Welcome to Litsy!

My Saturday afternoon involves awesome dogs and an awesome book! THE ADVENTURES OF AMINA AL-SIRAFI has everything: swashbuckling adventure, nuanced friendships with a whole lot of history behind them, intriguing magic, and intense VIBES. (Love a VIBE.) I can‘t wait to dig into the back half.

ALSO, today is Rocco‘s fourth birthday! I gave him some celebratory ear-skritches when I got here.

Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView !

1. Service to others.
2. Reading. Baking. Spending time outside. Traveling.
3. Absolutely no question, hands down. Probably up in my top five of the year so far.

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

Impulse HPB buy! A female pirate!!

Amina Al-Sirafi is a retired Muslim pirate captain who finds her was back to the sea for one last adventure. The story reminded me of Tress of the Emerald Sea, but more adult content. It‘s a wild adventure, but the camaraderie of the main crew was my favorite part. Despite their bad choices or past conflicts, they come together to create a community. Lots of magical creatures, but also just a mom trying to find a work/life balance… as a pirate.

Amina was just trying to settle in to her retirement, when her pirate past returns with a job she can‘t refuse. It‘s time to bring the old crew back together & fight sorcerers, elementals, sea monsters, & an ex-husband.

This was such a freaking delight! Diverse crew, excellent blending of historical & fantastical, mother/daughter relationships, & a hook for sequels that has me giggling in glee. Need to bump her other books up my TBR! 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗

Well this was a delightful old-fashioned pirate adventure story, set in the 12th century Indian Ocean Islamic world and starring a badass woman Nakhuda (ship captain) and mom. I loved the supporting characters (two are queer), the "let's get the gang back together for one last hooray" vibe, the villain(s) (is Raksh a villain??), how thirsty for pretty men Amina is, and the rich world-building -- historical and fantasy. Excellent as an #audiobook!

House work done so my plans today consist of soaking up as much Vitamin D as I can while it is semi decent outside (as opposed to hiding out in the AC).

"Are not all mothers capable of being monsters when it comes to their children?"

"I am murderous and despondent" says Amina. I'm going to start using this when someone asks how I am and I'm in a bad mood ?

This was my book club‘s June pick—and what a fantastic read it was! The premise: a 40-something retired female pirate is pulled back into the seafaring world for “one last job.” Amina rounds up former crewmembers and heads off in search of her client‘s missing granddaughter, and of course there are… complications. The fantasy/magical elements are woven into an impeccably-researched story (complete with sources at the back). ⤵️

Judging this book by its cover worked out fine — the tale was as fun and epic as the artwork suggests. Retired pirate and single-mother is forced to get her ol‘ band back together for a rescue mission across the sea (or Indian Ocean more specifically). Real magic and ancient legends are both help and hindrance. It was a wild ride (sail?) and I could practically feel and taste the salt water spray…

Middle-aged former pirate leaves her 10y/o daughter and ailing mother behind to rescue the daughter of a former crew member. Mythical sea creatures, djinn, magic,...

@BookmarkTavern #sundayfunday

#5JoysFriday!
Some moments that gave me joy this week:
🎉I was accepted into the spiritual direction program I applied for!
📚That program acceptance came with an exciting book list, so of course I went book shopping!
😋Had an amazing brunch with a good friend (pork belly eggs Benedict and churro waffles)
🎆Enjoyed fun fireworks at a friend‘s house for 4th of July
🏴‍☠️Had a great book club discussion on the tagged book

I feel like I liked the general outline of this book more than actual story. The audio was performed really well. #14 #2024 🎧

This swashbuckling fantasy adventure set in ancient times in the Middle East was fun and fast-paced. It's filled with terrific characters and a lot of humour. It was also nominated for a Hugo Best Novel award this year. #hugoawards #hugo2024

#gottacatchemall @PuddleJumper (prompt 29. Meowth: There are pirates)

“…to be a woman is to have your story misremembered. Discarded. Twisted.”

