This special episode of Books, Beach, & Beyond was recorded LIVE at the 15th annual Nantucket Book Festival on June 13, 2026. Tim sits Tayari Jones down to talk about one of the best-selling novels of the year so far - KIN. Tayari and Tim talk about Tayari’s origin story, choosing point of view, mothers and daughters, writing historical fiction, her tour for Kin, and much more. Thank you to Nantucket Community Television for the live audio recording of this conversation.

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This special episode of Books, Beach, & Beyond was recorded LIVE at the 15th annual Nantucket Book Festival on June 12, 2026. Elin sits Belle Burden down to talk about one of the best-selling memoirs of the year so far - “Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage.” Elin designed the conversation to be split between before the book, about the book, and after the book came out. Belle tells us of her writing and reading life, her past, her marriage, being on Oprah’s podcast, and Hollywood plans for the screen adaptation. Thank you to Nantucket Community Television for the live audio recording of this conversation.

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Carley Fortune is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After, One Golden Summer, This Summer Will Be Different, Meet Me at the Lake, and new on shelves this year, the #1 New York Times bestseller - Our Perfect Storm. Carley, Elin, and Tim start talking about the romance genre and its respect in the industry, Carley’s life as a journalist before turning into a novelist, and how she got her start. They chat about literary tropes, first person point of view, writing believable sex scenes, her Canadian settings, Tofino and Barry’s Bay, her newest novel Our Perfect Storm, and her screen adaptation Every Year After based on her book Every Summer After.

Thank you to our Episode Sponsors:

• Nantucket Book Partners
• Nantucket Looms

And a special thank you to our Season 4 Premier Sponsors:

• Book of the Month
• Nantucket Book Partners
• Little, Brown

Carley Fortune Reading List

• Every Summer After
• One Golden Summer
• This Summer Will Be Different 
• Meet Me at the Lake
• Our Perfect Storm

What else are we reading in this episode?

• Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Montgomery
• Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden
• Fifty Shades of Grey E. L. James
• Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan
• Sandwich by Catherine Newman

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Elin Hilderbrand and Tim Ehrenberg of Tim Talks Books are back for Season 4 of Books, Beach, & Beyond! The two co-hosts update listeners on their years so far and then introduce returning guests Ann Patchett and Emma Straub, both bookstore owners (Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN, and Books Are Magic in Brooklyn, NY), and both with new books this year. The four talk about bookstores from childhood, what it’s like owning a bookstore, and their favorite books of 2026 so far. They dive into the research for Emma’s new novel published this April,  American Fantasy and discuss the themes of Ann’s newest on shelves this week, Whistler.  The episode ends with a bunch of book recommendations for you to check out. This is an entertaining conversation between four readers and friends to kick off your summer reading. A readers’ dream!

Thank you to our Episode Sponsors:

• Little, Brown
• Nantucket Island Tours

And a special thank you to our Season 4 Premier Sponsors:

• Book of the Month
• Nantucket Book Partners
• Little, Brown

Books Mentioned in this episode

• The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand
• American Fantasy by Emma Straub
• Whistler by Ann Patchett
• This is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman
• The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage
• John of John by Douglas Stuart
• Kin by Tayari Jones
• The Reservation by Rebecca Kauffmann
• The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
• Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash
• Sophie Standing There by Meg Mason
• Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult
• Down with the Shipmans by Meg Mitchell Moore
• The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson
• Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead
• Music Against the Night by Yiyun Li
• Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
• Ply by Hernan Diaz

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Elin and Tim end Season 3 of Books, Beach, & Beyond with two of their favorite book influencers: Katie Shober of @beachreadsandbubbly and Brady Lockerby @bradylockerby. Tim and Elin recap all seasons of the podcast by getting to know Katie and Brady as readers with a long list of reading recommendations. Then they dig into how Katie and Brady started as social media influencers, how their day works, what they do when they don’t like a book, their advice for emerging influencers, and their favorite books of the year, favorite Christmas songs and drinks, and the book they all will be gifting this year. It’s like listening to four best friends talk at a book club.

