Reading The Custom of the Country this winter has felt like stepping into the most lush, dramatic, and marathon-worthy period piece–so today we're sharing some of our favorite period dramas and pairing them with excellent books for cozy winter reading. We discuss the appeal of watching historical fiction versus reading it, the throughline from reading Dear America books to watching Downton Abbey as a comfort show, and the complex nature of colorblind casting. We hope you find a new, or old, TV series or novel to enjoy after listening to today's episode.

PS: if you hear some odd background noises in this episode, just imagine little toddler feet stomping above Chelsey's head!

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Shows Mentioned:

Downton Abbey

Poldark

Miss Scarlet and the Duke

Gentleman Jack

The Gilded Age

Bridgerton

Queen Charlotte

The Crown

Outlander

The Empress

The Great

The Good Lord Bird

The Underground Railroad

Reign

Books Mentioned:

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin

Longbourn by Jo Baker

Poldark series by Winston Graham

Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn

Knockout by Sarah Maclean

Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas

Sarah Waters

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by K.J. Charles

The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton

The Age of Witches by Louisa Morgan

The Davenports by Krystal Marquis

Fiona Davis

Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn

A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin

Jane Austen

The Duke Who Didn't by Courtney Milan

The Countess by Sophie Jordan

Victoria by Daisy Godwin

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

Shakespeare's history plays

Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

The Lost Queen by Signe Pike

Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller

Margaret the First by Danielle Dutton

James McBride

John Brown by W.E.B. DuBois

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward

The Water Dancer by Ta Nehisi Coates

Royal Diaries series

My Lady Jane by Brodi Ashton, et al

Alison Weir

Philippa Gregory

Margaret George