Last night was my favorite night of the month: our monthly Book B*tches get together. We’d taken most of the summer off because of travel, so last night was extra special. It felt so good to have all of my b*tches crowded around my dining room table discussing a fabulous summer read. We read The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand and dare I say it’s the perfect beach read. Here’s what Amazon has to say about The Hotel Nantucket:
Fresh off a bad breakup with a longtime boyfriend, Nantucket sweetheart Lizbet Keaton is desperately seeking a second act. When she’s named the new general manager of the Hotel Nantucket, a once Gilded Age gem turned abandoned eyesore, she hopes that her local expertise and charismatic staff can win the favor of their new London billionaire owner, Xavier Darling, as well as that of Shelly Carpenter, the wildly popular Instagram tastemaker who can help put them back on the map. And while the Hotel Nantucket appears to be a blissful paradise, complete with a celebrity chef-run restaurant and an idyllic wellness center, there’s a lot of drama behind closed doors. The staff (and guests) have complicated pasts, and the hotel can’t seem to overcome the bad reputation it earned in 1922 when a tragic fire killed nineteen-year-old chambermaid Grace Hadley. With Grace gleefully haunting the halls, a staff harboring all kinds of secrets, and Lizbet’s own romantic uncertainty, is the Hotel Nantucket destined for success or doom? Â
Filled with the emotional depth and multiple points of view that characterize Hilderbrand’s novels (The Blue Bistro, Golden Girl) as well as an added dash of Roaring Twenties history, The Hotel Nantucket offers something for everyone in this compelling summer drama.Â
I don’t want to give any spoilers, so I’ll just say that this is probably my favorite Elin Hilderbrand novel. And that’s saying something.
The Hotel Nantucket
Per usual, I did a horrible job taking pictures of our actual book club meeting because I have too much fun to even think about picking up my phone. But, I did snap a few photos beforehand. For the menu, I made Chef Mario’s deviled eggs and cafeteria tacos. Dessert consisted of Beatriz’s chocolate chip toffee cookies. The tacos and rice were, I’m embarrassed to admit, Old El Paso and Zatarain’s. Nothing special, but always a hit! The deviled eggs were just a traditional recipe that I jazzed up with a few dashes of Tabasco. Side note: if anyone has any tricks to peeling hard boiled eggs, please send them my way. The cookies were a HUGE hit. Not to toot my own horn, but they were amazing and I am very sad that I don’t have any left to enjoy today. Boohoo! The recipe is from Valerie’s Kitchen, linked here: https://www.fromvalerieskitchen.com/toffee-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Book B*tches Spread
Buy the book here….you won’t regret it! https://amzn.to/3dobDQy
Two other books I enjoyed this summer are The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont and Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins. I recommend them both! They’re completely different, but each captivating in their own way. Snag them here https://amzn.to/3QDipQO and here https://amzn.to/3JP95Hj
Summer Reads
Happy reading!
