On the Timbuktu manuscripts, I found this book really fascinating. I knew about bits of the story on a very rough sense but the details about various people, and excerpts from the manuscripts made for a book I had to finish. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Bad-Ass-Librarian...

Syria’s Secret Library By Mike Thomson was suggested to me while I was reading the previous book, but I haven't made time to read it just yet.