Best Book Forward

What a joy it was to chat to Jennie Godfrey, I could have happily chatted for another hour. Jennie’s new book The Barbecue at No. 9 is out today and it is fabulous. One you absolutely do not want to miss.
No episode of Best Book Forward would be complete without book recommendations! Here’s everything we mentioned, with links to buy:
📚 By Jennie Godfrey
The List of Suspicious Things
The Barbecue at No. 9
📚 The Books that have shaped Jennie
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp (currently unavailable on bookshop.org)
Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes
To Kill a Mockingbird
Persuasion by Jane Austen

I’ll be back next week with the last in this season, don’t worry more are on the way, I’d love for you to join me for that too.
In the meantime, if you’ve enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Best Book Forward, and don’t forget to tell your friends... it really helps new listeners discover the show.
See you tomorrow, and happy listening.
Listen & Subscribe Now:
https://best-book-forward.captivate.fm/listen
To stay in touch with Best Book Forward news please follow me on Instagram @bestbookforward or visit my website: https://bestbookforward.org/

This was such a fun conversation with Emma Steele, we’ve been chatting online for a while so it really felt like catching up with a friend. In this episode we talk about Emma’s fabulous new novel, The Love of Our Lives, her writing life, what draws her to write speculative fiction and of course the five books that shaped her life (well there were a few more than 5).
And of course, no episode of Best Book Forward would be complete without book recommendations! Here’s everything we mentioned, with links to buy:
📚 By Emma Steele
The Love of Our Lives
The Echoes of Us
📚 The Books that have shaped Emma
After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
✨ Books Mentioned
Someone Else's Shoes by JoJo Moyes
Land by Maggie O'Farrell
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Night Road by Kristin Hannah

I’ll be back next week with another author conversation, and I’d love for you to join me for that too.
In the meantime, if you’ve enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Best Book Forward, and don’t forget to tell your friends... it really helps new listeners discover the show.
See you tomorrow, and happy listening.
Listen & Subscribe Now:
https://best-book-forward.captivate.fm/listen
To stay in touch with Best Book Forward news please follow me on Instagram @bestbookforward or visit my website: https://bestbookforward.org/

This was such a fun episode with Alexandra Potter, it was one of the times I felt like I was just sat down having a cuppa and catching up with a friend. So, I Met This Guy, Alexandra’s book that we discuss in this episode is out today and it is such a brilliant read. If you’ve been experiencing any January Blues this is the one you need to be grabbing.
And of course, no episode of Best Book Forward would be complete without book recommendations! Here’s everything we mentioned, with links to buy:
📚 By Alexandra Potter
So, I Met This Guy
Confessions of a Forty-Something F##k Up
Me and Mr Darcy
✨ Books Mentioned
The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron

I’ll be back next week with another author conversation, and I’d love for you to join me for that too.
In the meantime, if you’ve enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Best Book Forward, and don’t forget to tell your friends... it really helps new listeners discover the show.
See you tomorrow, and happy listening.
Listen & Subscribe Now:
https://best-book-forward.captivate.fm/listen
To stay in touch with Best Book Forward news please follow me on Instagram @bestbookforward or visit my website: https://bestbookforward.org/

A quick content note: this episode includes conversations about fertility, miscarriage, baby loss, and the death of a parent. I know these topics can be difficult, so please listen in whatever way feels right for you.
I absolutely loved recording this episode with Nicola Gill — she is such a joy to chat to. We talked about her latest novel, Identity Crisis (which I adored), her writing life, and of course the books that have shaped her own reading journey.
And of course, no episode of Best Book Forward would be complete without book recommendations! Here’s everything we mentioned, with links to buy:
📚 By Nicola Gill
Identity Crisis
Swimming for Beginners

✨ Books Mentioned
Mister Meddle by Enid Blyton (currently unavailable on bookshop.org)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Elligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler
The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler
Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler
Three Days in June by Anne Tyler
The Scandalous Ladies Football Club by Frances Quinn
Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny
One Day by David Nicholls
You Are Here by David Nicholls

I’ll be back next week with another author conversation, and I’d love for you to join me for that too.
In the meantime, if you’ve enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Best Book Forward, and don’t forget to tell your friends... it really helps new listeners discover the show.
See you tomorrow, and happy listening.
Listen & Subscribe Now:
https://best-book-forward.captivate.fm/listen
To stay in touch with Best Book Forward news please follow me on Instagram @bestbookforward or visit my website: https://bestbookforward.org/

⚠️ Bonus Episode Warning: Contains Spoilers ⚠️
When a book delivers an ending as brilliant and surprising as Room 706 by Ellie Levenson, it deserves its very own bonus episode, one where we can unpack everything without worrying about ruining the experience for anyone else.
If you haven’t read the book yet, please stop here and come back once you have!
Books discussed:
Room 706 by Ellie Levenson
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
Although we dive deep into the ending of Room 706, we’ve chosen to keep some of Ellie’s own reflections under wraps, those are for you to discover as a reader.
If you’d like to get in touch with Ellie, you can find her on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ellie_levenson/
I’ll be back next week with another author conversation, and I’d love for you to join me for that too.
In the meantime, if you’ve enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Best Book Forward, and don’t forget to tell your friends... it really helps new listeners discover the show.
See you tomorrow, and happy listening.
Listen & Subscribe Now:
https://best-book-forward.captivate.fm/listen
To stay in touch with Best Book Forward news please follow me on Instagram @bestbookforward or visit my website: https://bestbookforward.org/