It’s super easy to say what my favorite part of this Australian series is: Jack Irish. He’s a tall, handsome drink of brooding, lost-boy criminal lawyer turned private investigator. No kidding Jack Irish is good-looking. Guy Pearce who plays him I mean… But I love the character too. Based on award-winning novels by Australian writer Peter Temple, this 2012 detective show (now … [Read more...] about Brit DVD’s: Jack Irish from Acorn Media
About Julie
Brit DVD Review: Mr & Mrs Murder from Acorn Media
The airwaves are teeming with murder mysteries and police procedurals… So you get used to that seeing angle of crimes… What you never think about is… who cleans up all those creepy, bloody scenes? Well, in Mr. and Mrs. Murder, a 2013 Australian crime comedy (available on Acorn DVD) – you meet those people. And they’re fun! Of course crime is a serious business, but watching … [Read more...] about Brit DVD Review: Mr & Mrs Murder from Acorn Media
Brit Book Reviews: In the Footsteps of Anne Boleyn by Sarah Morris & Natalie Grueninger
by Sarah Morris & Natalie Grueninger The second – and most famous – wife of England’s King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn has proven a deep well of fascination for scholars and fiction readers alike. And thanks to Natalie Dormer’s portrayal on Showtime’s The Tudors, Henry’s femme fatale turned femme damnée, is more popular than ever! If you do an Amazon search for books about … [Read more...] about Brit Book Reviews: In the Footsteps of Anne Boleyn by Sarah Morris & Natalie Grueninger
Books: The 53rd Parallel by Carl Nordgren (A River of Lakes Novel)
The 53rd Parallel is the product of an author and a publishing house (Light Messages) that are located practically in my backyard in Durham, NC… but I swear I’m not biased in my assertion that this is a BEAUTIFUL book. It is a blessing to a reviewer to receive a book that is so gorgeously written, so full of compelling characters, and such finely crafted story. Our tale … [Read more...] about Books: The 53rd Parallel by Carl Nordgren (A River of Lakes Novel)
Brit Books: The Secret Rooms: A True Story of a Haunted Castle, a Plotting Duchess, and a Family Secret
This fascinating read begins with TV writer-director-producer Catherine Bailey beginning research for a book about the Belvoir estate volunteers who fought in France in World War I, and how it affected those who, and life at the estate afterwards. As she immerses herself in the archives at Belvoir Castle in the English county of Leicestershire, she discovers gaps in the … [Read more...] about Brit Books: The Secret Rooms: A True Story of a Haunted Castle, a Plotting Duchess, and a Family Secret
Brit Books: The Obsidian Dagger and The Megalith Union by Brad A. Lemar
I’m not going to lie to you – I love reading books written for kids. They’re easy to read and relaxingly plot driven. There’s not too much esoteric philosophy to chew over and discerning the good guys from the bad is a snap! Pair that with my love for Celtic mythology and the like, and a pair of books by Brad A. Lemar are right up my alley. The Obsidian Dagger starts with a … [Read more...] about Brit Books: The Obsidian Dagger and The Megalith Union by Brad A. Lemar
Brit Books: Straight up History – Rise of the Tudors by Chris Skidmore and The Tudors by Peter Ackroyd
I read all types of books, but lean heavily toward historical fiction. I look at it as an effortless, entertaining way to learn stuff. Edward Rutherford's books have taught me all sorts of things about London, the Salisbury Plain and the laws of the forest. However – and maybe it's just me – but I find that I tend to get so involved with the characters and their … [Read more...] about Brit Books: Straight up History – Rise of the Tudors by Chris Skidmore and The Tudors by Peter Ackroyd
Brit DVD’s: The House of Eliott from Acorn Media
I’m just going to skip the creative introduction and flights of fancy I’m normally prone to and just say, I LOVE THE HOUSE OF ELIOTT! I mean, what a fantastic show. I loved it when it aired on Masterpiece Theatre in the early 1990s and I love it now! This lush saga follows Beatrice and Evangeline Eliott – two sisters who, upon the death of their father find that they are … [Read more...] about Brit DVD’s: The House of Eliott from Acorn Media
Brit DVD Reviews: Murdoch Mysteries – Series 6 DVD Set from Acorn Media
