Written by Fiona Hartley-Kroeger, GA

Even though it’s the end of July, there’s still time left for fun summer reading!

For me, summer means it’s time for absorbing book adventures—a fantasy series with languid summer vibes or sci-fi with a madcap bent. I asked my friends and colleagues what “summer reading” means to them, and every person had a different answer. From Emily Henry and intergalactic epics to the latest in literary fiction, mystery and thrillers, from poetry to weird little books to “anything with Paris in the title,” the folks at LitLang have a wide range of ideas about what makes a great summer read. When you visit us, be sure to ask for recommendations! Our shelves are just waiting for you to dive in.

This summer, I’m head over heels for The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty (available on our shelves now!).

Retired smuggler Amina al-Sirafi has left her swashbuckling past in the past, content to raise her beloved daughter Marjana and keep the family home more or less in repair. Unfortunately, not even legendary pirate captains get a pension plan, so Amina is unable to refuse when the mother of a former shipmate lands on her doorstep dangling a dangerous mission and a hefty potential reward. “Unable” is maybe too strong a word: as much as she loves her daughter, Amina desperately misses her ship, her comrades, and the adventurous life. The news that her former comrade’s daughter, Dunya, has been kidnapped pushes Amina into agreeing to help, reasoning that the reward money for information alone will be enough to ensure her family’s future—she’s not just doing this to fulfill her own desires. Ask a few questions, pull some strings, get a name or two: it’s not like she’s committing to actually rescuing the girl from the terrifying, magic-obsessed ex-Crusader who’s the lead suspect.

It’s easy to see why Amina longs for the life she once had, though. In a satisfying round of “getting the old crew back together for one last big score,” we meet her stalwart (and formidable) friends and get snippets of their prior adventures together.  The supposedly straightforward reconnaissance mission goes promptly sideways when the first thing they have to do is break Amina’s trusted first mate out of jail and steal back their ship, the Marawati. And the mystery deepens when the team learns that Dunya may be voluntarily leading her kidnappers to a legendary treasure of immense power. While on the trail, Amina encounters mythical beasts, fabled islands, astounding human cruelty, and a demon who happens to be one of her ex-husbands.

It’s fun to see a confident, no-nonsense, competent middle-aged woman in the heroic role. Amina’s salty sense of humor makes her delightfully approachable for a legendary figure of derring-do whose very name intimidates and excites all who hear it. The action scenes have a fun, cinematic quality that’s just begging for an adventure score–something like Pirates of the Caribbean meets Ocean’s 11. The frame story in which Amina is narrating her adventures to a scribe, Jamal, plays well with the oral storytelling traditions of tall tales and pirate lore. By the end, you’ll be clamoring for the planned sequel.

While you wait, try Chakraborty’s acclaimed Daevabad trilogy!

Or take inspiration from other summer reading suggestions from my LitLang colleagues:

Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Kaveh Akbar, Martyr!
Lois McMaster Bujold, Penric and Desdemona
Jim Butcher, The Dresden Files
Anthony Doerr, Cloud Cuckoo Land
Emily Henry, Funny Story
Rebecca Roanhorse, Trail of Lightning
Tom Robbins, Jitterbug Perfume
Martha Wells, The Murderbot Diaries

Road tripping this summer? We have audiobooks!