The Remotely Summer 2023 Reading List

Some of the best books I've read over the last 6 months (2023) plus the usual TV, podcasts, clothes, skincare and pretty much everything else I’m loving.

In the winter I am a goblin who lives for log fires and TV sessions on the sofa, but come summer I enter my binge-reading era wondering why I don’t do this all year long. I’ve already read the bulk of my summer holidays this year (impatient as ever) and have managed to devour some real goodies already.

So don’t just leave it until the airport, here are the best books I’ve read over the last 6 months and some of my top recommendations for what to read while horizontal at the beach this summer. Plus as always, there’s TV, podcasts, clothes, skincare and pretty much everything else I’m loving at the bottom of the newsletter.

1: bikini - 2: beach bag - 3: runner

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingslover
Technically I have yet to finish this one but I am loving every single sentence so far. Thematically based on Dickens’ David Copperfield, this follows Damon or ‘Demon’ as he’s known, from his birth in a trailer through his life below the poverty line in rural Virginia in the 1990s in the midst of America’s opioid crisis. Kingslover has the power to break your heart over and over with the most gut-wrenching one-liners and our narrator’s voice is charming, vulnerable and witty throughout, you can’t help but root for him with every inch of your being.

Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
I adore Anne Tyler's novels. They are like mashed potato for my soul whilst always teaching me some great life wisdom without even trying. Her protagonists are always flawed and deeply frustrating while still being hugely lovable which somehow leaves me feeling coddled and gentler with myself which might have something to do with why I love her books so much. This one is particularly sweet while still stabbing me repeatedly in the heart with her deft use of words.

The List by Yomi Adegoke
Adegoke is known for writing about race and feminism and while yes, The List touches on both of these, it’s predominantly a look at the internet and cancel culture, exploring the nuances and grey areas that lie behind every viral issue online. It reads like a page-turning thriller and it’s no surprise HBO have already snapped up the rights to it; it’s so visceral and dynamic you can picture every (anxiety-inducing) interaction and character.

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
We all love love, and this book is about so many different forms and iterations of exactly that. Charming, heartbreaking and beautifully written, it charts the friendship of Sam and Sadie who go on to found one of America’s largest computer game companies after bonding over Nintendo in a hospital waiting room in their pre-teens. Not a gamer? Don’t even think about that putting you off because the real story is so much more than platform games. Although if you were partial to a bit of Zelda as a child, this will hit even more of a sweet spot.

Yellowface by Rebecca K Fuang
This was such a wild, cortisol-inducing ride. When June steals a brilliant manuscript from her frenemy and contemporary Athena Liu after her tragic and sudden death, she starts on a tight-rope journey of lies and she will do anything not to fall off. It’s uncomfortable and incredibly cringey from the get-go as the narrator’s problematic defensiveness and internal monologue of her actions can’t help but make you wince. It touches on the question of who can and should tell which stories as well as ruthlessly satirising the publishing industry from the inside out. I really hope this gets turned into some kind of movie or TV show as I just know it would be dark comedic gold.