Many premieres of returning favorite drama series and a new limited series that has been all the buzz for quite some time. Books and cookbooks, and British finds abound as I am sharing some of the treasures I discovered while traveling to England recently. And there is still more!

Books

—Calm: The School of Life

As I will mention in more detail below, there were oodles of books at my vacation rental in County Durham, perhaps the best detail to have in a vacation rental on top of the essentials, and a book I quickly took note of and reminded myself to pick up of a copy was Calm, part of The School of Life series.

Just as it sounds, the book which was published in 2018 provides the essential tools we need in order to defend ourselves against panic and anger, by getting at the roots of our greatest frustrations and anxieties. Sharing practical life skills that will help to find and remain calm as well as how to understand and manage our emotions rather than ignore or suppress them, if you are looking for a book to soothe at night or when you begin each day, this might just be an ideal book to have in your library.

—The Cancelling of the American Mind: Cancel Culture Undermines Trust and Threatens Us All—But There is a Solution by Greg Lukianoff and Rikki Schlott 

Being released next Tuesday and from the authors of the bestselling book Coddling of the American Mind, in their new book The Cancelling of the American Mind they bring “hard data and research on what cancel culture is and how it works, along with hundreds of new examples showing the left and the right both working to silence their enemies”. Making the argument that “cancel culture is just one symptom of a much larger problem: the use of cheap rhetorical tactics to “win” arguments without actually winning arguments”, they go on to share that there is good news to understand and apply. I will let them explain:

“The good news is that we can beat back this threat to democracy through better citizenship. The Canceling of the American Mind offers concrete steps toward reclaiming a free speech culture, with materials specifically tailored for parents, teachers, business leaders, and everyone who uses social media.”

—The Dictionary People: The Unsung Heroes Who Created the Oxford English Dictionary by Sarah Ogilvie

Alright fellow logophiles (people who love words), this is a book for us! Being released next Tuesday October 17th, The Dictionary People shares who the people were behind this unprecedented book, the Oxford English Dictionary. “As Sarah Ogilvie reveals, they include three murderers, a collector of pornography, the daughter of Karl Marx, a president of Yale, a radical suffragette, a vicar who was later found dead in the cupboard of his chapel, an inventor of the first American subway, a female anti-slavery activist in Philadelphia . . . and thousands of others.” Oh my goodness! I am intrigued! Adding this book to my library soon!

British Finds

—Annika, season 2, PBS Masterpiece

Nicola Walker returns this Sunday to PBS Masterpiece in Annika, its second season, and while I know UK viewers have already seen the season as it aired this past August, I have a feeling it will be worth the wait for us here in the states if the new season is anything like the first. Have a look at the trailer below.

—Appetite by Nigel Slater

Throughout this past week at my vacation rental (be sure to read my Travel Diary post shared earlier this week — Staying at Rita Konig’s North Farm, the Lake District and Antiquing in Barnard Castle — to peek inside where I show many photos of this very special farm in Durham), I have been in the companion of hundreds of books, and so each day, a couple of times a day, I would wander about the shelves making note of ones that caught my eye and pulling others off the shelf to peruse, and if it caught my interest, I would take it into the library or sitting room or to read before bed. One such book was Nigel Slater’s Appetite, a cookbook, and really an encouraging and mesmerizing ‘how-to’ book to inspire you to rethink how to approach cooking in everyday life so that you discover how wonderful and enjoyable cooking can be. I have since ordered myself a consigned copy and look forward to finishing this book at home when it arrives. 

—Kitchen Memories by Lucy Boyd

Released a handful of years ago, but a book I found in the kitchen library at Rita Konig’s farm this past week, I flipped through it and found it to be most definitely worth sharing. Lucy Boyd, “the creator of the much-lauded kitchen garden at Petersham Nurseries, where she worked with award-winning chef Skye Gyngell, is steeped in both horticulture and cuisine, as the daughter of Rose Gray, her recipes have an inventiveness yet also a simplicity that make you want to head straight to the kitchen. They are organized by season, and deeply focused on the seasonality of each ingredient and the joy of cooking.”