Amina is a protagonist I‘d love to just hang out with. She‘s confident in her skills as a captain and knows how to run a tight ship. The seasoned mariner viewpoint was refreshing after multiple books with young voices. I can‘t wait to read her next adventure.

The audiobook was fantastic. They made it feel like an oral history recording with “off-mic” asides included.

Thanks to @HOTPock3tt for #auldlangspine recommendation. Also, a Hugo nominee.

"By God, what is this world coming to when such dogs manhandle grandmothers on the street! I bet none of you are even local! A fine thing, for our foreign overlords to import men to harass honest Adenis! Is this what we pay taxes to support?"

I have not, in the entirety of my life, ever paid taxes. Or customs fees. Or fines of any sort (I do pay my zakat and give sadaqah, of course, for the Divine Authority is the only one I respect).

Next up...

I'm not sure how historically accurate this is, but I enjoyed this tale of a pirate and her adventures. We are introduced to many mythical creatures and I enjoyed the battles. I feel the tone of the story moves between YA and adult. There is no explicit sex, just people getting together off screen. Since I would like more of Amina's adventures, and more of her relationship to her daughter, I can see myself reading the next book in the series.

My TBR for the month of April. I just finished Forgotten Sisters and am about to start Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice.

Starting this next 🎧

In the first half of this book Chakrabory lays the foundation for her new series. As a result it is a slow and, frankly not very interesting beginning to what becomes, in the second half a thrill ride through a well-built world. Amina Al-Siafi is a mother, was a ship‘s captain/pirate and returns to the sea to rescue a young, magical girl . Her past shipmates join her on what becomes a life threatening adventure. Looking forward to the next entry.

This book will be in my top 10 of the year. (Things I read in week 1 usually are!) I was really interested in this story but unprepared for how much I would ADORE the voice 😍 written in first person as if the main character is telling her story in her words to a journalist, it‘s SO GOOD. The adventures of a middle aged mother retired pirate with a bad knee… I‘m so happy there‘s more coming. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is my current audiobook. Adventures stories are not my typical genre, but a bunch of kittens recommended it a couple years ago so I bought it. I am so caught up with it. I love the characters and all the mythology. It truly is a swashbuckler. It‘s fun to get used to the names from a region of the world I rarely read about and even more fun when I recognize cross religious stories. Halfway through and still being surprised and carried along.

For 2023, I've decided to do a top 10 for both fiction and non-fiction in 2023. Here's the fiction list - in more or less ranked order (the hardest part!):

1. The Adventures of Amina Al-Sarafi
2. When the Angels Left the Old Country
3. System Collapse
4. Legends & Lattes
5. Some Desperate Glory
6. Mammoths at the Gates
7. Station Eleven
8. Nona the Ninth
9. Killers of a Certain Age
10. A Tale for the Time Being

#doublespin #january #nobingo

What an adventure! ❤️📚 A middle aged, female, foul-mouthed pirate, who is a Mom and also kicks ass? Yes, please! This epic novel has magic, demons, otherworldly creatures, peril, found family, and SO much imagination! The conclusion is utterly satisfying, but also leaves the door wide open for more adventure. Do yourself a favor and listen to this on audio. The narration is fantastic and it absolutely added to the experience. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 /5 ❤️📚

Listening to this one on audio. Covid has hit our house and I‘m the only one left standing. This has kept me entertained while I‘m washing, and disinfecting, making homemade soup, and delivering meals and drinks to my 4 patients. Really enjoying the adventure and humor so far! ❤️📚

“These things that men obsess over when they hate what they desire, and desire what they cannot possess!”

#12Booksof2023 Day 8: I guess I'm a sucker for an older lady pirate with a one-last-job trope and a wealth of Middle East history and mythology thrown in! My other top read for August was Chain Gang All Stars, but CGAS doesn't need me to put it on blast given all the end of year lists it's on.

