Summer books and Snooki

The Dream of the Celt by Mario Vargas Llosa (FSG, $27)

Central creature: A globe-trotting Irish nationalist

Primary environs: Jungles in the Southern Hemisphere, courtrooms in the Northern

Story: It’s a novelization of the true tale of Roger Casement, who spent his life working to improve the lives of native populations in Africa and South America and was hanged by the British government for his involvement in the Northern Irish struggle.

How juiced is it? Not at all. Okay, it’s got a grand, historical redemption and sure, the Nobel-winning Vargas Llosa can sling sentences, but Casement was not nearly hirsute enough to be considered apelike and had no memorable abbreviations to clarify his principles.

Jerusalem by Guy Delisle (Drawn & Quarterly, $25)

Central creatures: Muslims, Jews
and Christians

Primary environs: The title city’s
holy places, playgrounds and checkpoints

Story: Delisle, who has made a career of graphic travelogues, moves to East Jerusalem with his wife—an organizer for Doctors Without Borders—and their two kids. For the next year, he catalogs the sights and sounds around him in a series of short comics.

How juiced is it? Not very. Despite its subtle examination of politics both personal and governmental, the story features no tanning, very few clubs and zero smushing.

Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson (Random House, $26; June 26)

Central creature: A chef, yes

Primary environs: Kitchens, kitchens, kitchens

Story: Having been orphaned in Ethiopia and grown up in Sweden, Samuelsson “chases flavors” behind the scenes in restaurants, including Aquavit (where he received a three-star rating from The New York Times) and his own Red Rooster in Harlem.

How juiced is it? Somewhat. Samuelsson has an easy way about his writing and does dish when it’s required, but he never says anything like, “You’re slut-shaming me? Seriously?”

Broken Harbor by Tana French (Viking, $28; July 24)

Central creature: A policeman

Primary environs: Dublin

Story: Detective Mick “Scorcher” Kennedy, whom French introduced in Faithful Place, returns to the haunts of his youth to solve a triple homicide. His past inevitably catches up with him, and the case becomes more than he bargained for.

How juiced is it? Juiced. There’s plenty of action here, and to top
 it off, it’s about a dick called “Scorcher.”