Best Book Forward

In this episode of Best Book Forward I was delighted to be joined by Sophie Irwin author of A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin and A Lady's Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin

Sophie talked about her love of the Regency period and why she feels we are so drawn to it, as well as sharing memories of reading her first chapter book that set her on her journey to be a reader for life.  The book that was pivotal in changing her life.

The five books that Sophie picked as the books that have shaped her life are:

Sophie's Snail by Dick King Smith 

Arabella by Georgette Heyer

The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenger

Midnight Chicken by Ella Risberger

The Break Up Clause by Niamh Hargan

Other books mentioned:

Frederica by Georgette Heyer

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

Dinner with Edward by Isabel Vincent

I Want to Die but I Want To Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee

Heartburn by Nora Ephron

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Authors mentioned: 

Frances Burney 

Barbara Cartland 

Georgette Heyer

Lex Croucher

Amita Murray

Felicity George

Julia Quinn

Beth Morrey (in the interview I said Morley, it is Morrey, sorry Beth)

Kate Sawyer

Roald Dahl

Lindsey Kelk

Sarra Manning

If you would like to hear more from Sophie Irwin, please do keep an eye out as there a bonus episode coming where we discuss more about Sophie’s life as a reader and a writer and she shares a bookish secret with us!

For more content from me you follow me on Instagram or visit my website www.bestbookforward.org.  You can you also find my favourite books here Shop my favourite books

This episode of Best Book Forward was produced by Decibelle Creative

For this episode of Best Book Forward I was delighted to be joined again by Matt Cain; author of One Love .  If you missed the main episode where Matt discusses her Desert Island Book.

In this episode we talk about how Matt came back fighting after his first novel, The Madonna of Bolton was rejected; using his rage to crowdfund his way to get his book published in just a week! Matt also shares a bookish secret with us that left me feeling really excited !

Books and authors mentioned in this episode

David Nicholls

Lisa Jewell

David Walliams

Adele Parks

Jane Austen

Kate Atkinson

The Song of Achilles of Madeleine Miller

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain

One Day by David Nicholls

The Unfinished Business fo Eadie Browne by Freya North

The Excitements by CJ Wray

That Bonesetter Woman by Frances Quinn

Shot Through the Heart by Matt Cain

Nothing But Trouble by Matt Cain

Step Sisters by Matt Cain

I hope you enjoyed this bonus episode.  Please do take the time to like, subscribe, review and most importantly tell your friends about it.  I’ll be back next month talking to another author and I hope you’ll join me for that conversation.  In the meantime, for more content from me you can follow me on Instagram or visit my website www.bestbookforward.org

This episode was produced by Decibelle Creative / @decibelle_creative

In today’s episode my guest is the wonderful Matt Cain., I have been chatting to Matt on Instagram for such a long time so to get to speak to him about his books and the books that he loves was such a treat.  We talked about all of Matt’s books but especially about his latest novel 

One Love which comes out on 18 January and is an absolutely brilliant read.

We talked about the five books that have shaped Matt’s life and three of them are also favourites of mine.

Matt’s Desert Island Book choices are:

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis

Kiss of the Spiderwoman by Manuel Puig

Thomas Hardy: The Time-Torn Man by Claire Tomalin

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

One Day by David Nicholls

Throughout our discussion, we talked about lots of other books and these are all listed below.

Other books mentioned in this episode

The Madonna of Bolton by Matt Cain

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain 

The Becoming Ted by Matt Cain

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

The Neverending Story by Michael Ende 

A Stitch in Time by Kathryn Coltrin

The Stranding by Kate Sawyer

This Family by Kate Sawyer

I hope you have enjoyed this episode as much as I did, I loved chatting to Matt.  I would be so grateful if you would take the time to like, subscribe and most importantly tell your friends about it.  

Do keep an eye out as there is a bonus episode with Matt coming soon.

In the meantime, for more content from me you can follow me on Instagram or visit my website www.bestbookforward.org

This episode of Best Book Forward was produced by Buckers at Decibelle Creative

In this bonus episode I am joined again by Nina Stibbe; author of Went to London, Took the Dog.

In this episode Nina, reads a passage from her new book and we went on to talk more about her life as a writer and a reader.

Other books mentioned in this episode are:

Started Early Took the Dog by Kate Atkinson

Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Moggach

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ by Sue Townsend

Ducks Newbury Port by Lucy Ellmann

The Fortnight in September by R.C. SHerriff 

Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

Authors mentioned

Cathy Rentzenbrink

Lionel Shriver

Nick Hornby

Alan Bennett

Jonathan Miller

Heather Morris

Thomas Hardy

Geoffrey Chaucer

Elizabeth Strout

Anne Tyler

David Sedaris

Lydia Davis

Hilary Mantel

Margaret Atwood

I hope you have enjoyed this episode.  I would be so grateful if you would take the time to like, subscribe and most importantly tell your friends about it.  

I’ll be back next month talking to another author and I really hope you’ll join me for that conversation.

In the meantime, for more content from me you can follow me on Instagram or visit my website www.bestbookforward.org

This episode of Best Book Forward was produced by Decibelle Creative

In this episode I was delighted to be joined by Nina Stibbe; who’s latest book Went to London, Took the Dog is out 2 November and is such a brilliant read.

