Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi
by Shannon A. Chakraborty
You might expect a pirate story to begin with a youth just starting on their adventure or a grizzled senior captain, but In Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, middle aged, Amina thinks her pirating days are behind her. She is quietly raising her daughter, when a woman comes looking for help retrieving her kidnapped granddaughter. I enjoyed how the story is framed with Amina telling her story to a scribe which adds some fun metafictional moments. She gets her old crew back together including my favorite, Dalila, an expert poisoner. Also in the mix are Amina’s ex, who is a real demon. The story includes diverse characters with Amina being Muslim and one character is exploring their gender identity as the story unfolds. There are a lot of characters and a lot of adventure going on in this first story which has a satisfying ending, but those wanting more will be pleased that this is the first in a planned trilogy. This reminded me some of two novels we had read previously for our Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Discussion at the library, Queens of the Wyrd and Kings of the Wyld.
A Pirate’s Life for Tea
by Rebecca Thorne
A Pirate’s Life for Tea is the second in the cozy Tea and Tomes trilogy which began with Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea and ends with Tea You at the Altar. If you are a fan of Legends and Lattes than this might pique your interest. Tea and Tomes follows the romantic relationship of Reyna, one of the king’s guards, and Kianthe, a powerful mage and their attempt to setup a charming book store/tea shop that keeps getting derailed by adventure. In Can’t Spell Treason without Tea they must bring to justice the pirate, Serina, in order to trade her for dragon eggs that are needed to save their home, but not everything is as it first seems. I found the beginning of the story a little slow, but it picks up steam in the second half. There is a sweet secondary romance between some of the supporting cast and a fun cameo of a nonbinary legendary pirate that will have fans of the Princess Bride swooning.
You can have fun talking like a pirate yourself with Mango Language’s Pirate Course, just one of their many foreign language and ESL courses. So don’t be lily-livered go from Landlubber to Swashbuckler smartly!
Stop by September 19 at 11 am at the main branch for a showing of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager
Hoboken Library Staff Picks 