Whether writing a police procedural, a high-tech thriller, or a historical novel, it's not uncommon for authors to spend a great deal of time doing research to add authenticity to their work. Most of the time, that means a quick Google search or maybe an interview with a subject matter expert. In some cases, though, the problem is that nobody has ever done the research. That's exactly the problem author CJ Sansom ran into when writing Sovereign (the third book in the Matthew Shardlake Tudor...
5 days ago • 3 min read
Happy Halloween! For those lovely readers who are handing out candy tonight, we've included a section at the end full of British shows which are still enjoyable with lots of pausing and interruptions - shows that don't require intense and constant concentration. Thank you to all of you who are out there making the holiday a little more magical for the kids of your area! What we're... Watching: Great British Ghosts - Host Michaela Strachan (Winterwatch) takes us to all sorts of haunted...
10 days ago • 3 min read
We'll make this a quick one - just an update about what's coming this week, the new Acorn TV lineup for November, and a few spooky recommendations. What we're... Watching: Travels by Narrowboat - This is one of those lovely "background shows" where you can just leave it on as you do other things, occasionally checking in to watch a particularly scenic or interesting bit. As I was putting together a post on Acorn TV's November schedule, I saw they were adding a new narrowboat series later in...
14 days ago • 4 min read
We hadn't planned to send an email this weekend, but I happened to spot a number of great British ebook deals this afternoon, so I thought I'd round them up quickly for anyone who might be interested. You can never have too many books in the TBR ("to be read") list as winter approaches. As always, keep in mind that deals can disappear quickly. At time of writing (Saturday the 26th), all the books below were less than $3. British Book Deals This Weekend Murder in the Queen's Wardrobe by Kathy...
15 days ago • 3 min read
It's not uncommon for authors to put a bit of themselves into their main characters. Good characters are relatable, and there's no one most authors are better equipped to relate to than themselves. We took a look at a few British authors' comments on how they've included a bit of themselves in their most famous characters: "He sort of is me, although not entirely. Wexford holds my views pretty well on most things, so I find putting him on the page fairly easy. Like me, he sees things...
16 days ago • 3 min read
If you're a fan of period dramas adapted from classic literature, you have a few to look forward to in the not-too-distant future. It's too soon to have premiere dates or details for any of them, but we should hear more in the coming months. Wuthering Heights - Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi are set to star as Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell’s upcoming Wuthering Heights adaptation, with Fennell writing, directing, and producing. The film is slated to begin shooting in the...
18 days ago • 4 min read
Those who've been reading for a while will know we have a new monthly tradition of checking on on the status for all the most popular current/recent British TV shows and offering a big roundup of what we know - hopefully saving many hours across the 70,000+ of you who read these emails. If your favourite show isn't mentioned below, no worries. We've also created a much more comprehensive guide (350+ shows) with updates for a wider selection of recent British TV shows. You can check it out...
21 days ago • 8 min read
If you're not a fan of e-readers, you may want to skip this first section. In case you missed the news, Amazon made some big e-reader announcements this week. Four new Kindles were announced, but the biggest news is that one of them has a colour screen that's easy on the eyes (not like the Kindle Fire tablets or Kindle app). Personally, I prefer the Kindle Scribe because the screen is HUGE and you can use the little pen to take notes in it - but the idea of a regular Kindle with colour is...
22 days ago • 4 min read
Though American audiences will have to wait a bit longer, UK audiences have been enjoying a promising new period drama on Channel 5, The Hardacres. Set in 1890s Yorkshire, this six-part series follows the rags-to-riches journey of the Hardacre family, led by Claire Cooper (The Continental) and Liam McMahon (The O'Briens) as Mary and Sam Hardacre. Alongside them is Julie Graham (Ridley) as the formidable Ma.Expect family drama, hardship, and a spectacular rise from the grimy docks to a...
26 days ago • 5 min read