Well, friends… October is here, and I have a lot of new British TV and book releases to talk about!
I recently shared a carousel with six British TV premieres to watch this month. In this episode, I’m going beyond the slides with more details, a few personal picks, and books for cozy mystery, period drama, and not-so-cozy readers.
And since October is Spooky Month at Cozy Comfort Club, we’re making room for all kinds of stories! From cozy mysteries to darker, more unsettling picks. You can choose your own level of spooky!
In This Episode
Cozy Mysteries: British TV
We chat about:
* Signora Volpe season three on Acorn TV
* Why The Mallorca Files fans might enjoy it
* Emilia Fox as Sylvia Fox, the former British spy starting a new life in Umbria
* This Is Not a Murder Mystery, a 1930s surrealist art-world murder mystery
* Why I’m desperate to watch This Is Not a Murder Mystery
* Ludwig season two on BritBox
* My love for the first season and why Ludwig is my number-one cozy mystery pick
* BritBox Premier early access and the weekly release schedule
Cozy Mystery Books
We talk about:
* The Undercover Bookshop by Katherine Reay—a Cotswolds village, an amateur sleuth, a bookshop, and a baker suspected of being a Soviet spy
* Murder at the Christmas Market by Rosie A. Point and Charles Timmerman, plus my progress on the first word-search mystery, Murder Among the Stacks
* The Liars’ Book Club by Ellery Adams, an absent groom, and a stolen historical document
* Why the Secret, Book, and Scone Society is one of my favorite cozy mystery series
* A Classic Case of Murder by Daryl Wood Gerber, a rare-book expert, and a dinner inspired by A Christmas Carol
Period Drama Lovers
We chat about:
* The 2016 BBC adaptation of War & Peace arriving on BritBox
* The sweeping story of five aristocratic families during the conflict with Napoleon
* The cast, including Lily James, Paul Dano, James Norton, and Gillian Anderson
* Music Against the Night by Yiyun Li, following musicians John Field and Adelaide Percheron across different places and changing times
* Royal Witch by Philippa Gregory, court politics, Eleanor Cobham, and accusations of sorcery
* Queen of Lombard Street by Lisa Kleypas and its Victorian heroine working to build Britain’s first women’s bank
Not-So-Cozy Picks
We chat about:
* My first impressions of Maigret season two, starring Benjamin Wainwright
* The ensemble cast, the darker tone, and the mysteries so far
* The Gold season two on PBS Masterpiece, following the investigation into the Brink’s-Mat robbery
* Hugh Bonneville and Tom Cullen….and their Downton Abbey connections
* The Red King, a crime drama with folk-horror elements, starring Anjli Mohindra
* Time season three, starring David Tennant and Siobhan Finneran
* Wolf, a six-episode thriller based on Mo Hayder’s Jack Caffery novels
* The House Built on Alligator Bones by Sophia Huneycutt
* The Midmorning Murders by Julian Clary, a satirical crime novel available as an ebook and audiobook
* The Turning of Sally-Mae by Nuzo Onoh, a dark supernatural horror story
October Read It & Watch It
Our October Read It & Watch It pick is Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en Party and its Poirot adaptation.
We’ll talk about both in the October 27th episode, so you have time to read and watch along. The adaptation is available across PBS Masterpiece, BritBox, and Acorn TV.
Spooky Month at Cozy Comfort Club
I created a CCC Spooky Month Bingo Board so we can play along together throughout October. Subscribe to Cozy Comfort Club on Substack to get your board and join in.
Join Cozy Comfort Club on Substack
Keep Track of Your Fall Watchlist
If your fall watchlist is already getting out of control…mine too.
I created the Cozy Comfort Club Fall Watchlist & Tracker, a $5 digital download to help you organize what you want to watch, keep track of what you’ve started and finished, and plan a few cozy nights in.
Get the Cozy Fall Watchlist & Tracker: https://buymeacoffee.com/cozycomfortclub/e/578324
Thank you to everyone who has purchased one or supported this little club. Every purchase helps me continue creating the podcast and other Cozy Comfort Club content.
Shop the Books Mentioned
Want to add one of these books to your TBR? You can find the October picks through my Bookshop.org storefront:
Shop the October book picks: https://bookshop.org/shop/cozycomfortclub
As a Bookshop.org affiliate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Your purchase also supports independent bookstores and Cozy Comfort Club. Thank you!
Support Cozy Comfort Club
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Discussion About This Episode
Which October release are you most excited about?
Are you in the mood for a cozy mystery, a sweeping period drama, or something darker?
Have you watched Maigret or Signora Volpe? Which book is going on your TBR?
Tell me what’s on your watchlist!
Come for murder, stay for tea.
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