Latest / Friday Night Readers: Gilmore Girls Inspired Book Club / 🏖️We Read Nearly All Elin Hilderbrand Books. Start Here.

Transcript

🏖️We Read Nearly All Elin Hilderbrand Books. Start Here. · Friday Night Readers: Gilmore Girls Inspired Book Club

0:00
SPEAKER_01: Hi, Laura.
0:00
SPEAKER_01: Hi, Jules.
0:01
SPEAKER_01: Happy summer and a...
0:21
SPEAKER_00: crying to go out this morning and i have my luke's cup of coffee
0:26
SPEAKER_00: so i took him out my phone actually died
0:28
SPEAKER_00: so i took my rory gilmore reading challenge book outside which is
0:31
SPEAKER_00: a midsummer night's dream and just read that outside with him
0:34
SPEAKER_01: for 20 minutes that's perfect that's a better way to avoid phone time
0:39
SPEAKER_01: to actually read so it is perfect i'm glad that your cat is able
0:43
SPEAKER_01: to actually be outside because i know with the heat away
0:46
SPEAKER_01: the little paws can actually burn he's really sensitive
0:49
SPEAKER_00: about it too it's really funny
0:51
SPEAKER_00: the edges of our deck are shaded because there's a little fence around it
0:55
SPEAKER_00: so he runs around the edge where it's shaded and it just cracks us up
0:59
SPEAKER_00: because this is a cat that we found outside during covid when we lived in philly and
1:04
SPEAKER_00: when i tell you he lived under cars he lived under bushes he'd be out there
1:10
SPEAKER_00: in all kinds of weather be pouring raining and we'd be looking for him
1:15
SPEAKER_00: trying to make him an indoor cat and now he can't even put his little paw on
1:20
SPEAKER_00: the deck he's living the dream they fed me i got mom and dad to take care of me
1:26
SPEAKER_00: and especially dad he loves his dad so how is the weather in florida
1:30
SPEAKER_01: so the weather has been 100 degrees just to not visit florida it is indoor ac all
1:35
SPEAKER_01: the time this is what we're doing we're also having summer storms i got caught up in
1:40
SPEAKER_01: the highway with terrible storms you feel like you're in a hurricane you feel
1:44
SPEAKER_01: the wind you cannot see no visibility it is scary time but it's nice
1:48
SPEAKER_01: because i do appreciate storms because otherwise we get drunk
1:52
SPEAKER_01: and we've been having some wildfires
1:55
SPEAKER_01: and florida so we're trying to avoid any of that stuff
1:57
SPEAKER_01: so storms are good thing they're just terrible to be caught up in
2:01
SPEAKER_00: the highway exactly it's really scary i've definitely been in some
2:05
SPEAKER_00: of those situations but i'm glad you're getting some rain to kind
2:08
SPEAKER_00: of cool things off it's the
2:09
SPEAKER_00: the week after fourth of july so we are in the lazy hazy days me as
2:13
SPEAKER_00: a baseball fan we're going into
2:15
SPEAKER_00: all-star break next week which actually is in philly and that's the middle of our season so it
2:20
SPEAKER_00: really feels like the middle summer and there's something that you
2:22
SPEAKER_00: and i have been talking about
2:23
SPEAKER_00: since the beginning of summer
2:25
SPEAKER_00: and that is ellen hildebrand books yeah we've been talking about it and it's
2:29
SPEAKER_00: because this question comes up every single year whether you're an avid reader
2:33
SPEAKER_00: or really whether you're not an avid reader it's the same question
2:36
SPEAKER_00: that we all have every summer
2:38
SPEAKER_00: and it's what ellen hildebrand book should i read next she is the queen of
2:41
SPEAKER_00: the beach reads and that's why but she retired from beach reads she retired
2:46
SPEAKER_00: from beach reads in 2024 she came back with
2:50
SPEAKER_00: gossip girl academia novels with her daughter
2:53
SPEAKER_00: and i heard she's writing another book that's for adults that is
2:58
SPEAKER_00: about writers another thing i love about ellen hildebrand
3:02
SPEAKER_00: of course we know she's known for her nantucket novels but she also loves saint john
3:07
SPEAKER_00: and i know you like her book set in saint john
3:10
SPEAKER_01: those are my preference i think it's because i grew up in puerto rico
3:14
SPEAKER_01: which is another u.s territory i've gone to st thomas i'm familiar
3:19
SPEAKER_01: with st johnson johns doesn't have any airports you actually have to go to st thomas
3:22
SPEAKER_01: and take a ferry to st johns so it's one of those things but i appreciate
3:27
SPEAKER_01: a winter romance or juicy stuff happening in the warm weather
3:31
SPEAKER_01: when i moved up north i actually had snow and cold weather but for
3:35
SPEAKER_01: the most part it's warm and just
3:38
SPEAKER_01: caribbean and beaches in the winter and so i felt that was my core memory
3:43
SPEAKER_01: that was like i really love the series can you write more
3:46
SPEAKER_00: about st john's it totally makes sense because i think there's many things
