SPEECH TEAM by Tim Murphy

I am speechless over how much I loved this novel and how easily and quickly I fell into the story and its characters’ lives. This is my favorite kind of novel, one that’s entertaining but filled with so much to discuss, apply to your own life and wonder about. When I turned the last page, I felt like one of the misfits in the novel, a part of their “speech team” and their story. Bravo, Tim Murphy! I can’t wait to see this novel in the world.

TOM LAKE by Ann Patchett

Readers, you are in for a treat with Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake. It’s as sweet as a cherry pie served on a hot August day. On page 233, Ann describes a character who is portraying the stage manager in a production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town like this: “We knew he was trustworthy. He had seen the entire story and stitched it together for us.” This perfectly describes Ann as a writer. She’s trustworthy, and I always know I will get a perfect story elegantly told. Tom Lake is a meditation on youthful love, married love and the lives parents have led before their children were born. It’s also about theater, acting, celebrity, cherry farms and the beauty, pain and complexity of human nature.

Subscribe to “Books, Beach & Beyond” wherever you get your podcasts and listen to Elin Hilderbrand’s and my interview with the incomparable and fabulous Ann Patchett! The episode drops August 2. booksbeachandbeyond.com

THE SECRET BOOK OF FLORA LEA by Patti Callahan Henry

This historical novel is an ode to the origin of stories and their power. Remember that first book that made you fall in love with the power of storytelling? The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was mine or maybe it was The Chronicles of Narnia or maybe Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. Don’t make me choose! The Secret Book of Flora Lea has a similar magic to those favorite books from my childhood. Hazel and Flora are evacuated from their home in London to the English countryside during World War II. To cope, Hazel conjures up a magical land called Whisperwood, a place of imaginative wonder they can both escape to, but then Flora goes missing and is presumed drowned. Fast forward to the 1960s and Hazel stumbles upon a children’s book all about Whisperwood, her fictional haven from long ago. Does this book hold the answers to finding her long-lost sister?

Find out by joining Patti Callahan Henry and me on Tuesday, August 22, at 6 p.m. in the Nantucket Atheneum’s Great Hall for a conversation all about The Secret Book of Flora Lea. This event is free, and seating is first come, first served with a book signing to follow

BROADWAY BUTTERFLY by Sara Divello

Historical fiction set in 1920s NYC. A murder mystery. Inspired by a true crime. Deeper themes. A cast of characters that would make a Broadway audience leap to their feet. These are all the ingredients for your new favorite summer thriller and Sara DiVello delivers with every twist and turn. In 1923, scandalous flapper Dot King is found dead. (This month is the 100th anniversary of when the real Dot King murder case was officially closed without an arrest.) It’s up to a crime reporter, a detective, a maid, a political socialite, a bootlegger, a gigolo and a Broadway dancer to navigate the clues, suspects, secrets and issues of the day to solve the crime. The prose and story are as zippy as a flapper’s feet doing the Charleston, and I loved the summer day I read Broadway Butterfly. Yes, it’s a read-in-one-day thriller of an experience. Encore, encore, Sara DiVello! I can’t wait to see what you do next!

WHAT AN OWL KNOWS by Jennifer Ackerman

Some of my favorite nonfiction narratives are the expertly researched, up close and personal exposés on specific animals. Think The Soul of an Octopus, H Is for Hawk or The Devil’s Teeth. Our lead characters here are one of the most fascinating and mysterious birds in the sky—the owl! With new tools and technology available, researchers are uncovering all their secrets: how they talk to each other, how they “see” sound, how they court their mates, how they protect their nests and why they are one of the most enigmatic and celebrated birds throughout all of history. You will be able to start the perfect summer dinner conversation with all your newfound knowledge. And you’ll sound as wise as, well, an owl. It’s a hoot of a book!

NANTUCKET NELLY AND THE RAINBOW BOAT RACE by Alison Barone, illustrated by Annabelle Meszynski

I am always searching for new Nantucket children’s books to gift to the youngest bookworms in my life. Books were always my favorite gifts to give and receive, and they still are! Nantucket Nelly is the story of a spunky little Nantucket native who dreams of sailing in the annual Rainbow Boat Race with her sidekick dog, Beau. The only problem: She has no boat and doesn’t know how to sail! Through a series of misadventures her dream comes true, but with a surprise ending in which Nelly learns that honesty really is the best policy. The actual Rainbow Fleet Parade is the morning of Sunday, August 20, and kids should enjoy seeing this book and Nelly’s adventures come to life before their very eyes around Brant Point.