—Weird Walk: Wanderings and Wonderings Through the British Ritual Year

Now this book just looks like fun, and as I know many of your are walkers and ramblers, perhaps you will be inspired to (or have already) take(n) one or more of these walks. Weird Walk shares what they describe as “a radical idea. By walking the ancient landscape of Britain and following the wheel of the year, we can reconnect to our shared folklore, to the seasons and to nature. Let this hauntological gazetteer guide you through our enchanted places and strange seasonal rituals:

• SPRING: Watch the equinox sunrise light up the floating capstone of Pentre Ifan and connect with the Cailleach at the shrine of Tigh nam Bodach in the remote Highlands 
• SUMMER: Feel the resonance of ancient raves and rituals in the stone circles of southwest England’s Stanton Drew, Avebury and the Hurlers
• AUTUMN: Bring in the harvest with the old gods at Coldrum Long Barrow, and brave the ghosts on misty Blakeney Point 
• WINTER: Make merry at the Chepstow wassail, and listen out for the sunken church bells of the lost medieval city of Dunwich”

Cookbooks

—The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food by Andrew Friedman

If you like to go behind the scenes and see how what we enjoy in our daily lives is actually made possible, this is the book to explore. Being released on October 17th from “acclaimed ‘chef writer’ Andrew Friedman, [he] introduces readers to all the people and processes that come together in a single restaurant dish, creating an entertaining, vivid snapshot of the contemporary restaurant community, modern farming industry, and food-supply chain.”

—Milk Street Simple by Christopher Kimball

Also being released on October 17th is another of many cookbooks from the James Beard award nominated cookbook team from Milk Street. Milk Street Simple, in “each of these 200 recipes works with just a handful of ingredients and short active cooking time; these dishes are done when you need them, or hands-off so you can let them cook while you do something else. The keys are high-impact ingredients, transformative techniques, powerful flavor combinations, and layers of texture. Milk Street Simple recipes help turn a straightforward bowl of pasta or a head of roasted cauliflower into a delightful meal, with no fuss and recipes that are endlessly flexible.”

Films

—Anatomy of a Fall

Critics are loving the new film being released today in the states, Anatomy of a Fall and after watching the premise of the plot, it quickly becomes clear as to why audiences are riveted. The death of a father and a husband, the son holds the weight of a moral dilemma no one would ever want to manage, but do we even know what that moral dilemma is? Have a look at the trailer below. 

Shopping

—Elie Beaumont Crossbody Bags

Upon popping into many stores along the high street in the charming Barnard Castle (learn more about why I fell immediately in love with this town in my Travel Diary post shared this week, and more to come about my journey next week in the third Travel Diary post), my eye spied these square crossbody bags. Being able to handle them and take a look at them first-hand revealed they are quite a lovely bag, and with the vast list of options available for colors and straps, if this style speaks to you, I can vouch for its quality at a very fair price. 

—Longchamp Travel Totes

I continue to learn and apply, and learn and apply again what I discover with each trip I take, and on this particular trip, I had my new (consigned, but new to me) Longchamp canvas tote something I didn’t on my previous trip, large with a longer drop for the handle (11” vs. 9”), that was a massive help for ease of slinging it over my shoulder during the many shufflings that travel entails. However, what I also realized is that while I love this tote and use it often for day trips and short ventures, when it comes to plane travel and use as a carry-on tote, I need something a bit larger as I prefer not to have carry-on luggage and always check bags leaving my hands free and only one item to deal with through security. So welcome the travel tote. Longchamp’s quality is wonderful, the straps comfortable, and price tag for canvas affordable for a quality item. A timeless staple that throughout the year, and often during Nordstrom’s Anniversary discounts is included in their sale. 

Television

—Hotel Portofino, season 2, PBS Masterpiece

Another series returning for its second season to PBS Masterpiece is Hotel Portofino. Set on the idyllic Italian coastline, expect more drama, natural beauty and beauty by the way of the 1920’s period’s clothing and décor. Have a look at the trailer below and look for the new season to premiere this Sunday.

—Lessons in Chemistry, AppleTV+

Starring Brie Larson as Elizabeth Zott in the adaptation of the bestselling novel in the author Bonnie Garmus’s debut attempt at fiction, look for the limited series to premiere today on AppleTV+. I know many TSLL readers loved the book and with Larson in the starring role, this should be a wonderful adapted limited series.