3:50
SPEAKER_00: that attract me to our novels they're absolutely delectable but i go
3:54
SPEAKER_00: to martha's vineyard every summer and when we're feeling it we'll take the ferry
3:58
SPEAKER_00: over to nantucket for a day
4:00
SPEAKER_00: so it gives me those same vibes of something i know and i'm familiar with
4:03
SPEAKER_00: and i've gone to michell's book corner it's where she does all
4:08
SPEAKER_00: of her book signings every summer it's once
4:09
SPEAKER_00: a week every summer she does her book signings and you can do the special pre-orders
4:13
SPEAKER_00: from that bookstore
4:15
SPEAKER_00: and she did this thing during covid where she was showing you around
4:18
SPEAKER_00: on instagram nantucket and then i found some of the places that were in her book
4:23
SPEAKER_00: so that's always one of my absolute favorite things to do as a reader is to blend
4:28
SPEAKER_00: that with my travel and then of course once in a while you'll get
4:32
SPEAKER_00: a martha's vineyard setting and then ironically she
4:37
SPEAKER_00: so she refers to philadelphia eagles sometimes which of course all
4:41
SPEAKER_00: of us philadelphians love i think she referred to villanova in one and that's
4:44
SPEAKER_00: where i went to school i can really connect with the locations
4:48
SPEAKER_01: yeah i think that's the beauty of it i love when authors write about where they live
4:53
SPEAKER_01: and makes the setting so vivid and so lived through i wish i had the time to write
4:57
SPEAKER_01: about puerto rico and gossip girl and all the different things the caribbean
5:00
SPEAKER_01: because there's such a rich culture you get to feel it that's what i love
5:04
SPEAKER_01: about having a place that's a real life setting and then actually seeing
5:08
SPEAKER_01: the transition because she's been writing this for 20 30 years so we've seen
5:12
SPEAKER_01: the transition of what the stores were in nantucket at one point
5:15
SPEAKER_01: to what they are now
5:17
SPEAKER_01: how things are moving and
5:33
SPEAKER_01: build the world see when you go
5:35
SPEAKER_01: to read her books you start revisiting friends you start seeing oh
5:38
SPEAKER_01: the police chief is the same i love the police chief i think that's
5:42
SPEAKER_01: a really cool thing because essentially you go to nataka every summer
5:45
SPEAKER_01: and you see your friends
5:47
SPEAKER_00: i think you're totally right there is a familiarity in the books and she does bring
5:51
SPEAKER_00: in those little easter eggs from other novels and like you said there's also
5:56
SPEAKER_00: an evolution so you really do see things like more diversity as you come
6:01
SPEAKER_01: into later novels which is great i think that's a really cool thing to see
6:05
SPEAKER_01: an author really grown into her space and i think in some ways as
6:09
SPEAKER_01: a reader it's really exciting when you have a backlist of 20 30 books set in
6:14
SPEAKER_01: the same world
6:15
SPEAKER_01: and then you can just go dive into it and then the beauty of it because it's set in
6:19
SPEAKER_01: the real world there are other authors who are writing at the same location
6:23
SPEAKER_01: so you get to experience it
6:25
SPEAKER_01: in multiple ways it's literary travel essentially i don't have to go to nantucket
6:29
SPEAKER_01: to fill nantucket i don't have to go to new england to feel like i need
6:32
SPEAKER_01: a lobster roll i actually get to experience that through writing
6:35
SPEAKER_01: and that's really cool thing to do as someone who is hiding over the summer
6:40
SPEAKER_01: in florida summer florida is terrible
6:42
SPEAKER_00: and she really does excel of all authors i think that really is one
6:46
SPEAKER_00: of her strongest suits is really making you feel like you're there and it's
6:50
SPEAKER_00: through these descriptions of food descriptions are so rich
6:54
SPEAKER_00: that it really does make you feel like you're there she'll talk about the candle in
6:58
SPEAKER_00: the hotel and you can almost smell it because her descriptions are so rich
7:02
SPEAKER_01: yes i am thrilled for her to try new things but at the same time sad
7:06
SPEAKER_00: and it may just need time to maybe she'll go into saint john's after this or maybe
7:11
SPEAKER_00: a few years from now an idea that she didn't think she could ever have will pop out
7:16
SPEAKER_00: of nowhere do you know offhand how many you have read i have a list
7:20
SPEAKER_00: of 38 including her short stories
7:23
SPEAKER_01: i probably have read about eight or nine i started the winter series which is
7:28
SPEAKER_01: the christmas books and tuck it but i didn't finish so it's not as much
7:33
SPEAKER_01: as i thought it was but i was not tracking books so it may be more i've read
7:38
SPEAKER_00: a massive amount but i will give you a caveat so out of
