Elin and Tim welcome to the podcast Curtis Sittenfeld, the author of Prep, American Wife, and Show, Don’t Tell. They start with Curtis’s favorite books, her time at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop where Elin and her compare stories, and then segue into her debut novel, “the boarding school book of boarding school books”, Prep. They discuss how much of it was inspired by Curtis’s own boarding school experience and compare and contrast it to Elin’s upcoming boarding school novel, The Academy, as well as chat about their favorite campus novels. The three move on to Curtis’s novels inspired by First Ladies, American Wife and Rodham, and they laugh about their favorite SNL skits. This episode is rich with reading recommendations so don’t miss it!

Curtis Sittenfeld’s Reading List:

• Prep
• American Wife
• Eligible
• Romantic Comedy
• Rodham
• Show Don’t Tell

What Else Are We Reading in this Episode:

• Charlotte’s Web by E.B White
• Stuart Little by E.B. White
• The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
• The Secret History by Donna Tartt
• Foster Dade Explores the Cosmos by Nash Jenkins
• Sarah Phillips by Andrea Lee
• Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris
• I am Charlotte Simmons by Thomas Wolfe
• The Islanders by Lewis Robinson
• Girlfriending by Susanna Daniel
• My Own Devices by Dessa
• Animal Instinct by Amy Shearn

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Happy Reading!

This bonus episode features the live conversation with your host, Tim Ehrenberg of Tim Talks Books, at the Nantucket Book Festival with one of his favorite novelists, Wally Lamb. Wally is the author of seven New York Times best-sellers, three of them selections for Oprah’s Book Club, She’s Come Undone, I Know This Much is True, and most recently, The River is Waiting. The two discuss many of Wally’s books, one of Tim’s favorites of all time, I Know This Much is True, and the newest novel, The River is Waiting. They examine its themes, our prison system, addiction, the act of forgiveness, emotional intelligence, and the transformative power of fiction.

A Special thank you to our episode sponsor:
J.Crew

Wally Lamb Reading List:

• She’s Come Undone
• I Know this Much is True
• The Hour I First Believed
• Couldn’t Keep it To Myself
• I’ll Fly Away
• We Are Water
• Wishin’ and Hopin’
• The River is Waiting

What else are we reading in this episode?
Flannery Conner, Anny Tyler, Raymond Carver, John Updike
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Flannery O’Conner Collected Stories
Raymond Carver Collected Stories
The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
Bird by Bird by Ann Lamott
Paper Girl by Beth Macy

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And find us on Instagram at @booksbeachandbeyond

Happy Reading!

This bonus episode features the live conversation with your host, Elin Hilderbrand, at the Nantucket Book Festival with Adam Ross, author of Playworld. Playworld is one of Elin’s favorite books she has read in a decade. Adam is the acclaimed author of Mr. Peanut and renowned editor of the Sewanee Review.  Sure to be a conversation to remember, these two masters of their craft have much to discuss about contemporary fiction, the publishing industry, and the art of storytelling.

A Special thank you to our episode sponsor:
J.Crew

Adam Ross Reading List:

• Mr. Peanut
• Playworld
• Ladies and Gentleman: Stories

 What else are we reading in this episode?

The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellows

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And find us on Instagram at @booksbeachandbeyond

Happy Reading!

Books, Beach, & Beyond’s first LIVE podcast recording was June 14th at the Nantucket Book Festival where Elin and Tim were in conversation with best-selling author Carl Hiaasen, author of Fever Beach. The three talk about Carl’s career as a journalist turned novelist, setting his novels in the state of Florida, writing satire, his outrageous characters, and writing for both adults and children. Carl discusses how publishing has changed in his long career, engaging in politics, the exuberant writing and humor in his novels, his advice to graduates, and his take on Hollywood adaptations. The audience at the Nantucket Book Festival was in stitches and you will be, too.

Carl Hiaasen Books:

• Double Whammy
• Tourist Season
• Fever Beach
• Assume the Worst: The Graduation Speech You’ll Never Hear
• Hoot

Other Books Mentioned:

• The Hardy Boys by Franklin W Dixon
• Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene
• Davy Barry books
• Karen Russell books
• Erik Larson books
• Martin Amos books
• Christopher Moore books 

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And find us on Instagram at @booksbeachandbeyond

Happy Reading!

