her life; anecdote of her visit to the censorship office; the author's personal empowerment.

Aspects I didn't like as much: repetition of certain themes [how tough she is to work with/for; marriage failure (or divorce success)]; excessive/gratuitous swearing; the rest/bulk of the anecdotes about individuals.

[3+ stars]

Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, for the audio ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

“ The truth is that Diwan isn’t a business. She’s a person and this is her story.” -From Shelf life

3.5 stars

I adored the summery of this book, which ends promising a talk of a country going towards revolution, and “a feminist rallying cry”. And all about the creation of a book store? Yes please. And the small glimpses we get of this are beautiful diamonds in the rough. This is buried in a disorganized sputtering that follows little rhyme or reason to what subject will be covered next. Interesting stories of having to explain to customers they aren’t a library are buried with bitter marriages and clues that they were really flying by the seat of their pants. How do you not research things like location of new stores, and what books are popular? One cringe worthy comment mentioning she always asks potential employees what aspirations they have for their kids blew up the promise of this being any sort of feminist war cry. By the end, I certainly wouldn’t want to work there with the toxic talks of your “family”, but you are dead to us if you step one foot out of line, and ps we see your pockets closed so you don’t steal from us. Whaaat? It sounded like a nightmare, which leaves sort of a bad taste in my mouth.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

didn't love it! I really wanted to love this one — I've been reading a lot of narrative nonfiction and memoirs this year, and this one seemed to have all the pieces I crave. but I ultimately just didn't find the author's voice particularly compelling, or likable (which she certainly does discuss, but doesn't necessarily change my feelings on it). I also find it difficult to imagine writing this book without giving a more detailed sense of your own political ideology and how it fits into what's happening around you more than a very Western-inflected feminist tone; I wanted to hear more about the class hierarchies in Cairo, the class hierarchies within Wassef's own lived experience (with domestics, education, etc) and in general, a deeper interrogation of the structures surrounding the bookstore. 3.5, would recommend but with some caveats.

DNF at 20%. Bookstores? Love them. Egyptian culture? Fascinating. Fighting the patriarchy with books and feminism? Hell. Yes. This book had all of the ingredients to be a major favorite but I'm so bored, I keep tuning it out. It is a mixture of memoir and general nonfiction but there doesn't seem to be much order, it's just random facts and antidotes that altogether don't really create a story. Bits and pieces of it are interesting but this just isn't the book for me, unfortunately.

Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for gifting me with this fantastic and informative memoir, Shelf Life: Chronicles of an Egyptian Bookseller, by Nadia Wassef. In exchange I offer my unbiased review.

If you ever harbored a secret desire to own a bookstore; and honestly who hasn’t, this memoir will satisfy your curiosity and grab your full attention. Nadia Wassef shares her years co-running, owning and operating a bookstore/ cafe chain in Egypt. Diwan was founded in 2002 by Wassef, her sister and a family friend at a time when Egyptian women were mostly confined to housework and motherhood. This memoir describes the obstacles, prejudices and sexism the women faced by government agencies, irate customers and sometimes dishonest employees.

This book also shares Egyptian history through the decades, the roles women faced, the expectations citizens of Egypt experienced and their thirst of knowledge from the Western World.

I really enjoyed reading the ladies business models, their choices in stocking book titles and their desire to succeed and empower more women. Interestingly Nadia’s own life helped to dictate what books found their way unto Diwan’s shelves. I really loved that Nadia Wassef shares titles that she enjoyed reading over the years from classics to cookbooks. The audio narration was wonderful. I highly recommend this delightful book.

Shelf Life is an unembellished and lyrical memoir of the origins of Cairo's largest bookstore/cafe/meeting place, Diwan, by Nadia Wassef, one of Diwan's founders. Due out 5th Oct 2021 from Macmillan on their Farrar, Straus and Giroux imprint, it's 240 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

This is a straightforward memoir, warmly retold in an honest and accessible manner which crosses cultures and barriers and draws the reader into the narrative. It's also an impressive story of two sisters, their co-originator, and their circle of friends, who defied cultural (and legal) norms to open a bookstore as a cultural meeting place for information and the exchange of ideas at a time and in a place where there weren't so many options for women working outside their homes or family businesses.

The author does a very good job of explaining some of the problems they encountered and the creative ways they were forced to invent to solve them. One example, early on in the book, was that at the time in Egypt, most domestic books didn't have ISBNs which made keeping track of sales and inventory more than problematic. She discusses the ramifications of theft, irate customers, irate and unreliable suppliers, and indifferent or actively antagonistic governmental machinery almost perfectly developed to make independent booksellers' lives more difficult and frustrating.

Despite the hurdles, Diwan's success and expansion are related with grace, humor, and wit. It's a very personable tale, well told. I enjoyed reading about the small details, such as how they decided which way to set up their flagship store (the original store), and why the cafe and book areas are located in the way they are. In the age of massive online retailers, the descriptions of the physical bookstore and cafe made me nostalgic for the days when I could pick up a stack of books and magazines, pay for them, and spend an afternoon in the cafe (of our local Barnes & Noble) sipping tea and reading.

The language was more abrasive and rough than I had expected from a bookseller memoir. At some points, the cursing (mostly "f-bombs") came across as posturing and unnecessary. I found the inclusion less honest and more an attempt to be trendy and tough.

The audiobook version of Shelf Life has a run time of 7 hours and 5 minutes and is expertly narrated by Vaneh Assadourian. My facility with Arabic is almost completely nonexistent, but I was impressed with the narrator's pronunciation and reading on the included Arabic words. The musical emphasis and phrasing were beautiful to listen to and added a lot to the read overall. Additionally, she has a rich warm alto voice which is pleasant to hear.

Four stars. A good choice for library acquisition, readers who enjoy memoir and culture, and the audio version would make a nice commute read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.