7:42
SPEAKER_00: the 38 i had listed i read 33
7:45
SPEAKER_00: but many of those are short stories i think she has about 25 novels and for many
7:51
SPEAKER_00: of them she wrote either prequels or sequels that are short stories and
7:55
SPEAKER_00: then there was a compilation book all the short stories i brought that
7:59
SPEAKER_00: to martha's vineyard i think maybe two years ago because i thought it would be nice
8:03
SPEAKER_00: to have ellen hildurand but also not the commitment of a novel that i could sit on
8:09
SPEAKER_00: the beach and within an hour read a short story go sit by the pool read
8:13
SPEAKER_00: a short story
8:14
SPEAKER_01: so that's really how i got to such a big number
8:16
SPEAKER_00: so what we're gonna do today is our top five ellen hildebrand books
8:20
SPEAKER_00: and we're gonna go five four three two one so everyone's gotta stick around
8:24
SPEAKER_00: and see what we picked for number one for each of us
8:28
SPEAKER_00: so what is your number five ellen hildebrand book out of the books
8:33
SPEAKER_01: that you've read i think it's a rumor which is very gossipy very fun i read this
8:38
SPEAKER_01: about 11 years ago it's about two friends who
8:42
SPEAKER_01: ella seems to be perfect and then there's rumors happening and then we see
8:46
SPEAKER_01: that there's actually marital strife and just basically
8:50
SPEAKER_01: the small town vibes it reminded me of puerto rico where everyone is
8:54
SPEAKER_01: in each other's business and then it's not what it looks like and
8:57
SPEAKER_01: then there's more nuance what's going on
9:00
SPEAKER_01: so it's very gossipy it's interesting because one of
9:04
SPEAKER_01: the husbands is his name is freddie and i was like is it connected to the other book
9:10
SPEAKER_01: that i read because they're both in real estate so i was like what is going on
9:14
SPEAKER_01: so i'm trying to see because i haven't read these books in a long time
9:17
SPEAKER_01: so i may go back to see if there's a connection between characters but it has
9:21
SPEAKER_01: the typical nintucket if you like gossip girl this is the book for you
9:26
SPEAKER_00: i don't know offhand
9:27
SPEAKER_00: the name freddy sounds familiar silver girl's husband silver girl yes but he's
9:32
SPEAKER_00: a real estate agent right yeah so we don't know if it's
9:35
SPEAKER_01: the same one silver girl was beforehand so i don't know if it's a son
9:41
SPEAKER_01: or someone related to it but because every character is intermingled i'm not sure
9:46
SPEAKER_01: if they're all related to each other but usually when there's
9:48
SPEAKER_01: the same name typical authors don't have the same name
9:51
SPEAKER_01: twice it's interesting so i don't know i have to go back maybe do
9:55
SPEAKER_01: a little reread maybe go back to silver girl maybe go back to the rumor and then see
10:00
SPEAKER_01: which one up there connected and i'll share
10:02
SPEAKER_00: a subsect note i feel like this one totally tracks for you
10:06
SPEAKER_00: because i know you really well and you're a big bravo addict
10:09
SPEAKER_00: and bravo is very gossipy it's like housewives it's essentially you're watching
10:14
SPEAKER_00: the housewives and then talk it
10:15
SPEAKER_00: that totally makes sense this is one of the few i have not read yet
10:19
SPEAKER_00: but i certainly hope to because i'm also a bravo addict yes okay
10:24
SPEAKER_00: so tell me your number five okay so my number five is the hotel nantucket
10:29
SPEAKER_00: so this is one i made a social media post earlier in summer because i wanted to
10:33
SPEAKER_00: at least give people an idea of what ellen hildebrand book to start with and this is
10:38
SPEAKER_00: the one i most often recommend starting with it was a four out of five star for me
10:43
SPEAKER_00: so the
10:45
SPEAKER_00: but i still love this for newbies because it has a little bit of everything
10:49
SPEAKER_00: so there's so many things that she's known for
10:52
SPEAKER_00: the nantucket setting rich people problems the food descriptions
10:56
SPEAKER_00: and here we also get a hotel and a little bit of a light mystery and of course drama
11:02
SPEAKER_00: and romance everything you would want from an ellen hildebrand novel all in one book
11:06
SPEAKER_00: and what this one reminded me of speaking of bravo it reminds me of below deck
11:10
SPEAKER_00: below deck is basically a reality show that takes place on a yacht so you see
11:15
SPEAKER_00: the drama within the guests the drama within the staff and then the drama among them
11:23
SPEAKER_00: when they're together and that's really what you
11:26
SPEAKER_00: so the staff is aiming to get this five key rating so they're working towards that
11:31
SPEAKER_00: over the summer and then it brings in all of this drama and there's a little bit of