—The Sommerdahl Murders, season 4, AcornTV

A Danish series that I quite enjoyed for its first three seasons and thinking it had concluded was surprised to learn a fourth season was on its way. Premiering later this month on AcornTV, return to the Denmark and solve crimes with a team of detectives and forensic characters who also have drama of their own amongst each other. 

Happy Friday and hello to a lovely fall weekend!

Having just arrived back in Bend last evening after flying out on a drizzling London morning following a lovely rainy evening captured above as I walked home from an event I was tickled to be able to scoop up tickets for (more on all of these details next week), I am overjoyed to be back with Norman and Nelle, and if they will have me, I think I will be glued to them like clotted cream and jam on a scone.

The autumnal colors began to shine while I was away, so I am looking forward to going on as many walks under the leaves or through the leaves as I can before Monday arrives and I must get back in the office and back to business. As well, something I am oh so eager to do is get my hands in the dirt in my garden! And when I discovered we had not had our first frost yet, I will delight in seeing my dahlias still in bloom and look to bring a fresh bouquet inside to brighten up the house. But back to playing in the dirt – my spring bulbs of daffodils, tulips and camassia bulbs arrived while I was away, and with being in England where everything seems to grow simply because its planted, I will have visions of a colorful spring in my mind as I dig the holes and plop the blubs in. And yep, Norman and Nelle will be right there with me. 

I want to thank everyone who has visited and commented on the Travel Diary posts this week and last. I haven’t been able to respond yet, but I will be doing so next week, as well as responding to October’s A Cuppa Moments as I get back into my regular schedule. And as I mentioned above, next week, look for the third post in this series as I share even more that I saw and experienced for the first time and some wonderful moments that made me smile.  

With that said, it’s the weekend folks! I do hope you had a lovely week and are beginning to snuggle into the fall season however it is arriving where you live. May the next couple of days offer rejuvenation, enjoyment and good food. Why the latter? Because tomorrow, a new episode of the cooking show is shared! And it is a French recipe that won its French restaurant its first of three Michelin stars. 

Thank you for stopping by today and below are a handful of posts and links you might enjoy. Until tomorrow, bonne journée. 

~An article I most appreciated reading this week – Can I be a feminist and still love fashion? Read the answer from style editor of the NYTimes, Vanessa Friedman [gift link]

~If you enjoy Garance Doré are curious what she is now up to as she does shift and change quite a bit, this new article released in AirMail catches us all up.

~News to me, and wanted to share – a new London-to-Paris train is coming in 2024. [Travel + Leisure]

~I raced through Lupin‘s third season (and thoroughly loved it), but if you haven’t done so yet, or even begun, here is an article to read – discover how Lupin, part 3, is being described as the ‘flashy French show on Netflix’. [Frenchly]

~An article that perhaps I need to read after being described as an ‘octopus’ by one of my taxi drivers with all of the luggage and packages I brought home with me after antique shopping, Navigating maximalist collecting: How much is too much [House & Garden UK]

~Well, I must say, this would be very cool if it happened – are there any other fellow Seinfeld fans out there? [Mental Floss]

~If you haven’t done so already, by what date is it best to have secured your holiday travel plans? [Readers’ Digest]

~How to keep your garden looking great through autumn. [Garden Illustrated]

~Do you too have a mantel and are trying to figure out how to best style it? Here are 11 ideas to explore. [Architectural Digest]

~November 16th is going to be a very entertaining and dramatic evening because now we know that not only will Julia, season 2 premiere, but so too will season 6 of The Crown. The trailer was just released. have a look at it below.

~Explore last week’s This & That: October 6, 2023

My time in Britain has prompted this week’s This & That to be full of British finds, but I have arguably just as many French finds as well. From movies, to books, to decor and clothing, discover oodles of new releases, finds and delicious books, clothing items and inspiration to peruse and savor. 

~Please note: TSLL is supported by you, readers who take the time to stop by (merci!), peruse and sometimes welcome into your life mentioned and recommended finds. Affiliate links are present in today’s post and may earn commissions for TSLL when you purchase. View TSLL’s full Privacy Policy here.