N’s resident bookworm Tim Ehrenberg shares six of his favorite reads.
A BETTER MAN by Louise Penny
You won’t find a better mystery writer than Louise Penny and A Better Man is one of her best! What I love about this series starring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and the villagers of Three Pines are its themes of human psychology entwined within a mystery novel. This latest in the series asks what one might do if a suspected killer walked free? All of your favorite characters are here, the mystery isn’t easy to figure out and the plot gets you thinking “what if?”
THE LAGER QUEEN OF MINNESOTA by J. Ryan Stradal
We know books and beer here on Nantucket considering our bookshops’ owner Wendy Hudson also helped start Cisco Brewers. This new novel by best-selling author J. Ryan Stradal sounds perfect for relaxing with a cold beer this month. (I recommend Cisco’s Grey Lady Ale.) Stradal takes us on a journey of family, Midwestern values, hard work, fate and the secrets of making a world-class beer.
THE ROAD TO SAN DONATO: FATHERS, SONS, AND CYCLING ACROSS ITALY by Robert Cocuzzo Available September 1st
Let’s be honest. You will never see me biking across Italy with my father, so I am thankful author—and editor of this magazine—Robert Cocuzzo wrote about it in his brand-new book The Road to San Donato. This story has a little bit of everything: adventure, cycling, World War II and family history, travel, community, parent/child dynamics, insightful writing and much more. While I may not want to follow their bikes’ path, the book did make me want to travel to Italy, learn a little bit more about my own family history, and pick up the phone and call my dad. Join author Rob Cocuzzo for a book signing at Mitchell’s Book Corner on Saturday, September 7th, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
THIS TENDER LAND by William Kent Krueger (Available September 3rd)
September sunsets are my favorite time of the year to read, and the “orphan story” is one of my favorite book plots. From the author of Ordinary Grace comes a story about four orphans on a life-changing odyssey during the early years of the Great Depression. The characters and their adventure stay with you long after the final sentence, giving this novel the feel of a modern classic. It’s a big-hearted epic “that shows how the magnificent American landscape connects us all, haunts our dreams and makes us whole.”
THE INSTITUTE by Stephen King (Available September 10th)
The King reigns supreme with the most riveting and unforgettable epic about kids confronting evil since It. I have been devouring Stephen King’s stories since I was probably too young to be reading them. He could truly come out with a phone book and I would read it. In King’s latest book (approximately his ninetieth), a boy named Luke wakes up in The Institute, run by Mrs. Sigsby and her evil staff, who try to extract from a group of children the force of their extraordinary gifts.
THE DUTCH HOUSE by Ann Patchett (Available September 24th)
The latest novel by beloved author Ann Patchett reads like a fairy tale and I was lost in the story of siblings Danny and Maeve. They are exiled from their home, the Dutch House, by their stepmother and what follows is a story of an indelible sibling bond and the past that won’t let them go. The writing, the characters and the way the plot is constructed are so beautifully done that I immediately started rereading it after I finished.
Support your Island Indies. All books are available at Mitchell’s Book Corner & Nantucket Bookworks, and online at Nantucket Book Partners!