11:36
SPEAKER_00: a ghost story and some romance so again this is the one
11:39
SPEAKER_00: that i recommend everyone start with and there's another thing that i love about it
11:43
SPEAKER_00: at the end lynn has about a 20 page or so guide to nantucket
11:48
SPEAKER_00: so she calls it her blue book
11:50
SPEAKER_00: so this is one that i recommend you get in print so that you can keep it
11:58
SPEAKER_00: on your shelf and i will also note that it is based on an actual hotel that is
12:04
SPEAKER_00: in nantucket
12:05
SPEAKER_00: and it's called the nantucket hotel and resort so i'm linking that in the show notes
12:09
SPEAKER_00: if people want to compare the two yes oh i need to just plan a trip
12:13
SPEAKER_00: to nantucket you have to plan ahead we plan martha's vineyard usually a year
12:17
SPEAKER_00: in advance it's a family trip and we do
12:20
SPEAKER_00: you have a pretty big house because there's at least 15 people in the house
12:23
SPEAKER_00: so we need a pretty big amount of space and there's cribs we have a lot of needs so
12:28
SPEAKER_00: that would be really hard to get if we waited longer
12:31
SPEAKER_00: but i don't necessarily know how nantucket is and
12:34
SPEAKER_00: of course you can do cape cod i would imagine it's easier to stay at cape cod and
12:38
SPEAKER_00: then just go over for a day the way we do
12:41
SPEAKER_01: cape cod is just as busy as syntucket so it's a lot of real estate is taken over by
12:46
SPEAKER_01: the new england travel so it's one of those that you have to plan ahead or maybe go
12:51
SPEAKER_01: on the off season the shoulder season maybe in september maybe in may before
12:56
SPEAKER_00: the season starts yeah i know in december they do a christmas stroll that's
13:00
SPEAKER_00: a really big event around christmas time
13:03
SPEAKER_00: the only thing i would say is a lot of things in the off season aren't always opened
13:07
SPEAKER_00: so i would recommend a shoulder may september some stuff will still be opened
13:13
SPEAKER_00: and you'll still get decent weather and be able to visit some stuff and
13:17
SPEAKER_00: if some stuff is closed that's okay so what is your number four
13:21
SPEAKER_01: i would say swan song chief adds one less job before i retire i think it brought up
13:27
SPEAKER_01: the rich people behaving badly coming to nintucket building this place
13:31
SPEAKER_01: and people questioning the changes are happening
13:33
SPEAKER_01: as well as the new era of police or new people in the town taking
13:38
SPEAKER_01: over i think it's really interesting dynamic because we're closing a chapter
13:43
SPEAKER_01: but someone may leave it open for new characters to come and then we have
13:48
SPEAKER_01: a mystery what happened to coco and that's part of the thread but you get the sense
13:52
SPEAKER_01: of ellen's really closing that chapter in this book
13:56
SPEAKER_00: this one was her swan song her final novel it begins with a house burning down to
14:01
SPEAKER_00: the ground and i just love when books begin that way
14:04
SPEAKER_00: because you just know there's going to be so much drama to get you to
14:12
SPEAKER_00: the new couple on nantuckin that's another fun part some people say there's
14:20
SPEAKER_00: a few different types of plots in the world and one of them is a stranger comes
14:23
SPEAKER_00: to town and this is about this australian couple coming to town
14:27
SPEAKER_00: and everyone's talking about them again like a bravo show and at the same time
14:31
SPEAKER_00: the house burns down their assistant goes missing off of a boat
14:35
SPEAKER_00: and what i loved this couple brings so much to the town over the course of
14:40
SPEAKER_00: that summer
14:41
SPEAKER_00: i could not stop thinking about what a pink and white party would look like
14:46
SPEAKER_00: if i had it or even a book club meeting for this book because you can do
14:50
SPEAKER_00: the rose cotton candy she had all kinds of things vodka soaked
14:56
SPEAKER_00: tomatoes with basil salt it was
14:58
SPEAKER_00: the most delectable food i almost wish they put this pink and white party
15:03
SPEAKER_00: when they did the perfect couple adaptation so we could see it on
15:07
SPEAKER_00: the screen i loved how she did all these easter eggs and i listened on audio
15:12
SPEAKER_00: and she actually narrates the final chapter yes it's a tall order
15:17
SPEAKER_00: to do your final novel knowing it's going to be your final novel
15:21
SPEAKER_00: and i think especially
15:22
SPEAKER_00: because she's so known for this world almost like harry potter is known like it's
15:27
SPEAKER_00: a whole world and i really did think she brought everything
15:30
SPEAKER_00: that we wanted yes she did and into the pop culture the romance
15:34
