Summer reading List 2023

Reader. Dreamer. Writer.

Hurray for summer reading. I write a new list almost every year, but this year’s list is special because these books are simply too good! Here’s a summer reading list for 2023 that will make you question your book budget for the season. In all fairness, summer 2023 is going to be HOT, so a good book and a tall glass of iced tea are going to be your life savers. This list includes a variety of literary flavours—chunky graphic novel, literary treat, fun addictive reads, ghosts that haunt you forever and more. Sunbathing on a beach or ice-cream shop hopping? Better keep a book or two for both.

Best Books for Summer Reading List 2023

Whether you want to sort out mother-daughter issues, or go on a middle grade adventure in West Africa or follow a chain-smoker nun investigating arson, you bet this list has got it.

1. Maame by Jessica George

for a book you’ll remember forever

Twenty something Maddie has always been the woman managing her house in London. Between being the primary caretaker of her father, and primary phone-call-conversationalist with her absent mother who mostly stays in Ghana, she has a lot on her hands. When her mother decides to take over the responsibility of caring for her father, Maddie moves out of her parent’s place to ‘live’ a little (or find a husband according to her mom). Internet dating, first flat share, sexuality and career problems dance around Maddie as she tries to find footing in a world skewed by racism, cultural expectations and fraught relationships. There are so many books about young women trying to find themselves, and I assure you Maame, my favourite book of 2023 so far, is nothing like any of them. Maame is a beautiful examination life throwing curveballs, and how we still manage to survive it. Please, please pick it up. (PS: The audiobook narrated by Heather Agyepong is amazing)

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2. Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy

for a book that makes you forget real life

What better for summer than an ex-punk chain-smoker nun who is obsessed with solving the case of an arson spree that has rocked a peaceful New Orleans community? Sister Margaret, music teacher at a private school gets an itch to investigate some strange events (fire, bodies) while keeping close her own share of secrets—smoking contraband, a queer love story, guilt, mom issues. This is a hard boiled mystery that peels off in layers with flashbacks, mother-daughter relationships, music, and is very delicious to read. More on this excellent book on Satchel Notes #46.

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3. Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed

for the dreamer in you

This doorstopper of a graphic novel set in Cairo revolves around a kiosk where wishes are for sale. Through the stories of three people—a widow, a depressed college student, and a kiosk owner—Deena Mohamed makes us privy to the longings of the human heart. What ultimately makes a perfect wish? As you keep wondering what your own wish could be, if given a chance, Mohamed takes you through quality control of wishes, rule logs, corruption, bureaucratic hurdles, ethics, religious restrictions and controversies surrounding wishes. With black and white art, interspersed with colourful panels (and even flow charts), Shubeik Lubeik, originally published in Arabic as a trilogy, is a treat for the eyes and the heart.

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4. The God of Good Looks by Breanne Mc Ivor

for a fun read set in the beauty industry

When a young, naïve Biance Bridge gets herself involved with a married politician, her career and prospects go for a tumble. She reinvents her life with a new job at a beauty magazine, under a tyrant entrepreneur Obadiah. This book celebrates the Trinidad community, both its unforgiving social rules by influential, rich wives, corruption in the government, rigid class barriers, and also the way ambitious people can climb ladders and stand up to bullies. It is a very enjoyable read with unlikeable characters. I wrote a longer review on Satchel Notes #46.

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Also read : In defence of guilty pleasures and midnight burners

5. Teen couple have Fun Outdoors by Aravind Jayan

for a perfect book

This is the book that I am going to press into the hands of everyone in the hunt for a good read. A leaked intimate video brings trouble in a middleclass family in Kerala. The stifling atmosphere, casual remarks from the uncles and aunties, internet virality and quintessential Malayalee comedy makes this novel one of the very best in recent times. It is a family drama, dark comedy of manners, a coming-of-age frequently interrupted by a scandal and a mental boiling pot, all in one. I read this sitting in a movie theatre while waiting for the movie to begin. I also read this while waiting at a road crossing when the pedestrian light was red. You simply need this book this summer.

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6. The Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater

for a book you might get obsessed with

This was nasty, toxic and heart-thumping, featuring two booksellers. True crime fan Roach develops an unhealthy obsession with the new, bubbly employee Laura. This obsession turns into clue-hunting in Laura’s poetry, and before you know it, slips into an obsession about her family, past and privacy. Stalker vibes, bookshop vibes and pub vibes all in one. Amazing! For more thoughts, check out Satchel Notes #46.

