Your Top 3 Holiday Reads + Ellie Levenson on Room 706 - Summer Special

Recorded live at Capital Crime Book Festival, Philippa talks to Ellie Levenson about her brilliantly genre-defying novel Room 706 — described by her own agent as "thrilling but not a thriller."But first, the results are in! After asking listeners for their top three holiday book recommendations, here are the three that came out on top:Your Top 3 Holiday ReadsThe End of Summer – Charlotte PhilbyA woman's carefully constructed past unravels when journalists turn up on her daughter's doorstep. A story of reinvention, secrets, and a mother who might never have been who she claimed.Dead Heat – Sabine DurrantA struggling journalist joins old friends at their house in Greece for the summer — until a wealthy newcomer's lavish parties stir up envy, resentment, and an accident that may not have been an accident at all.Still Life – Sarah WinmanA wartime encounter in a ruined Tuscan wine cellar changes the course of two strangers' lives forever. (Philippa admits this is the one book club pick almost everyone loves except her — and she suspects a reread is overdue.)Ellie Levenson on Room 706Inspired by a very relatable fantasy — booking a hotel room alone, with no one needing anything from her — Ellie's novel asks: what if a tired mother checked into a hotel just to be alone, and then couldn't leave?Ellie and Philippa discuss:The "women who are clever but tired" genre Ellie has unofficially inventedWhy her agent suggested splitting the book into three timelines — Kate meeting her husband, meeting her lover, and the real-time hotel room scenesWhy complicated, morally grey characters make for the best book club argumentsThe brilliant audiobook adaptation that surprised even Ellie with how "acted" it feltThe original title, Hotel Sonder, and why it had to change after she kept seeing the word everywhereHer next book — another "middle-aged woman stepping outside her lane," and her fascination with hotels, parks, and other places where strangers' lives briefly intersectIce cream order: Chocolate, coffee, and nut — multiples of three, naturally, with a cone for garnish.Get in touchQuick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | [email protected] Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.