The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister is my favorite book of the summer so far. I was about to cast it aside as magical realism (which I dislike greatly), but stuck with it and was pleasantly surprised. It’s a bit like Where the Crawdads Sing at fist, and a smidge shallow at points, but overall, it’s a really interesting and creative story. Emmeline lives an ideal life with her dad on a deserted island. He teaches her all about the world by channeling her senses. He, in fact, can capture smell in bottles, which he does with the help of a special machine. But, as you can imagine, their idyllic existence doesn’t last forever and the ensuing story is a neat one. It was a perfect beach choice!