A Special Thank you to our Episode Sponsors:

• Book of the Month
• Serena & Lily

Reading List:

• Conform by Ariel Sullivan
• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
• Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• Divergent by Veronica Roth
• The Most Fun We’ve Ever Had by Claire Lombardo
• Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
• The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’ Farrell
• After You’d Gone by Maggie O’Farrell
• American Fantasy by Emma Straub (April 2026)
• The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
• The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
• Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Heart the Lover by Lily King
• The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons
• Every Last One by Anna Quindlen
• King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby
• Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
• The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers
• Sweet Valley High by Francine Pascal
• Sarah Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
• On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
• Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• 11/22/63 by Stephen King
• Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
• A Court of Thorn and Roses by Sarah J Maas
• Shady Hollow Series by Juneau Black
• One Day in December by Josie Silver
• Lonesome Dove by Larry McCurtry
• Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
• Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
• Playworld by Adam Ross
• Winter Stroll by Elin Hilderbrand
• The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand
• 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand
• What to Cook When you Don’t Feel Like Cooking by Caroline Chambers
• The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
• Heart the Lover by Lily King

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Please welcome to Books, Beach, & Beyond Dan Brown, the author of nine #1 bestselling novels, including The Da Vinci Code, which has become one of the bestselling books of all time, as well as Origin, Inferno, The Lost Symbol, and Angels & Demons. His thrillers have captivated readers worldwide and been the subject of intellectual debate and speculation. Your co-hosts and Dan discuss his newest #1 bestselling novel The Secret of Secrets, the mystical city of Prague, his epic international tour, consciousness, the afterlife, religion and science, the character of Robert Langdon, Hollywood, and so much more.

A Special Thank you to our Episode Sponsor:

• The Nantucket Hotel

Dan Brown Reading List:

• Deception Point
• Digital Fortress
• Angels & Demons
• The DaVinci Code 
• The Lost Symbol
• Inferno
• Origin
• The Secret of Secrets

What else are we reading in this episode? 

• Franny and Zoey by JD Salinger
• Family Happiness by Laurie Colwin
• The Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever
• A Gorgeous Excitement by Cynthia Weiner
• Playworld by Adam Ross
• Chief Inspector Gamache/Three Pines novels by Louise Penny
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
• The Lotus Eaters by Stanley G. Weinbaum
• The Bourne Identity Series by Robert Ludlum
• Memoirs of an Invisible Man by H.F. Saint
• The Doomsday Conspiracy by Sidney Sheldon
• The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand

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All rise for the honorable John Grisham on Books, Beach, & Beyond this week. The G.O.A.T of the legal thriller and the author of A Time To Kill, The Firm, The Confession, and publishing this October 21st  from DoubleDay, The Widow. John tells us about his life as a lawyer, how he got his start writing, his most memorable reading experiences throughout his life, and some of his favorites of his own novels. The three dig in about The Widow, Grisham’s first legal whodunnit, his writing process and routines, The Innocence Project, and his favorite legal thriller of all time.

A Special Thank you to our Episode Sponsors:

• Little, Brown
• N Magazine
• Nantucket Current

John Grisham Reading List:

• A Time to Kill
• The Firm
• Calico Joe
• Bleachers
• Playing for Pizza
• Sooley
• A Painted House
• Skipping Christmas
• The Innocent Man
• Camino Island 
• The Confession
• Framed 

What else are we reading in this episode? 