There is no shortage of programs from the mystery genre on television (or DVD) – British or otherwise. Those written and taking place in the "golden age of detective fiction" – the 1920s and 1930s – are particularly well-represented. I love these kinds of mysteries – the Lord Peter Wimsey series and whodunits by Agatha Christie… but when offered a mystery with a twist, I'm … [Read more...] about Brit DVD Reviews: Murdoch Mysteries – Series 6 DVD Set from Acorn Media
Brit DVD Reviews: Midsomer Murders, Series 1 from Acorn Media
I like this new thing they call "binge watching." I like having an entire season of a show at my disposal. I've never been a particularly patient person, so not having to wait a whole week or more for each next episode of a show is pretty sweet. So I've just binge-watched Season One of Midsomer Murders, and Acorn DVD release. The three-disc set includes five episodes, or … [Read more...] about Brit DVD Reviews: Midsomer Murders, Series 1 from Acorn Media
Brit DVD Reviews: Joanna Lumley’s Nile from Athene DVD
My husband calls me and my college roommate Edina and Patsy – as in the names of the main characters from the British show Absolutely Fabulous because of our refusal to dress our age, mostly, I think. But that’s certainly not all there is to these ladies… what I love about them is their intense friendship. Pals from childhood (as evidenced by numerous hazy psychedelic … [Read more...] about Brit DVD Reviews: Joanna Lumley’s Nile from Athene DVD
Brit DVD Reviews: P.G. Wodehouse – Blandings – Acorn DVD
My favorite bakery offers a deliciously filling concoction they call a “Maple Bacon Bar.” I know that bacon is trendy and all, but there’s a reason for that… it’s delicious. And this treat… well… bacon… maple frosting… donut pastry… in summary, “What’s not to like?!” In the same way, Blandings on Acorn Media DVD… What’s not to like?! It’s got all the British yumminess you … [Read more...] about Brit DVD Reviews: P.G. Wodehouse – Blandings – Acorn DVD
Brit Books: Circle Line – Around London in a Small Boat, by Steffan Meyric Hughes
This book is about boats. I can't even remember the last time I traveled by boat… maybe last summer when I took a ferry to Fort Sumter in Charleston, SC with my son's Cub Scout troop? (Doesa a ferry count as a boat?!) Since my opportunities for water travel are infrequent at best, my interest in the subject is pretty low. So, when I received the book, Circle Line: Around London … [Read more...] about Brit Books: Circle Line – Around London in a Small Boat, by Steffan Meyric Hughes
Tea By the Nursery Fire: A Children’s Nanny at the Turn of the Century, by Noel Streatfeild
What a sweet little book! This account of a nanny’s life from children’s author Noel Streatfeild held my attention from first to last. Seriously, I blazed through it in record time. While it’s a direct account based on fact and family legends, it reads like a novel. This tale of the woman who had cared for the author’s father and his siblings as children was an eye opener to … [Read more...] about Tea By the Nursery Fire: A Children’s Nanny at the Turn of the Century, by Noel Streatfeild
Brit DVD Reviews: The Lord Peter Whimsey Mysteries, Complete Series
What if the wildly popular Downton Abbey were a mystery series that took place mostly in the upstairs portion? Or maybe … what if Bertie Woosterwere smarter and he and his man Jeeves solved crimes? And what if they drank as much as the guys on Mad Men? Well, you’d have this: The Lord Peter Whimsey Mysteries. Based on novels written by Dorothy L. Sayers in the 1920s, these … [Read more...] about Brit DVD Reviews: The Lord Peter Whimsey Mysteries, Complete Series
The Cadet Life of Prince Harry
The Cadet Life of Prince Harry by Vasile Michael is a detailed account of what a cadet enduring the 44-week program at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (or RMA Sandhurst) in Surrey, must experience… told as Prince Harry might have seen it. And when I first cracked the book open I have to admit, I didn’t know what to make of it. Michael is retired Navy officer whose native land … [Read more...] about The Cadet Life of Prince Harry
Brit DVD Reviews: Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Series 1
If authors and screenwriters are right, then the 1920s was chock full of jazzy, high class sleuths. It’s not wonder that the years between the two World Wars is considered “The Golden Age of Detective Fiction.” Great writers like Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie kept readers in suspense with well-written, but formulaic, tales of murder, suspense and country houses. In … [Read more...] about Brit DVD Reviews: Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Series 1
