Author Nadia Wassef on Life as a Cairo Bookseller

“Bookstores typically have been a place where I escape myself—and [a place where] I find a new self,” says this week's podcast guest, Nadia Wassef. “I feel like I walk in there and the world is open to me.” The author of the newly released Shelf Life: Chronicles of a Cairo Bookseller knows a thing or two about bookstores: she co-founded Diwan—the Egyptian capital's leading bookstore—with her sister and friend back in 2002. We caught up with Nadia, who now lives in London, to talk about the power of the bookstore and the books within them, how she stays connected with Cairo, and what books she hopes travelers read before visiting her home country.  Read a transcription of the episode and find links to the books mentioned here: https://www.cntraveler.com/story/nadia-wassef-women-who-travel-podcast Follow Nadia: @nadia_the_bibliophile Follow Lale: @lalehannah Follow Meredith: @ohheytheremere Follow Women Who Travel: @womenwhotravel All products featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Om Podcasten

Though travel and adventure have historically been publicly claimed by men, women have always been part of those narratives, too. Each week, host and Condé Nast Traveler editor Lale Arikoglu shines a light on some of those stories, interviewing female-identifying guests about their most unique travel tales—from going off-grid in the Danish wilderness to country-hopping solo—sharing her own experiences traveling around the globe, and tapping listeners to contribute their own memorable stories. This is a podcast for anyone who is curious about the world—and excited to explore places both near and far from home. For more from Women Who Travel, visit our website or subscribe to our email newsletter.