Our first official episode of Season 3 is with the force that is GAYLE KING! Gayle is an award-winning journalist and co-host of CBS MORNINGS, also editor-at-large of Oprah Daily and hosts “Gayle King in the House,” a live, weekly radio show on SiriusXM. The three discuss their favorite interview topics to engage with writers about, what Gayle was reading as a young girl, how her journalism career started, and some highlights from that journey. The three continue with their reading habits, book recommendations, likes and dislikes in their reading lives, interviewing tips, and the people they would most like to interview someday.

A Special Thank you to our Episode Sponsors

• Nantucket Book Partners
• Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Island Properties Nantucket

Reading List

• Elsie Dinsmore by Martha Finley
• Nancy Drew Books 
• Bobby Twins Books 
• Danielle Steel Books
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
• Beverly Cleary Books 
• Judith Krantz Books 
• Barbara Taylor Bradford Books
• Tilt by Emma Pattee 
• The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb
• I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb
• The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong
• Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo

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And find us on Instagram at @booksbeachandbeyond

Happy Reading!

Elin Hilderbrand and Tim Ehrenberg of Tim Talks Books are back for Season 3 of Books, Beach, & Beyond! This introductory episode is a catch-up on what the two have been reading, watching, and looking forward to this summer on everyone’s favorite island. They also cover the release of The Blue Book, Elin’s recommendation guide to Nantucket. Joining Elin and Tim for the second half of the episode is Elin’s sister, Heather Thorpe, who will be running the Elin Hilderbrand Blue Book Tours with Nantucket Island Tours this summer. The trio chat details about the new tour, discuss their perfect Nantucket days, and choose which Elin Hilderbrand novel they would all choose to be living in. Elin’s choice is a mic drop moment so listen until the end!

A special thank you to our Episode Sponsors:

• Nantucket Island Tours
• N Magazine
• Nantucket Current

Reading List:

• The Names by Florence Knapp
• Playworld by Adam Ross
• Mariette in Ecstasy by Ron Hansen
• The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb
• The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong
• Fever Beach by Carl Hiaasen
• Letting Go by Philip Roth
• The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
• Mansion Beach by Meg Mitchell Moore
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Far and Away by Amy Poeppel
• How to Lose Your Mother by Molly Jong Fast
• Fear of Flying by Erica Jong
• All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

Elin Hilderbrand books mentioned: The Blue Bistro, The Five-Star Weekend, The Blue Book, Barefoot, and 28 Summers

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And find us on Instagram at @booksbeachandbeyond

Happy Reading!

In this bonus episode to close out Season 2 of Books, Beach, & Beyond, your hosts gab about favorite moments and books of the year, Elin's new merch at ElinBrand.com, plus take listener questions submitted on Instagram. Hear about Elin's thoughts on The Perfect Couple and other upcoming Hollywood adventures for Elin's novels, writing advice from Elin, Tim's dance moves, how Elin and Tim met, outrageous behavior on Nantucket, most anticipated reads coming in 2025, and other book related conversation and recommendations. We hope you enjoyed Season 2. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to you!

A special thank you to our Episode Sponsor:
BookBrowse

Reading List

• God of the Woods by Liz Moore
• Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo
• Coleman Hill by Kim Coleman Foote
• Sandwich by Catherine Newman
• We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman
• Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand
• The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham
• The Names by Florence Knapp
• Griffin Sisters Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner
• Elphie by Gregory Maguire
• Heartwood by Amity Gaige
• Sea Wife by Amity Gaige
• Dream State by Eric Puchner
• Model Home by Eric Buchner
• Family Happiness by Laurie Colwin
• A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
• Harry Potter by JK Rowling
• In Memoriam by Alice Winn
• Hamnet by Maggie O' Farrell
• The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’ Farrell
• The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
• Old School by Tobias Wolff

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And find us on Instagram at @booksbeachandbeyond

Happy Reading!