SPEAKER_00: the drama she actually gave us closure of many of the characters i've decided
15:39
SPEAKER_00: to do show and tell for this one
15:40
SPEAKER_00: because it's her final book i ordered it from mitchell's book corner in nantucket
15:44
SPEAKER_00: and they usually do little gifts if you pre-order through them so i got this magnet
15:49
SPEAKER_00: that says we'll always have nantucket and i keep it on my book card
15:52
SPEAKER_00: because book card is magnetic so i just keep it right on there
15:56
SPEAKER_00: and then i got the special edition of swan song which has these end papers
16:00
SPEAKER_00: which are also illustrated and then she also signed it i don't have a lot
16:04
SPEAKER_00: of signed books but this is one that is on my shelf of signed books so
16:09
SPEAKER_00: that is my show and tell for swan song speaking of the perfect couple
16:13
SPEAKER_00: that is actually my number four of alan helderbrand
16:17
SPEAKER_00: so this one what i love about this it's another trope that i love which is a death
16:21
SPEAKER_00: at a wedding and of course it's on nantucket and the reason it works for me is
16:26
SPEAKER_00: because tensions run so high at weddings it's the perfect setting for a mystery
16:33
SPEAKER_00: so someone dies and you don't know if it's a murder or an accident and of course
16:39
SPEAKER_00: then you don't know if it is a murder whodunit and in the process you learn all
16:44
SPEAKER_00: the secrets of the family who is at the wedding this was actually
16:47
SPEAKER_00: the first ellen hildebrand book that was adapted i had chills when it started
16:52
SPEAKER_01: yes the song so i wanted to ask you there was this little flash mob kind
16:57
SPEAKER_00: of dance scene i think it was the beginning of every episode i want to know it was
17:02
SPEAKER_00: a love it or hate a thing were you on the love or hate i loved it i was doing
17:06
SPEAKER_01: the little dance and the song but it was a good adaptation and it kept you in
17:09
SPEAKER_01: the edge of your seat trying to figure out are you going to be faithful to the book
17:13
SPEAKER_00: and there are several differences several characters change you actually don't get
17:17
SPEAKER_00: to meet ed capanash and then the ending is different
17:20
SPEAKER_01: yeah if you're one of those people who love the faithful book
17:23
SPEAKER_01: to meditation that's not it but it gives you the vibes of a stranger joining
17:27
SPEAKER_01: a rich family a writer who is bigger than life and a husband who's trying
17:32
SPEAKER_01: to figure things out and then there's all these secrets and
17:35
SPEAKER_01: a family that's just dysfunctional i also loved dakota fanning is also in this yes
17:40
SPEAKER_01: and she was great
17:41
SPEAKER_00: i thought she was awesome it was just nice for me to see yeah and when she was
17:46
SPEAKER_01: a little girl she's someone who seems stable who has a good sisterly relationship
17:50
SPEAKER_01: with her sister and seems really grown up she just continued to work her craft
17:55
SPEAKER_01: so what is your number three pick okay so it was the perfect couple
18:01
SPEAKER_00: so perfect timing for the perfect couple then and
18:04
SPEAKER_00: then my number three is actually swan song okay so my number two is silver girl
18:10
SPEAKER_01: and it's because i love a good scam i'm training to be a white collar investigator
18:17
SPEAKER_01: to be certified and so this one features a ponzi scheme that fell down in
18:23
SPEAKER_01: the aftermath of the wife the wife of the guy who did the ponzi scheme goes back
18:28
SPEAKER_01: to nantucket to see her friend who has lost her husband so they're in their 50s
18:32
SPEAKER_01: and it's just what do you do in middle age after devastation now i'm looking
18:37
SPEAKER_01: at 50s five years from now
18:39
SPEAKER_01: i would like to revisit this book from a different perspective it's
18:42
SPEAKER_01: a really great book
18:44
SPEAKER_01: if you like rich people behaving badly same time friendships there are actually long
18:49
SPEAKER_00: lasting friendships this one did not quite make my top five
18:52
SPEAKER_00: but it definitely could have it's one that i loved
18:54
SPEAKER_00: as well we're seeing more middle-aged protagonists now i love that the women grew up
19:00
SPEAKER_00: in philadelphia so that was where it became fun for me
19:03
SPEAKER_00: to get all these little philadelphia easter eggs so this was a great one for me too
19:07
SPEAKER_01: yeah for sure if you haven't been jamming it off all out there's
19:11
SPEAKER_01: a couple memoirs around this i think this is a book for you it's what happens to
19:14
SPEAKER_01: the family affected there are victims people are affected all right
19:18
SPEAKER_00: so let's do number two my number two is an outlier both for me
19:22
SPEAKER_00: and for ellen hildebrand
