Books, Beach, & Beyond

They say “Summer begins with MKA” and we are thrilled to welcome New York Times best-selling author Mary Kay Andrews this summer to Books, Beach, & Beyond. Mary Kay Andrews is the author of thirty-three novels and a cookbook. In June, St. Martin’s Press published her 34th novel Road Trip. Your hosts and Mary Kay talk about how publishing has changed since her first book in 1992 and how writing for a newspaper helped in writing her novels. Then they dig into Road Trip with a “road trip” inspired speed round (favorite "road trip song", "favorite road trip snack") and background on her research trip to Ireland for the new book. The three end the episode with some bad irish accents and talking all about “Friends and Fiction” and the vibrant show and community that she built along with four other best-selling authors.
Thank you to our Episode Sponsors:
Little, Brown
Peacock
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
Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Every Crooked Nanny by Mary Kay Andrews
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
To Live and Die in Dixie by Mary Kay Andrews
Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews
Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie 
The Searcher by Tana French
Dolly All The Time by Annabel Monaghan
Who else are we talking about this episode? 
Tim Winton
Karin Slaughter
Agatha Christie
Michael Connelly
Elinor Lipman
Anna Quindlen
Harlan Coben
Follow/Subscribe to the 'Books, Beach, & Beyond' podcast now to stay current on new episodes.

And find us on Instagram at @booksbeachandbeyond

Happy Reading!

Welcome to the podcast Jennifer Garner, actor and entrepreneur and star of The Five-Star Weekend, the 8 episode series from Peacock adapted from the novel by your co-host Elin Hilderbrand. They start by asking Jen what she read as a child, if she approaches roles differently if the original content is a book, and they dig into a bunch of Jen’s other screen adaptations. Then they chat all about The Five-Star Weekend, the character of Hollis, pretend cooking shows and favorite summer recipes, the friendship and camaraderie of the cast and the characters, and so much more. Settle in for a five-star conversation and then head over to Peacock and binge the show of the summer! 
Thank you to our Episode Sponsors:
Cartolina
Serena & Lily
Nantucket Historical Association
And a special thank you to our Season 4 Premier Sponsors:
Book of the Month
Nantucket Book Partners
Little, Brown
What are we reading in this episode? 
The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand
Roots by Alex Haley
Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
Jaws by Peter Benchley 
Harriet The Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer
Partita by Barbara Kingsolver 
The Foster’s Market by Sara Foster
Modern Comfort Food by Ina Garden
Barefoot at Home by Ina Garten
Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garden
Who else are we reading? 
Ann Patchett
Laura Dave
David Sedaris
Abraham Verghese
Barbara Kingsolver
Follow/Subscribe to the 'Books, Beach, & Beyond' podcast now to stay current on new episodes.

And find us on Instagram at @booksbeachandbeyond

Happy Reading!

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.
Thank you to our Episode Sponsors:
Nantucket Hotel
N Magazine
Nantucket Current
And a special thank you to our Season 4 Premier Sponsors:
Book of the Month
Nantucket Book Partners
Little, Brown
Follow/Subscribe to the 'Books, Beach, & Beyond' podcast now to stay current on new episodes.

And find us on Instagram at @booksbeachandbeyond

Happy Reading!

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.
Thank you to our Episode Sponsors:
Nantucket Hotel
Hill House Home - 20% off first order of $150 or more with code ACK20
And a special thank you to our Season 4 Premier Sponsors:
Book of the Month
Nantucket Book Partners
Little, Brown
Follow/Subscribe to the 'Books, Beach, & Beyond' podcast now to stay current on new episodes.

And find us on Instagram at @booksbeachandbeyond

Happy Reading!

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
Follow/Subscribe to the 'Books, Beach, & Beyond' podcast now to stay current on new episodes.

And find us on Instagram at @booksbeachandbeyond

Happy Reading!