Brit Book Reviews: Mr. Churchill’s Secretary: A Novel by Susan Elia MacNeal
As a kid, I never liked mysteries much, and later, I would get a bit miffed when a book I was reading turned out to be a mystery when not advertised as such. But now… well, they’ve kind of grown on me… especially when they take place in Britain. And involve fascinating figures of British history. Much like Mr. Churchill’s Secretary: A Novel by Susan Elia MacNeal does… Mr. … [Read more...] about Brit Book Reviews: Mr. Churchill’s Secretary: A Novel by Susan Elia MacNeal
Brit DVD Reviews: The Syndicate, Series 1 from Acorn Media
Released on DVD by Acorn Media in a two-disc set, The Syndicate is kind of television that earns British television its well-deserved reputation as a provider of quality, intelligent fare for discriminating viewers. This five-episode drama written by Kay Mellor and shown on BBC One in 2012, follows the fates of five supermarket employees who enter a syndicate and win the … [Read more...] about Brit DVD Reviews: The Syndicate, Series 1 from Acorn Media
Brit DVD Reviews: Trial and Retribution, Set 6 from Acorn Media
More great police drama from Acorn Media! Trial and Retribution Set 6, a riveting series of crime stories followed from commission to conviction, was created by Lynda La Plate, who also wrote the much revered Prime Suspect series starring the awesome Helen Mirren. In this program, Victoria Smurfit gives consistently Mirren-worthy performance in every episode as DCI Roisin … [Read more...] about Brit DVD Reviews: Trial and Retribution, Set 6 from Acorn Media
Brit DVD Reviews: Agatha Christie’s Partners in Crime – Acorn Media
This fantastic 3-Disc DVD set released by Acorn Media was directed by John A. Davis and Tony Wharmby and features James Warwick and Francesca Annis as Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, a madcap couple who banter and bluff their way through eleven smashing London-in-the-Twenties whodunits drawn – sometimes directly– from a book of the same name by Agatha Christie. The episodes … [Read more...] about Brit DVD Reviews: Agatha Christie’s Partners in Crime – Acorn Media
Brit Books: The Witness by Naomi Kryske
I’ve never been much of a reader of mysteries or police procedurals or any of those types of books, though I sort of like watching them on TV – especially when the characters are good. That said, I have just finished reading The Witness by Naomi Kryske, and am looking forward to more! It follows Jenny, a young American woman from Texas, through her ordeals as the victim of a … [Read more...] about Brit Books: The Witness by Naomi Kryske
Brit Book Reviews: Cologne, by Sarah Pleydell – Atmospheric Period British Story
I’m just going to come right out and say it – what a beautiful book! Beautiful… yet quite melancholy, too. The story of an unwilling German au pair joining a troubled family in London in 1960, this novel covers a point in England’s history that I have not given much thought to. So much is written about London during World War II, and London in the swinging sixties, but this is … [Read more...] about Brit Book Reviews: Cologne, by Sarah Pleydell – Atmospheric Period British Story
Brit Books: It Came With Oil
I love British things – that’s why I’m writing this. Music, movies, literature, people, accents, history… and cars. I love looking at them anyway. The ideal me drives a Jaguar and my nearly ideal me drives a Mini Cooper. They’re just sweet, aren’t they? Apparently some people’s fascination with British automobiles goes deeper…Yeah – some folks are obsessed with them, buy … [Read more...] about Brit Books: It Came With Oil
Brit DVD Reviews: New Tricks, Series 8
Yippee! Another season of New Tricks on DVD! This long running cop show on BBC One just released in three-disc set on Acorn DVD is just right for a long winter’s night curled up in front of the tube. Or a hot summer day in the comfort of your air conditioning, for that matter! The series follows a group of retired detectives who form “UCOS” or, the Unsolved Crime and Open … [Read more...] about Brit DVD Reviews: New Tricks, Series 8
Anglotopia was founded by Jonathan and Jackie Thomas in 2007 in a closet in Chicago. Anglotopia is for people who love Britain - whether it's British TV, Culture, History or Travel - we cover it all. Join us as we explore Britain and everything it has to offer!