I loved talking to Nina, and hearing her talk so patiently about her love of diaries has inspired me to try and keep my own diary.  

Nina’s Desert Island Book choices are:

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

My Side of the Mountain by Jean George (currently out of print)

Secret Diary of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend

Diary of a Nobody by G&W Grossmith

Throughout the discussion, various other books and authors were mentioned and these are all listed below.

Other Books Mentioned

One Day I Shall Astonish the World by Nina Stibbe

Love, Nina by Nina Stibbe

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

Jill’s Gymkhana by Ruby Ferguson

The Snow & Works on the Northern Line by Ruth Thomas

The Adventures of Miss Barbara Pym by Paula Burn

A Very Private Eye by Julie Cooper

Authors mentioned

David Sedaris

Deborah McGogach

Alan Bennett

Claire Tomlyn

Michael Frayne

Jonathan Miller 

Germaine Greer 

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to hear more from Nina, do keep an eye out as we have recorded a bonus episode which will be coming soon.

For more content from me you can follow me on Instagram or visit my website www.bestbookforward.org

Best Book Forward is produced by Decibelle Creative

In this bonus episode, Beth O'Leary joins Helen to discuss her meteoric rise to fame after publishing her debut novel The Flatshare. Beth talks candidly about her journey to publication, the pressures of writing a second novel after a hugely successful debut, her writing process and daily rituals (or lack thereof!), her reading habits and favourite authors. Beth also reveals her "bookish secret"...

This episode was produced by Decibelle Creative

Today’s episode of Best Book Forward was a dream come true for me.  Beth O’Leary was the first author I meet when I started off as a bookstagrammer and I have loved all of her books from her debut The Flatshare to her latest novel The Wake Up Call 

In this episode Beth talks about her life as a writer, writing sexy swimming pool scenes as well as how books helped her as a child to find her love of storytelling and writing.

Beth’s Desert Island Book choices are:

The Autumn Story by Jill Barklem

The Northern Lights by Philip Pullman

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Faerie Queen by Edmund Spenser

Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes

Other books mentioned in this episode:

The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary

The Switch by Beth O’Leary

The No Show by Beth O’Leary

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

Paradise Lost by John Milton

Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Again, Rachel by Marian Keyes

Authors mentioned:

Kristin Hannah

Charles Dickens

Sophie Kinsella

If you like to hear more from Beth O’Leary please do keep an eye out as there is a bonus episode coming soon where we’ll hear more about Beth’s life as a writer and a reader and she also shares a bookish secret with us.  

For me content please do follow me on Instagram or visit my website www.bestbookforward.org

This episode was produced by Decibelle Creative: @decibelle_creative / www.decibellecreative.com

In this bonus episode of Best Book Forward I was delighted to be joined again by Helen Paris; author of Lost Property and The Invisible Women's Club.  If you missed the main episode where Helen discusses her Desert Island Books with me do have a listen (you'll find it in the same place you found this one!)

In this episode Helen read a passage from her new book The Invisible Women’s Club and we went on to talk more about her life as a reader and a writer.

The books that are mentioned in this episode are:

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Go As A River by Shelley Read

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler

The authors that Helen talked about are

Kate Atkinson

Rachel Joyce

Tana French 

Agatha Christie

Toni Morrison

I hope you enjoyed this bonus episode.  Please do take the time to like, subscribe, review and most importantly tell your friends about it.  I’ll be back next month talking to another author and I hope you’ll join me for that conversation.  In the meantime, for more content from me you can follow me on Instagram or visit my website www.bestbookforward.org

This episode of Best Book Forward was produced by Buckers at Decibelle Creative @decibelle_creative / www.decibellecreative.com 

In this first episode of Best Book Forward I was delighted to be joined by Helen Paris; author of Lost Property and The Invisible Women's Club.

Helen shared wonderful memories of buying her childhood favourites with her dad at WHSmiths at weekends, a wonderful teacher who introduced her to a book she loves and the books that inspired her love of reading and writing.

Helen’s Desert Island Books choices are:

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald

Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler

Of course, when you’re talking to somebody who is as passionate about books as Helen is, lots of other books get mentioned so here are the other books we talked about in this episode.

Second Spring by Kate Codrington

Another Life by Jodie Chapman

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

If you would like to hear more from Helen Paris, please do keep an eye out as there is a bonus episode coming where we discuss more about Helen’s life as a reader and a writer and she shares a bookish secret with us!

For more content from me you can follow me on Instagram or visit my website www.bestbookforward.org

This episode of Best Book Forward was produced by Buckers at Decibelle Creative @decibelle_creative / www.decibellecreative.com 

Join Helen Gambarota, better known online as 'Best Book Forward' for friendly conversations with authors.

After discussing her guest's five favourite books, Helen will ask them the impossible question: if you could only pick one to read again, which book would you choose?!

Listen out for bonus episodes treating you to readings from the authors' own books.

Find out about how to join Helen's book club, and more about her book-ish journey online at https://www.bestbookforward.org/ and on Instagram @bestbookforward

This episode of Best Book Forward was produced Decibelle Creative