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Also Read : Books about obsessions, scams and drama

7. Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q Sutanto

for a funny cozy crime

Sixty something Vera Wong tries to solve the mystery of a dead body that turns up in her dilapidated tea shop. Suddenly her dull life of running of the tea shop and nagging her unresponsive son becomes exciting! As she hunts for clues, she is also crossing personal boundaries with her suspects, trying her hand at matchmaking (among suspects!), cooking lavish spreads for newfound friends and noting the progress of her investigation in her diary. I loved the aunty dynamics in this funny, cozy book. This is best read this with a cup of tea because you’ll crave one soon enough.

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Also Read : Japanese cozy crime you need to read

8. The Human Origins of Beatrice Porter and Other Essential Ghosts by Soraya Palmer

for those who love stories

The title says it all. This novel is a celebration of folklore, oral storytelling, ghosts, family dynamics, and sexuality in a Jamaican-Trinidad and Tobago family in Brooklyn. What I loved most about the book was how I felt like somebody was telling this story to me, instead of me reading it, and it made all the difference.

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9. Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan

for the historical fiction buff

I cannot describe what a profound impact Brotherless Night had on me. With measured, well executed scenes that show life in a conflict-ridden Sri Lanka, this novel speaks of resilience, hope and the urge to survive instead of teasing the reader with trauma porn. This novel takes us into the minds of young women studying to be doctors, mothers who fight for their sons, libraries that burn down, books that stay half read in a life constantly interrupted, affections forever undefined because of the way politics merges into the personal, the unfairness of war, the betrayal of other countries towards those asking for help, and the tug of war between ethics. It makes you wonder whether being selfless or selfish is the right way to live. An excellent book and a must-read of 2023.

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Also Read : The ultimate list of Asian books to read in 2023

10. The Education of Yuri by Jerry Pinto

for a nostalgic summer

The Education of Yuri, which I read with The Satchel Book Club, brought with it a special nostalgia that completely put me under its spell even though I didn’t grow up in Bombay. Read it for a book where the city is weaved into a coming-of-age story featuring friendship, first love, and college life.

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11. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

for an addictive getaway

Oh look, here’s the hottest new fictional boyfriend to lose your heart to. Fourth Wing made me restart my walks just to listen to the audiobook performed by Rebecca Soler and Teddy Hamilton. It is a very tropey high stakes enemies-to-lovers romance with opinionated dragons. It is bloody, unfair, pacey, adrenaline-filled and addictive. Longer review (I have a lot of thoughts about this one) of this latest Tiktok sensation on Goodreads here.

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12. Happy Place by Emily Henry

for a heartwarming read

Perfect summer vibes in this staycation featuring a secretly-separated couple among a group of friends. I loved Happy Place for the wonderful banter, witty retorts, and trivial conflicts. Emily Henry certainly put literary romance on the map of readers worldwide. Happy Place doesn’t serve you what a regular summer romance book does; it unwraps slowly, steadily with a story of second chances, love, friendships and comfort spaces. This could be your happy place this summer, or remind you of one that you’ve had or maybe even lost.

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13. Koku Akanbi and the Heart of Midnight by Maria Motunrayo Adebisi

for the summer adventure

Think of the best summer adventure you’ve had. In this story, thirteen-year-old orphan Koku is sent to Olori in West Africa after he accidentally releases a demon on a trip to the British museum. In Olori, he is entrusted with a mission to restore night. Assisting him in this mission are two side-kicks—a short-tempered martial artist and a shape shifter. The stakes are high, the magic is fascinating and adventure’s calling!

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Also Read : Best middle grade fantasy to read now

14. Zen by Shabnam Minwalla

for the summer of questions

Zen by Shabnam Minwalla alternates between two timelines and two Zainabs—Zainab Essaji in the 1935 in the wake of the Indian Independence movement, and Zainab Currimji with a Hindu Gujrati mom and Bohra Muslim father in 2019. I loved Zen for the Bombay/Mumbai setting , for remembering history, for reflecting on the world today and of course for the two fierce heroines. There are old diary entries vs present day texts, the anticipation of an electric refrigerator vs fast food and wedding parties, a girl questioning her restrictions in the 1930s vs a girl questioning prejudice within communities, Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and more. It is a political story, a mystery, a coming-of-age, a love story (and recipes too!) all rolled into one. Gift this to yourself and to every young person you know.

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15. Tomb Sweeping by Alexandra Chang

for the short story lover

I am currently reading this brilliant collection of short stories featuring Chinese-American and Chinese women. The writing style is slightly melancholic, about the role of self in the larger society and the relationship between capitalism , technology and the individual. An unemployed woman house-sits in an isolated house after she is let go because of a software upgrade can do her work faster, a woman’s life is told backwards from death to youth, a woman runs an illegal gambling den, a college student reflects on friendship—If you are looking for stories that have a good command over language, and can feel comforting and discomfiting at the same time, this one’s for you.
Publishing in Aug 2023

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