Best Book Forward

Julie Owen Moylan on Elizabeth & Marilyn | Best Book Forward Podcast

What an incredible way to kick off a brand new season of Best Book Forward.

In this episode, I’m joined by novelist Julie Owen Moylan to talk about her stunning new historical novel, Elizabeth & Marilyn. Set in the summer of 1956, the book reimagines the extraordinary moment when two of the most famous women in the world, Marilyn Monroe and Queen Elizabeth II, were, incredibly, neighbours in Windsor.

We explore:

• The real historical backdrop behind Elizabeth & Marilyn
• Writing historical fiction about real-life figures
• Balancing emotional truth with historical accuracy
• The pressures of fame and life in the public eye
• The shared vulnerabilities of two 20th-century icons

Julie shares how she approached portraying Marilyn and Elizabeth as complex, human women rather than untouchable symbols, and how themes of autonomy, identity, ambition, and resilience run through the novel.

If you love historical fiction, stories about iconic women, or thoughtful conversations about the writing process, this episode is for you.

📚 By Julie Owen Moylan

• Elizabeth & Marilyn
• Circus of Mirrors
• 73 Dove Street
• That Green Eyed Girl

✨ Books Mentioned

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Finding Your Own North Star by Martha Beck

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 brand new season of Best Book Forward is almost here.

Join host Helen for another chapter of bookish conversation, where each week she sits down with authors to explore the books that have shaped their lives—think a literary take on Desert Island Discs.

📅 Season 5 launches: Thursday 2nd April

📚 What’s coming: 8 weeks of brilliant author interviews and irresistible book recommendations

1. A dangerously blurred line between patient and therapist
2. Moral dilemmas that will make you question your own choices
3. The chilling idea that every crime begins with someone’s child…
4. A novel from this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist
5. A journey to the Suffolk countryside filled with new beginnings and unexpected romance
6. A glimpse into the lives of two of history’s most iconic women
7. A sweeping historical romance crossing oceans, cultures, and timelines
8. A glamorous 70th birthday party… that ends in murder

👀 Can you guess the authors?

The first episode drops on Thursday 2nd April—and if you’re subscribed, it’ll be ready and waiting.

https://best-book-forward.captivate.fm/listen

Follow on Instagram: @bestbookforward

Website: https://bestbookforward.org/

Well I can’t quite believe it but this is the final episode in this Season. I have had so much fun recording these episodes and I really hope that you have enjoyed it too.

We’re ending the Season on a complete high as I am delighted to welcome the incredible Ruth Ware to the show. In this episode, Ruth takes us back to The Woman in Cabin 10 before talking about how readers were desperate to find out more from Lo, and how the moment of inspiration came for The Woman in Suite 11. We talk about her writing life, what it was like to see Kiera Knightely bring Lo Blacklock to the screen and we get a little glimpse into what she is working on now.

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 Ruth Ware

The Woman in Suite 11

The Woman in Cabin 10

The Turn of the Key

✨ The Five Books That Shaped Ruth’s Life

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier

Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford

Wide Sargasso by Jean Rhys

On Writing by Stephen King

✨ Other Books Mentioned

Marple

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

And that’s a wrap for Season 4. Thank you so much to my wonderful guests; Jane Fallon, Ellie Levenson, Nicola Gill, Alexandra Potter, Emma Steele, Jennie Godfrey and Ruth Ware.

I’m currently hard at work on Season 5 and I hope to be able to share it with you soon. If you have subscribed to the show you’ll get a notification whenever a new episode lands. If you haven’t yet, I would be so grateful if you could please subscribe, rate, and review Best Book Forward, and don’t forget to tell your friends... it really helps new listeners discover the show.

Thanks for listening and see you soon.

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/

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

1. Identity Crisis
2. Swimming for Beginners

✨ Books Mentioned

1. Mister Meddle by Enid Blyton (currently unavailable on bookshop.org)
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
3. Elligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
4. Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler
5. The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler
6. Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler
7. Three Days in June by Anne Tyler
8. The Scandalous Ladies Football Club by Frances Quinn
9. Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny
10. One Day by David Nicholls
11. 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/

Today’s episode is a publication day special with Ellie Levenson, author of Room 706. I first read this book back in October and I haven’t stopped talking about it since. Room 706.

In this episode, Ellie and I dive into the world of Room 706: her inspiration, her writing process, and how she crafted such a tightly paced and explosive story. And because that ending deserves its own space, we’ve recorded a separate bonus episode dedicated entirely to unpacking it.

Of course, no episode of Best Book Forward would be complete without book recommendations, so here they are, with links to buy:

📚 By Ellie Levenson

1. Room 706

✨ Books Mentioned

1. The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrow by John Koenig
2. Fear of Flying by Erica Jong
3. The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Bylton
4. Thursday's Child by Noel Streatfield
5. Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas
6. The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
7. The Trick to Time by Kit de Waal

If you’ve finished Room 706 and are ready to dive deeper into that unforgettable ending, make sure you check out the bonus episode. A word of warning: it’s packed with spoilers, so if you haven’t read the book yet, you might want to wait until you have.

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 enjoyed today’s episode, please consider subscribing, rating, and reviewing Best Book Forward, and don’t forget to spread the word. Your support really helps new listeners discover the show.

See you next week, 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/

What a way to kick off Season 4 of Best Book Forward with the international bestselling author Jane Fallon. Jane joins me on the show today to talk about her new novel, Welcome to the Neighbourhood. We chat about the inspiration behind the novel, Jane’s approach to writing and of course the five books that have shaped her life.

As you would expect no episode of Best Book Forward would be complete without book recommendations! Here’s what we talked about.

📚 Books by Jane Fallon

• Welcome to the Neighbourhood
• Getting Rid of Matthew
• Got You Back

✨ Books Mentioned

• Tim and Charlotte by Edward Ardizzone (currently unavailable on bookshop.org).
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
• Love for Lydia by H.E. Bates
• Puffball by Fay Weldon (currently unavailable on bookshop.org).
• In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

This episode marks the start of a brand new seven-episode season, with fresh conversations landing every Thursday. I’d absolutely love for you to join me each week.

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/