Summer Reads 2023
We’re already firmly in autumn, how did that happen? Did we just skip summer? Wild.
This summer we’ve both been galavanting across Europe and you may have noticed we haven’t been producing the goods (content) and the regular (or ever). But, the good news is, now that we’re entering cosy evenings again you’ll be hearing a lot more from us.
Whilst we’ve not been discussing our recent reads, it doesn’t mean we haven’t been reading. In fact, it’s been a decent summer for books. There’s been some great releases from Yellowface hitting the selves (spoiler alert: new episode on that dropping asap) and we’ve tucked into some books that have been on our TBRs for an embarrassingly long time.
So we thought we’d give you a little update on some of our fav reads from this summer before our next episode drops.
First up is the Book of Fire by Christy Lefteri
She’s really done it again. After the Beekeeper of Aleppo flew off the shelves back in 2019, Lefteri has been working on more spectacular pieces of literature. Her latest, The Book of Fire, is all about a forest fire in Greece that devastates a community. It’s devastatingly beautiful. It will make you cry and want to scream at the world and is just such a pertinent read right now. We’d both highly recommend it to anybody but be prepared to feel the feels.
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Now you know we’re TJR fans, so it’s a bit of a surprise that it’s taken us this long to get to this one, but let us tell you. It is great. It’s such a grippingly structured book (as per usual) as Carrie Soto makes her return, but will she win? It’s not as high a 5 star read as TJRs other novels but it’s still equally brilliant and one to watch when Wimbledon’s on next summer…
Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson
Despite the fact that Caleb Azumah Nelson probably thinks we’re stalking him because Elle met him at the merky books lit fest and Kath bumped into him and fan girled (hard) at a bookshop, we will continue to sing this man’s praises forever! His writing is so beautiful and we will buy any book he writes, ever.
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
It’s a bit weird that we read this book when the submarine went missing IRL but sure. This book is a brilliant tale of love and loss. It spans across multiple genres: horror, romance, fantasy and more and will keep you truly gripped. We also managed to get ourselves the most beautiful sprayed edges copy that was exclusive to indie bookshops so it’s nice to carry around too.
Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris
This was Kath’s winner for the women’s prize this year. Set in Sarajevo during the siege in 1992 - 1996, we follow an artist’s story of living during this time. It is truly one of the most beautiful books I’ve (Kath) ever read and I’d recommend it to everyone. It’s inspired by real-life accounts of the longest siege in modern warfare - that I embarrasingly didn’t know a huge amount about and as the women’s prize puts it ‘Black Butterflies is a breathtaking portrait of disintegration, resilience and hope.’
What was your favourite summer read this year? We’d love to know so drop us a DM on socials or email us wearebookishpod@gmail.com & stay tuned for a new episode v soon!