Nantucket’s beloved bookworm Tim Ehrenberg shares his top six picks for July.
Summer Reading. Let’s face it. A Nantucket summer is busy, and we are all searching for entertaining reads that keep our attention at the beach, at the pool, or on our work breaks. Here are six titles for July that will make you skip the beach to stay in bed, call into work and keep you Ntertained!
THE WORD IS MURDER
By Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Horowitz has perfectly reinvented the British mystery. Think Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, or Sherlock Holmes, but with a contemporary style. With twists and turns, it even stars a fictional version of the author himself. It’s a classic crime story for the modern reader. Every time I thought I knew where this story was going, I was wrong. Spread the word and The Word is Murder!
US AGAINST YOU
By Fredrik Backman
When I heard there was to be a sequel to Beartown, I begged for an advanced copy from the publisher. I am not surprised to say that Backman scores another winning goal with Us Against You. Most everyone will be able to relate to one of the flawed characters or the real-life situations in its pages. Backman’s sentences engage and passionately make you a key player in this affecting story. The book is about EVERYTHING! It’s about politics, marriage, parenthood, growing up, growing old, identity, sports, friendship, crime, illness, intolerance, abuse, love, hate and community. It’s a metaphor for America today and that “us vs. you” mentality rampant in our states. It is about things that make life worth living, people worth loving and books worth reading. This story entertains, teaches and changes you. It’s rare for a sequel to surpass the original, but I think we might have that here.
SIRIOUSLY DELICIOUS: 100 NUTRITIOUS (AND NOT SO NUTRITIOUS) SIMPLE RECIPES FOR THE REAL HOME COOK
By Siri Daly
Popular food blogger and Today food contributor Siri Daly shares her delicious recipes in this brand-new cookbook. This collection of dishes is the perfect companion for a busy Nantucket summer of entertaining, beach picnics, kid’s parties, and family dinners! Siri is anything but serious as you will see by her wit, humor, and charm. “Siriously Delicious,” she writes “will not only feed your family’s bellies, but hopefully deliver a belly laugh along the way.”
THE HIGH SEASON
By Judy Blundel
I love first lines in novels. Author Judy Blundell begins her highly anticipated beach
read with, “Every summer Ruthie gave away her house by the sea.” That simple sentence holds so much intrigue that I could barely wait to keep reading. Filled with human drama that is insightful, humorous and very real, this should be in everybody’s beach bag and beach house this season.
CALYPSO
By David Sedaris
David Sedaris returns with his most deeply personal and darkly hilarious book. Described on the back cover as “beach reading for people who detest beaches, required reading for those who loathe small talk, and possibly his very best book yet.” We all need a good laugh now and then and we all should take ourselves a little less seriously. A David Sedaris book is just the ticket. Speaking of tickets, David Sedaris will be back on Nantucket August 7th at 8 p.m. with all new readings at the Mary P. Walker Auditorium.
THE PERFECT COUPLE
By Elin Hilderbrand
Elin Hilderbrand, our “Queen of the Beach Read,” returns with an island murder mystery at a Nantucket summer wedding. Elin’s style perfectly fits with a mystery type of story. Her sense of place, her characters and her love of Nantucket Island are all in attendance at these Nantucket nuptials turned crime scene. Call it a beach read, call it a guilty pleasure, call it whatever you want, but it’s fun, and it epitomizes all the best of summer on Nantucket.
All books available at Mitchell’s Book Corner or Nantucket Bookworks. Photography by Tim Ehrenberg