I finally had time to choose my novel for #AuldLangSyne 2024! It‘s the Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, which I conveniently already have downloaded on my kindle. To make myself more ambitious, I also added #DearEdward, which I vaguely remember reading about when it was released. Looking forward to the discussion ☺️ @Karisa

It was a very tough choice between the final two but Amina won out over Murderbot just barely because the Murderbot installment doesn't stand alone very well. I'm pretty happy with what I read for the year overall and there were really only two or three books that were just okay. Everything else I really enjoyed my time with them.
#2023ReadingBracket

I loved everyone of these! #bestof2023

#12Booksof2023 @Andrew65

March

I couldn't help but think of this Rock and Morty episode while Amina was gathering her crew. Tagged was a great listen on audio! I appreciated that it was a complete story while setting up for multiple sequels. I would love to follow the Marawati on future adventures, now that all the set up is out of the way.

I've been away a while again! A phone reset signed me out of my account, I couldn't remember my password, then had some difficulty resetting it! 🤦‍♀️

Anyway, I'm back again now and need to catch up on reviews of the pictured books, the tagged book, and The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi, which I finished yesterday.

Anyone else trying to make space on their TBR shelf in anticipation of some possible book gifts in the near future? 😝

I absolutely loved this one! Youtube Thoughts: https://youtu.be/sFUj_iJulKk

Mentally I am here. Loving this one so far. Adventure and humor and magic and also deep pondering on human nature.

“She became a legend …” I like that !

This novel was simply extraordinary and captivating; I was hooked from the first page and did not want the story to end. The characters are phenomenal; they are well developed and intriguing and I loved going on this adventure with them. Dalila is savage but caring, and quick witted, and funny, making her my favorite character in the novel. I liked the little sections, told by Amina‘s scribe, containing information about the Moon of Saba as well.

This novel was simply extraordinary and captivating; I was hooked from the first page and did not want the story to end. The characters are phenomenal; they are well developed and intriguing and I loved going on this adventure with them. Dalila is savage but caring, quick witted, and funny, making her my favorite character in the novel. I liked the little sections, told by Amina‘s scribe, containing information about the Moon of Saba as well.

Audio-craft-assisting! ( @WildAlaskaBibliophile is doing the crafting. I'm just cutting the materials 😁)

Swashbuckling tale of a pirate captain who sails the Indian Ocean with her motley (but lovable) crew. So much fun!

Completed both, but The Invisible Hour would have been a DNF if not for #bookspin ! The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi #doublespin was a fun heroes adventure tale with the main character being a female Muslim pirate. She is lured out of retirement and away from her daughter for the sake of someone else's daughter. The motherhood aspect added depth to her character. Lots of fun side characters, some magical elements, and action-packed adventure.

This book was such fun! Got VERY fantastical towards the end but that certainly kept me on my toes! I loved the hodgepodge of characters and their questionable pasts that somehow all brought them together. A famous lady pirate is pulled from retirement with a job she couldn‘t refuse.

I enjoyed the adventure and the characters. I love that the MC is a strong woman pirate that happens to be a mom also who comes out of retirement to save a girl. This adventure turns magical and I love the character development. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This swashbuckling, Middle Eastern mythology inspired fantasy follows a middle-aged single mom & former pirate captain as she‘s coerced out of retirement for one more adventure. I loved the rep here—the older mc, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian rep, and fantastic queer rep too! The emphasis on plot over character development took this from a 5 star to a 4 star for me, but highly recommended if you‘re in the mood for an adventure on the high seas!

Here is my final list for the 1st #Book2Book It's great to see these books going to fellow Littens. If you could all email me your addresses that would be great. I'd like to get them in the mail Saturday. If you're okay with Media Mail then shipping in on me. Happy Fall almost 🐈‍⬛️

@Soubhiville @TheBookHippie @dabbe @julieclair @TheAromaofBooks @Catsandbooks @AllDebooks @Bookish_Gal @Chrissyreadit @LiteraryinLawrence @Clwojick @Cuilin