Bravo for the magnificent selection this month!
I cannot help but chime in, although I don't have the time to participate in the discussion. I read Akhnaten by Naguib Mahfouz with much pleasure, when I was travelling in Egypt two years ago; the more so as I visited his city El Amarna and one of his stellae.
Naguib Mahfouz is an excellent writer and the mystery, the unorthodox around this Akhnaten is reflected in the way he constructed this book.