Abu Dhabi, UAETuesday 24 November 2020

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SAINT MALO, FRANCE - JUNE 12: English Author Alexander McCall Smith poses during "Etonnants Voyageurs" book festival on June 12, 2011 in Saint Malo, France. (Photo by Raphael GAILLARDE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

Alexander McCall Smith's mysterious case of books
Previous Episodes
In this picture taken on November 8, 2018, Scottish novelist Irvine Welsh poses during an interview with AFP in Hong Kong. - Twenty-five years ago Irvine Welsh's debut novel "Trainspotting" burst out of the housing schemes and back alleys of post-industrial Scotland in a whirlwind of drugs, sex and violence that horrified and delighted critics alike. Scotland's most famous ex-heroin addict is still delivering the goods, and is as far as ever from settling for "carpet slippers and a cottage on the coast." (Photo by Anthony WALLACE / AFP)

Irvine Welsh's literary highs

Books of my life
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Mark Thomas/Shutterstock (10011336q) Opera Singer, Sir Bryn Terfel, arrives to perform on 'The Andrew Marr Show' at the BBC Studios. The Andrew Marr Television Show, London, UK - 02 Dec 2018

The story of Bryn Terfel

Books of my life
Mandatory Credit: Photo by DAVID HARTLEY/Shutterstock (10437477ad) Professor Mary Beard at the Cheltenham Literature Festival. Cheltenham Literature Festival, UK - 06 Oct 2019

Mary Beard, the books that left her spellbound

Books of my life
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - [DATE]: Ian Rankin at Charlotte Square Gardens on August 16, 2016 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Robbie Jack - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

Ian Rankin, the evil that inspired him

Books of my life
Author and entrepreneurArianna Huffington, who is a guest on the 'Books of My Life' podcast

Podcast: Arianna Huffington, the books that inspired the media powerhouse

Books of my life
From left: Mary Beard, Ian Rankin, Arianna Huffington and Alexander McCall Smith are among the guests who appear on The National's the 'Books of My Life' podcast series. 

Why I wanted to interview people about their favourite books

Books
EDITOR'S PICKS
Yubraj Bhusal met his newborn daughter for the first time in November, eight months after his wife died shortly after childbirth. Courtesy: Yubraj Bhusal 

Dubai father meets baby daughter eight months after wife died

Health
Former Secretary of State John Kerry will be the special presidential envoy for climate for US President-elect Joe Biden. EPA

Meet Joe Biden's cabinet picks

The Americas
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - Shop staffer cleaning the car sticker decoration for the UAE national day on December 2 at Target Car Care, Mussafah. Leslie Pableo for The National

UAE National Day car rules revealed by Abu Dhabi Police

UAE
Travellers, wearing protective face masks, line up at Orly Airport during a major weekend of the French summer holidays in August. The International Air Transport Association is working on a mobile app to show travellers are free of Covid-19. AFP 

Iata working on mobile app to show travellers are Covid-free

Aviation

Diversity and inclusion are at heart of UAE-Canada relationship

Marcy Grossman
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Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, November 11, 2020. Shop owners in Mina Zayed for a piece on how their shops will soon be demolished and replaced by new markets. The Dar Al Ain pillows and mats section. Victor Besa/The National Section: NA Reporter: Haneen Dajani

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