Although September is quickly approaching, and with it the academic new year (which I still think of as the real new year, thanks to many decades in academia), summer hasn’t quite faded away yet! Today we’re recommending a few late-summer reads:

The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin

Although this is the 2^nd in the Wizard of Earthsea series, it can be read totally stand-alone, a gorgeous and thoughtful exploration of faith and identity which also subverts common fantasy tropes – common then, and still all-too-common today.

American Elsewhere, Robert Jackson Bennett

RJB just won the Hugo for best novel for his gorgeous The Tainted Cup, but fans of that novel may not know about his earlier book, a science fictional exploration of identity and motherhood, set in New Mexico.

On Stranger Tides, Tim Powers

You may recall the title as the fourth in the Pirates of the Carribbean film franchise, but it’s the first film in the series that has the most nods to the plot of this brilliant, sprightly, extremely fun pirates and magic novel. Highly recommended, especially if this is your first Powers novel.

The Night Field, Donna Glee Williams

Eco-fantasy of the highest degree, set in a steamy jungle that’s achingly familiar yet still subtly alien. This gorgeous, heartfelt novel tells the story of a woman who does what she must for the friends and family she loves.

Blood Cruise, Mats Strandberg

Perhaps you have time for a quick cruise before the summer ends? Even just a quick booze-cruise? Or perhaps you just want to read about one that goes horribly, horribly wrong… You’ll never want to set foot on a boat again.

Untamed Shore, Silvia Moreno-Garcia

One of Silvia’s crime novels, set in a dreamy, blood-soaked 1977 on the Baja Peninsula. If you love Patricia Highsmith, or if you love Silvia, this is the book for you.

Happy reading!

Anne Perry

Publishing Director, Arcadia Books