19:24
SPEAKER_00: because it's historical fiction this is her only historical fiction it's summer
19:27
SPEAKER_00: of 69 and it reminds me of the wonder years and i know that on
19:33
SPEAKER_00: the wonder years there's an episode about man going to the moon and that's part
19:36
SPEAKER_00: of this summer of 69 that's part of what made me love it a
19:42
SPEAKER_00: nantucket every summer
19:58
SPEAKER_00: jesse the young girl in the book has a sister pregnant with twins in boston
20:02
SPEAKER_00: so you have all these historic events happening in the summer and there's a playlist
20:07
SPEAKER_00: that goes with it i got so immersed in this time in history that i remember making
20:12
SPEAKER_00: a pinterest board of all the different fashion and what the cars looks like and it's
20:16
SPEAKER_00: so rare
20:17
SPEAKER_00: that i immerse myself so wholly in a book and this was one of the few books that made me do
20:22
SPEAKER_00: that so that's why i love it so much i need to pick this one up and i think because we grew
20:27
SPEAKER_00: out watching i loved the 70s i loved The 60s i love The 80s yeah i think that's an interesting
20:32
SPEAKER_00: interesting point so we have made it
20:35
SPEAKER_00: to number one yes we have what is your number one it's a winter in paradise trilogy
20:40
SPEAKER_01: so they have to be read together they have cliffhangers in the in-between
20:44
SPEAKER_01: but essentially irene has built her dream home in iowa and
20:47
SPEAKER_01: and she finds out john may have his double life he may have had a girlfriend
20:51
SPEAKER_01: so they go back to st john's to pick the remainings and this was after christmas
20:56
SPEAKER_01: with her two sons ellen actually has spent most of her winter st john's
21:00
SPEAKER_01: so she's familiar with it so you get the vibe of it which is kind of cool
21:03
SPEAKER_01: but you get the vibe of what the caribbean island looks like beyond
21:07
SPEAKER_01: the tourists what it looks like when you have a lot of money
21:10
SPEAKER_00: yeah similar vibe to a silver girl i enjoyed this trilogy as well i think
21:15
SPEAKER_00: that i prefer the new england setting and that's why it's not my top five
21:19
SPEAKER_00: but what i think is interesting about this one so i'm the type
21:23
SPEAKER_00: of person you probably are too that if you're at a
21:25
SPEAKER_00: or at a beach you're kind of like looking at what everyone else is reading
21:28
SPEAKER_00: and this is by far over
21:31
SPEAKER_00: the years the number one book and book series i see people reading it's just the vibes you're
21:37
SPEAKER_01: like i'm in caribbean island st john's such a remote island because they don't have an airport
21:42
SPEAKER_01: so you have to make an effort and that's a pretty cool thing too there's
21:46
SPEAKER_01: a life happening there yeah
21:48
SPEAKER_00: and you do get some interaction with locals in this book
21:51
SPEAKER_00: and you also uncover the secret life yeah
21:55
SPEAKER_00: god bless double life so now on to my number one alan hildebrand book
22:00
SPEAKER_00: so here's how i'm gonna sell it it is not only my number one alan hildebrand book it
22:06
SPEAKER_00: is on my list of my favorite summer books and i read over 125 book set
22:09
SPEAKER_00: in summer it's on my top 10
22:13
SPEAKER_00: so that's pretty big as well it's also katie of beach reads
22:17
SPEAKER_00: and bubbly's favorite alan hildebrand book and it's the highest rated on goodreads
22:22
SPEAKER_00: and it is 28 summers here is what's interesting about it 28 summers is about
22:28
SPEAKER_00: a same time next year romance that occurs every labor day weekend on nantucket
22:33
SPEAKER_00: over 28 summers and it does involve cheating yeah
22:37
SPEAKER_00: so that's tough that's usually very tough in novels but somehow in this one it works
22:42
SPEAKER_00: and i think there's a few reasons for it i think the way it's handled is
22:47
SPEAKER_00: that it's showing you that every relationship is different and complex so in
22:53
SPEAKER_00: a weird way the cheating kind of makes sense i hope i'm selling this okay
22:58
SPEAKER_00: because i know this is a tough one for many people but
23:01
SPEAKER_00: i hope you'll trust me that it does work and then the other thing i loved
23:05
SPEAKER_00: about it this is totally gonna sell you so every chapter is a different year
23:10
SPEAKER_00: over 28 summers yeah and the beginning of every chapter she does this rundown
23:15
SPEAKER_00: of pop culture kind of the way you know that billy joel song we didn't start
23:18
SPEAKER_00: the fire where he's just listing all the pop culture she does that for a page at the
23:27
SPEAKER_00: so this one the other reason that
23:32
SPEAKER_00: for me it is number one is very situational this came out during the early days of