• The Goldfinch by Donna Tart
• Culpability by Bruce Holsinger
• Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose
• To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Snow Falling on Cedars by David Gutterson
• Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow
• Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kastner
• The Chip Hilton Series by Clair Bee
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
• Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 
• Sophie’s Choice by William Styron
• The Little Drummer Girl by John Le Carre
• Scott Turow, Stephen King, James lee Burke, Amor Towles 

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This is a very special episode for Books, Beach, & Beyond celebrating Elin’s 31st novel written with her daughter, Shelby Cunningham – The Academy, publishing this September 16th. Our guest for this episode is Elin’s daughter Shelby and they dig into the writing of The Academy, Shelby growing up on Nantucket and heading to boarding school at St. George’s Academy in Rhode Island, and how that inspired the writing of the novel and the fictional Tiffin Academy. The three discuss the difference between Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z, what books they were reading and their individual high school experiences, and so much more! It’s a funny, entertaining look at this mother-daughter duo in anticipation of the book's release.

A Special Thank you to our Episode Sponsors:

• Book of the Month
• Nantucket Looms

Reading List:

• The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham
• Pinkalicious
• Fancy Nancy
• Olivia the Pig
• Perfectly Arugula
• 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand
• The Love Season by Elin Hilderbrand
• The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand
• Mrs Dalloway
• The Hours by Michael Cunningham
• Jane Eyre 
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Coleman Hill by Kim Coleman Foote
• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
• A Separate Peace by John Knowles
• Huck Finn by Mark Twain
• The Crucible by Arthur Miller
• The Thoroughbreds by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham

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Next up is Lily King, the New York Times bestselling author of six novels, including Euphoria and Writers & Lovers, and coming in the fall, Heart the Lover. Pre-order today! The three start talking about the expression “writers’ writer” and who they would describe as a “writer’s writer”, and then they continue with Lily’s writing and reading origin stories. They spend time on Margaret Mead, anthropology, a writer’s process, golf, and love in all its forms. Don’t miss this thoughtful conversation on writing, reading, and everything in between.

A Special Thank you to our Episode Sponsors:

• Nantucket Book Partners
• Open Book With Jenna

Lily King Books

• The Pleasing Hour
• Father of the Rain
• Euphoria
• Writers and Lovers
• Heart the Lover

Who else are we reading in this episode?

• Lorrie Moore
• Maggie O’Farrell
• Tim Winton
• Gish Jen
• Shirley Hazzard
• Tessa Hadley
• Elizabeth Strout
• Ann Patchett
• Playworld by Adam Ross
• Tobias Wolfe
• Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Jude Blume
• It’s Not The End of the World by Judy Blume
• William Faulkner
• Virginia Wolff
• Andre Dubus
• The Cheever Stories by John Cheever
• Franny and Zooey by JD Salinger
• Franz Kafka
• Flannery O’Conner
• Toni Morrison
• What We Can Know by Ian McEwan
• Colm Toibin
• My Friends by Hisham Matar
• Free Love by Tessa Hadley
• Speak Memory by Vladimir Nabokov

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Next up for Books, Beach, & Beyond is the best-selling and award-winning writer Elizabeth Strout, author of Olive Kitteridge, My Name is Lucy Barton, and Tell Me Everything, just released in paperback. Elin and Tim start by discussing why they read and welcome Liz with how she got her start in this literary life along with her one night as a stand-up comedian. They continue with discussion on some of her beloved characters Olive, Lucy, and Bob, and dig into her process, point of view, her Pulitzer Prize win and Oprah’s Book Club experience. We hear about the screen adaptation of Olive Kitteridge with Frances McDormand, which two characters Liz would take to a weekly lunch, and what books her characters would recommend to read.

A Special Thank you to our Episode Sponsors:

• Little, Brown
• Hill House Home

Elizabeth Strout Books:

• Amy and Isabelle
• Olive Kitteridge
• My Name is Lucy Barton
• Olive, Again
• Tell Me Everything

Other Books Mentioned:

• Winesburg, Ohio: A Group of Tales of Ohio Small Town Life by Sherwood Anderson
• The Good Seed by William March
• Mrs. Dalloway by Virgina Woolf
• Middlemarch by George Eliot

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And find us on Instagram at @booksbeachandbeyond

Happy Reading!