In an attempt to revive reading and books, be it on paper or electronically, a number of women in Saida created a literary salon to operate as a regular monthly book club. On the subject, Al Mustaqbal newspaper talked to a member of the above salon, Safaa Makawi, who disclosed that the idea originated back in 2010 among educated women who chose a book to read every month. The idea then developed into a regular book club when these women started to read from the abode of their homes and meet to discuss the novel or book they read, Makawi boasted. She said a facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/Bookclubsaida/?hc_ref=SEARCH was launched with a hashtag literary salon and another one on twitter bearing the name ‘together we read’. Readers and book lovers use these e-platforms to communicate and exchange views on every new book release, Makawi said, noting that the literary salon has become the inspiration for many similar projects in the southern city. The purpose of the initiative, she explained, is not recreational, but rather a conduit of the passion for reading. Members, she noted, are mostly professional women, including dentists, lab specialists, business women, trainers, pharmacists, as well as housewives or retired employees. (Al Mustaqbal, March 14, 2017)