23:37
SPEAKER_00: the pandemic and i had an advanced copy on audio about
23:41
SPEAKER_00: so it was probably a month into the pandemic and of course this was a time
23:46
SPEAKER_00: where we really were going absolutely nowhere and i would put it in my ears
23:51
SPEAKER_00: at lunch every day and take a very socially distant walk around the neighborhood
23:56
SPEAKER_00: and it felt like the one thing that gave me escapism during that time
24:01
SPEAKER_00: which is really what her novels are about and that can be a different one
24:06
SPEAKER_00: for every person which is so special about it because it could be situational
24:10
SPEAKER_00: and this happens to be the one that it was
24:12
SPEAKER_01: for me yes oh i am adding this one i am really bumping this up because i love
24:18
SPEAKER_01: a long slow romance at the same time and i'm okay with cheating personally it's part
24:24
SPEAKER_01: of the complexity of a relationship so i think this is like my catnip and you add
24:28
SPEAKER_01: the pop culture aspect of it this is the book
24:31
SPEAKER_00: all right so if
24:33
SPEAKER_00: the number one question is what ellen hildebrand book should i read next every
24:37
SPEAKER_00: summer then i think the number two question is if i like ellen hildebrand
24:42
SPEAKER_00: who else should i read
24:43
SPEAKER_01: so there's three contemporary i think game of inheritance in new england where
24:48
SPEAKER_01: the dad dies and the kids have to come back and they all have to do things in order
24:53
SPEAKER_01: to get the inheritance it's very rich people believe him about
24:56
SPEAKER_01: the ridiculous plot there's two books to wash the shores by hannah mckinnon it's
25:01
SPEAKER_01: a new book that came out this year she is about to inherit a hotel again
25:07
SPEAKER_01: in nantucket and her grandma's tell her this is a trial you may not get the hook
25:11
SPEAKER_01: hotel there's a romance and then this one was recommended
25:14
SPEAKER_01: by my friend amy it's worse than strangers by kylie letty
25:19
SPEAKER_01: she says that this is the perfect bridge for ellen helderbren other authors
25:23
SPEAKER_01: that i think you should look at the backlist jenny hale has quite
25:27
SPEAKER_01: a few women's fiction and even emily giffen i was thinking about
25:31
SPEAKER_01: as we were talking emily giffen actually has been writing in
25:34
SPEAKER_01: the same space maybe not nantuck in new england but it's the same idea
25:40
SPEAKER_01: of older characters family and stuff
25:43
SPEAKER_00: so what's interesting is that we both brought completely different authors to
25:47
SPEAKER_00: the table so it gives people a lot to choose from i have a pretty big list
25:52
SPEAKER_00: and i'll try to go through them really quickly so two that are nantucket authors
25:57
SPEAKER_00: who you will see all over nantucket just like ellen hildebrand are nancy thayer
26:02
SPEAKER_00: and pamela kelly
26:03
SPEAKER_00: very similar type of vibes another one i said i go to martha's vineyard every year
26:07
SPEAKER_00: and a martha's vineyard author who i've become friends with is brooke leah foster
26:11
SPEAKER_00: and what she writes is historical fiction but it's very light so very
26:16
SPEAKER_00: if you like summer of 69 you're going to want to try her books and
26:19
SPEAKER_00: the funny part is she and i had talked for a long time over social media and
26:24
SPEAKER_00: then i actually ran into her at the carousel i'm like brooke
26:29
SPEAKER_00: and then i know there's another author who i know you and i both enjoy
26:32
SPEAKER_00: and that's christy woods and harvey
26:34
SPEAKER_00: and she writes very light north carolina based yes it's another thing
26:39
SPEAKER_00: where her books are a part of every year for me yes yes i look forward to
26:45
SPEAKER_01: a new christy woods and harvey and i love that this year we got two we got
26:48
SPEAKER_00: the summer one which i already talked about in my beach reads and i read that one
26:53
SPEAKER_01: a little bit earlier and then we get the fall one she goes back to be tree
26:57
SPEAKER_01: which i absolutely
26:58
SPEAKER_01: obsessed with this family and the cover have you seen
27:01
SPEAKER_00: the cover it is gilmore girls gilmore girls she's actually
27:04
SPEAKER_00: a gilmore girls super fan she interviewed kelly bishop who plays emily gilmore
27:09
SPEAKER_00: when her book came out so another person i put on my list is dorothea benton frank
27:15
SPEAKER_00: and she was a very good friend of ellen hildebrand she did pass away
27:19
SPEAKER_00: but she writes southern beach reads and i feel like hers are like ellen hildebrand's
27:24
SPEAKER_00: but southern and more like traditional south
27:27
SPEAKER_00: and so i know you are familiar with her daughter's work yes victoria benton frank
