As Ramadan approaches, a growing book community in Dubai is encouraging residents to reconnect with reading, not as an aesthetic, but as an intention.

Book clubs across the city are having a moment. Books are styled beside cappuccinos, stacked artfully on café tables, and featured in Instagram Reels. Influencer gatherings and winter yacht meet-ups have turned reading into a lifestyle marker.

And that visibility is welcome.

But beneath the curated images, some readers are asking a deeper question: What happens when books become props instead of portals?

At certain gatherings, pirated PDFs circulate casually. In others, members are told to rely on summaries or digital tools rather than read the full text. While technology has its place, many believe it cannot replace the slow, reflective act of reading, the pause, the annotation, the quiet companionship between reader and page.

That concern led to the formation of The Reading Village, a grassroots initiative focused on meaningful engagement with literature.

Founded in Dubai, The Reading Village was created to provide a space where readers reconnect with books and with one another. Its premise is simple: adults crave community, but connection now requires intention. Villages, organisers say, are not built on mood boards; they are built through shared pages, conversation, and consistency.

The group meets regularly at cafes, lounges, restaurants and bars across Dubai to discuss one selected book each month. Discussions move beyond plot and character, often expanding into reflections on culture, identity and society. The gatherings are free and open to both seasoned readers and newcomers.

The initiative follows earlier literary community efforts, including the Dubai Written Word Society, which hosted poetry nights and author sessions before pausing during the pandemic. With in-person events now revived, organisers say the return to physical spaces has strengthened dialogue and commitment.

Ramadan, a month associated with reflection and mindful consumption, provides a fitting backdrop for the initiative’s renewed momentum.

“We are careful about what we consume during Ramadan,” says founder Purva Grover. 

“Perhaps we should be equally intentional about what we consume intellectually and emotionally.”

The group’s February pick was The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai, recently shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize. The format remains straightforward: one book per month, selected via community poll, followed by an in-person discussion designed to encourage critical thinking and open dialogue.

Plans include workshops, guest speakers, book crawls and curated literary experiences aimed at fostering long-term community building.

Residents interested in attending can contact the group via Instagram at @_thereadingvillage or email hello@purvagrover.com.