Along with Downton Abbey, one of my favorite British period dramas is Call The Midwife. It takes place in late 1950s and early 1960’s Britain in the poverty stricken district of London’s east end. The midwives and nuns are based at Nonnatus House, an Anglican nursing convent. The show deals with concerns of the time relating to pregnancy such as abortion, incest and the effects of the drug Thalidomide but also with the characters’ personal lives including faith, friendships, dating and marriage. Some of the episodes are heartbreaking since bad things do happen but many are joyous in the celebration of life, love and relationships. The television show is based on a series of books by a real life midwife Jennifer Worth. If you like the television show, try the books!

Fantasy literature lost a great author when Terry Pratchett died in March. Pratchett is best known for his Discworld books which take place on a disc resting on the backs of four giant elephants, all supported by a giant turtle who swims its way through space. The world is populated by not only humans but orcs, trolls, vampires, witches, dwarfs, and other mystical creatures and it’s a place where magic works. Many of the books parody real world civilizations such as Australia, Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt, also other things like universities, rock and roll music, film making and newspaper publishing. His books are not only clever but humorous.

Pratchett’s last book, part of the Discworld series, The Shepherd’s Crown, has just been published. It’s part of the Tiffany Aching subseries about Tiffany who is an aspiring witch and it’s a fitting conclusion to both the Tiffany series and the Discworld universe as a whole. For any fantasy fans who haven’t yet tried Pratchett’s books I definitely recommend them.