27:33
SPEAKER_01: and so she passing on the torch which is kind of cool to see
27:36
SPEAKER_01: that elena waltz is another southern moments fiction she has a couple books
27:40
SPEAKER_01: and they're essentially beach reads the same elements we see them in
27:44
SPEAKER_01: a southern setting she has i think it's good hair and she's peaches so the last one
27:49
SPEAKER_00: on my big list i feel like we can't talk about summer beach reads in 2026
27:54
SPEAKER_00: without talking about carly fortune yes
27:57
SPEAKER_00: so she's canadian and her books i believe all of them are set in canada some at
28:01
SPEAKER_00: the beach some on a lake but i feel like she's one of
28:05
SPEAKER_00: the most popular spicy summer romance authors right now yes i'm not huge
28:09
SPEAKER_01: on her top books i like her other books for prince edward island is perfect
28:14
SPEAKER_01: if you love anna green gables you love friendships and it's just it's fun like
28:19
SPEAKER_01: you also get to experience canada yeah i really liked that
28:22
SPEAKER_00: that prince edward island one was this summer will be different and
28:26
SPEAKER_01: that was my favorites too that's actually my favorite and meet me at
28:29
SPEAKER_01: the lake was really good but that's a harder one that people didn't love
28:33
SPEAKER_01: but i was like i am obsessed so like you wrote it
28:35
SPEAKER_01: for me you have grief you have trying
28:37
SPEAKER_01: to figure out this dirty dancing complex i'm like what more can you ask for
28:43
SPEAKER_00: and of course her most popular one is every summer after which is
28:46
SPEAKER_00: a lake romance second chance with your first love yes and there's an adaptation
28:51
SPEAKER_01: although watch it at your own risk because the adaptation took different liberties
28:56
SPEAKER_00: from the book and i did try the adaptation
28:59
SPEAKER_01: and i absolutely hated it i did not i just waited for the reviews
29:04
SPEAKER_01: and i was like it's okay i'm gonna pass
29:07
SPEAKER_00: yeah i did not make it through the first episode i feel bad saying that
29:10
SPEAKER_00: but that's just one person's take
29:12
SPEAKER_00: on it i don't think we mentioned maybe we did earlier but the five star weekend
29:17
SPEAKER_00: which is
29:18
SPEAKER_00: an ellen hildebrand novel is coming out july 9th yeah this is what i'm going
29:23
SPEAKER_00: to be spending my weekend doing yeah me too
29:26
SPEAKER_00: and i hope people pick up five star weekend after watching the adaptation
29:31
SPEAKER_00: or find one of our top reads to pick so i know that both
29:36
SPEAKER_00: of us are doing Substack articles to go with this podcast
29:41
SPEAKER_00: and i thought maybe we could end by teasing what we're going
29:45
SPEAKER_00: to give paid subscribers on our Substack articles that go with this podcast
29:50
SPEAKER_00: what are you going to give people who upgrade to a paid subscription
29:53
SPEAKER_00: to support your work on Substack for this podcast episode so in addition for all
29:58
SPEAKER_01: the library access that i'm providing i want to share the books i tried this summer
30:02
SPEAKER_01: that did not quite work for an illinois
30:04
SPEAKER_01: ellen hildebrand bridge so there's a couple authors a couple mysteries that i try
30:10
SPEAKER_01: and they were just not it maybe the book or maybe the author but i'm going
30:13
SPEAKER_01: to share those books because it may not work for me but it may work
30:16
SPEAKER_01: for you everyone has a different taste and that's what i wanted
30:18
SPEAKER_00: to share yeah that's basically what i'm doing too i made a list of all
30:22
SPEAKER_00: the ellen hildebrand books and said whether i write it or didn't read it there's one
30:26
SPEAKER_00: that i did not finish and then for the rest of them i gave
30:29
SPEAKER_00: my star rating for them and i'd like to do that behind the paywall because
30:33
SPEAKER_00: that way i can be really honest i don't want to hurt in others feelings i gave
30:37
SPEAKER_00: a couple tips at the end of what i would pick the two that i really did not like
30:42
SPEAKER_00: and how to read the series which order i recommend reading them in and
30:46
SPEAKER_00: then i also made a principal pdf checklist because i know people like myself
30:51
SPEAKER_00: i want to read all of them so that is behind the paywall as well and you made
30:57
SPEAKER_00: a good point that we all read differently i know you're a very cozy
31:01
SPEAKER_00: and escapist romance reader and like mysteries
31:05
SPEAKER_00: as well i read like rory gilmore i will put both of our Substack links in
31:09
SPEAKER_00: the show notes we're halfway through summer i hope that the second half
31:13
SPEAKER_00: of your summer involves some ellen heldbrands and same to you