Season 2 of Books, Beach, & Beyond ends its regular season with the icon that is Ina Garten and her new memoir Be Ready When The Luck Happens. Ina Garten is the author of a dozen cookbooks and the host of Be My Guest and Barefoot Contessa on Food Network and Max, for which she has won five Emmy Awards and three James Beard Awards. Elin, Tim, and Ina talk about the process of writing the memoir, the courage it took for her to take risks throughout her life, the support and love she feels from her husband Jeffrey, her time on Nantucket and Paris, and much more. The three reveal what their last meals would be and find out Ina's favorite ingredient, least favorite food, guilty food pleasure, favorite Thanksgiving dish, and what remains on her bucket list in the speed round at the end.

A special thank you to our Episode Sponsors:
Triple Eight Distillery
Lemon Press
Open Book With Jenna

Ina Garten Reading List

• Be Ready When The Luck Happens: A Memoir by Ina Garten
• Barefoot Contessa Parties! by Ina Garten
• Modern Comfort Food by Ina Garten
• Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten
• Family Style by Ina Garten
• The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

What else are we reading in this episode?

• Party of the Century by Deborah Davis
• Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X by Deborah Davis
• The Oprah Winfrey Show: Reflections on an American Legacy by Deborah Davis
• Tina Turner: My Love Story by Deborah Davis
• Nantucket Openhouse Cookbook by Sarah Leah Chase
• Coldweather Cooking by Sarah Leah Chase

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Happy Reading!

Barbara Kingsolver is the Pulitzer Prize winning, #1 best-selling author of Demon Copperhead, The Bean Trees, and The Poisonwood Bible. Elin, Tim, and Barbara start by telling listeners their favorite literary quotes inspired by a character in Demon Copperhead and then continue into Barbara’s origin story as a reader and a writer. They talk about the importance of setting in Barbara’s books, the Belgian Congo in The Poisonwood Bible, and Charles Dicken’s inspiring Demon Copperhead. They cover Barbara’s writing process, writers’ block, her favorite writers, the three characters in her own books she would take to dinner, and an exclusive on what she is working on next. What an absolutely delightful episode with this literary sensation.

A special thank you to our Episode Sponsors:
Cartolina
90+ Cellars

Barbara Kingsolver Reading List:

• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
• The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
• The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
• Homeland and Other Stories by Barbara Kingsolver
• Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver 

What else are we reading in this episode?

• Far From The Tree by Andrew Solomon
• A Little Life by Hanya Yangagihara
• Family Happiness by Laurie Colwin
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
• Martha Quest by Doris Lessing
• Shiloh by Bobbie Ann Mason

Other Authors Mentioned:

Vaclav Havel, Doris Lessing, Marilyn Robinson

Favorite Literary Quotes:
Tim’s Literary Quote

"What he knew, he knew from books"
  -  Hanya Yanagihara, A Little Life

Elin Hildebrand's Literary Quote

“Once she had divided the world  into the sort of women who had love affairs, and the sort of woman who do not, but now she, a women who did not, did, and with considerable expertise.”
  -  Laurie Colwin, Family Happiness

Barbara Kingsolver's Literary Quote

“Hope is an ability to work for something because it is good, not just because it stands a chance to succeed.”
  -  Vaclav Havel

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Happy Reading!

Our next guest is Liane Moriarty, the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Big Little Lies, Apples Never Fall, The Husband’s Secret, Truly Madly Guilty and her newest, sure to be a best-seller on shelves this month - Here One Moment. Liane comes to us live from Australia and begins with how she got her start writing, the differences in publishing and reading between Australia and the US, the word "bubbler", and favorite places from the land down under. The three dig into Liane’s latest novel Here One Moment and discuss death, fate, fortune tellers, and her writing process and character development for this high-concept novel. They also discuss the pressure writers have to make each new book better, Hollywood adaptations, and Liane’s speed round of favorite books and writers.

A special thank you to our Episode Sponsor:
Book of the Month
N Magazine and Nantucket Current

Liane Moriarty's Reading List:

• Big Little Lies
• Apples Never Fall
• The Husband’s Secret
• Truly Madly Guilty
• Nine Perfect Strangers
• What Alice Forgot
• The Last Anniversary
• The Hypnotist’s Love Story
• Three Wishes

What else are we reading in this episode:

• Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty
• The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
• Barracuda by Cristos Tsiolkas
• The Accidental Tourist by Ann Tyler

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And find us on Instagram at @booksbeachandbeyond

Happy Reading!