Books, Beach, & Beyond

• Shelby Cunningham

  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 MonthNantucket LoomsReading List:The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby CunninghamPinkaliciousFancy NancyOlivia the PigPerfectly Arugula28 Summers by Elin HilderbrandThe Love Season by Elin HilderbrandThe Blue Bistro by Elin HilderbrandMrs DallowayThe Hours by Michael CunninghamJane Eyre The Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldColeman Hill by Kim Coleman FooteDemon Copperhead by Barbara KingsolverA Separate Peace by John KnowlesHuck Finn by Mark TwainThe Crucible by Arthur MillerThe Thoroughbreds by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby CunninghamFollow/Subscribe to the 'Books, Beach, & Beyond' podcast now to stay current on new episodes.And find us on Instagram at @booksbeachandbeyondHappy Reading!

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• Lily King

  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 PartnersOpen Book With JennaLily King BooksThe Pleasing HourFather of the RainEuphoriaWriters and LoversHeart the LoverWho else are we reading in this episode?Lorrie MooreMaggie O’FarrellTim WintonGish JenShirley HazzardTessa HadleyElizabeth StroutAnn PatchettPlayworld by Adam RossTobias WolfeAre You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Jude BlumeIt’s Not The End of the World by Judy BlumeWilliam FaulknerVirginia WolffAndre DubusThe Cheever Stories by John CheeverFranny and Zooey by JD SalingerFranz KafkaFlannery O’ConnerToni MorrisonWhat We Can Know by Ian McEwanColm ToibinMy Friends by Hisham MatarFree Love by Tessa HadleySpeak Memory by Vladimir NabokovFollow/Subscribe to the 'Books, Beach, & Beyond' podcast now to stay current on new episodes.And find us on Instagram at @booksbeachandbeyondHappy Reading!

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• Elizabeth Strout

  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, BrownHill House HomeElizabeth Strout Books:Amy and IsabelleOlive KitteridgeMy Name is Lucy BartonOlive, AgainTell Me EverythingOther Books Mentioned:Winesburg, Ohio: A Group of Tales of Ohio Small Town Life by Sherwood AndersonThe Good Seed by William MarchMrs. Dalloway by Virgina WoolfMiddlemarch by George EliotFollow/Subscribe to the 'Books, Beach, & Beyond' podcast now to stay current on new episodes.And find us on Instagram at @booksbeachandbeyondHappy Reading!

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• Catherine Newman

  Next on Books, Beach, & Beyond is Catherine Newman, author of Sandwich, We All Want Impossible Things, and Wreck, (forthcoming from HarperCollins in October 2025.) Elin and Tim begin by gushing about Catherine’s writing and how much they love her books. Catherine takes us back to her first writing projects, and then her pivot into writing auto-fiction with her three novels. They talk about family summer vacations, what keeps them up at night, health scares, grief, food in her books, her beloved characters, family dynamics, and all the themes and layers upon layers in Catherine’s novels. Don't miss this episode and make sure to pre-order Wreck coming out this fall.A Special Thank you to our Episode Sponsors:CartolinaNantucket Meat & FishCatherine Newman Reading List:We All Want Impossible ThingsSandwichWreck (coming October 28, 2026. Pre-order now!)What else are we reading in this episode?The Beans of Egypt, Maine by Carolyn ChuteSmall Rain by Garth GreenwellStation Eleven by Emily St. John MandelThe Road by Cormac McCarthyLittle House on the Prairie by Laura Ingall’s WilderBlack Hearts in Battersea by Joan AikenThe Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan AikenThe Usual Desire to Kill by Camilla BarnesReal Americans by Rachel KhongLoved and Missed by Susie BoytThe Girls in Queens by Christine Kandic TorresHeartwood by Amity GaigeCassandra at the Wedding by Dorothy BakerBridge of Sighs by Richard RussoStraight Man by Richard RussoThe Risk Pool by Richard RussoThe Emperor of Gladness by Ocean VuongFollow/Subscribe to the 'Books, Beach, & Beyond' podcast now to stay current on new episodes.And find us on Instagram at @booksbeachandbeyondHappy Reading!

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• Curtis Sittenfeld

  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!A Special Thank you to our Episode Sponsors:The Nantucket HotelNantucket Historical AssociationCurtis Sittenfeld’s Reading List:PrepAmerican WifeEligibleRomantic ComedyRodhamShow Don’t TellWhat Else Are We Reading in this Episode:Charlotte’s Web by E.B WhiteStuart Little by E.B. WhiteThe Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler WarnerThe Secret History by Donna TarttFoster Dade Explores the Cosmos by Nash JenkinsSarah Phillips by Andrea LeeGentlemen and Players by Joanne HarrisI am Charlotte Simmons by Thomas WolfeThe Islanders by Lewis RobinsonGirlfriending by Susanna DanielMy Own Devices by DessaAnimal Instinct by Amy ShearnFollow/Subscribe to the 'Books, Beach, & Beyond' podcast now to stay current on new episodes.And find us on Instagram at @booksbeachandbeyondHappy Reading!

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