Books to read, television to bingewatch, music to dance to and podcasts to fill your spare time this October.

Bingewatching

Queen of Oz: Catherine ‘Am I bovvered’ Tate has a lot of fun playing the bratty British royal sent off to the Antipodes in this BBC series. Seems the King has had to deal with one PR disaster too many due to his errant princess so he finds her a new job as Queen of Australia.

Foundation: Created by David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman, this series is loosely based on the Foundation series of stories by Isaac Asimov. Expect a multi-layered story that sweeps across space and time and where the origins of humanity are so long ago as to have become a myth.

Mrs. Davis: A nun on the run does battle with an all-powerful artificial intelligence called Mrs. Davis in a series described by Rotten Tomatoes as “positively bonkers while undergirded by an intelligent design”. Starring Betty Gilpin as the nun in search of the Holy Grail. Yes, really.

Listening

Dallas Tamaira — Levels: Dallas Tamaira, aka Joe Dukie, the voice of Fat Freddy’s Drop, has a new solo album slated for release in November. The single ‘Stormy’ heralds the album’s jazzier take on Freddy’s vintage dub sounds. Dallas collaborated with producer Devin Abrams (Shapeshifter, Pacific Heights, Drax Project), and engineer Chris Faiumu, aka Mu (Fat Freddy’s Drop, Bongmaster, Ladi6).

1 Drop Nation — Moment in Time: Local heroes 1 Drop Nation release their second album this month – 13 fresh cuts of funk, roots reggae and rock. First single ‘Play It Loud’ captures the band’s hard-hitting sound, familiar to anyone who caught them at Electric Avenue last summer. Production by the legendary Lee Prebble helps too.

Wilco — Cousin: Jeff Tweedy and Co have teamed up with Welsh artist Cate Le Bon for this new release. As producer, Cate has zhooshed up the trademark Wilco soundscapes with the inclusion of saxophone, drum machines and more. The result? A band that has tested musical boundaries throughout its lengthy career rises to the challenge to take risks and break new ground.

Reading

The Woman in Me – Britney Spears: The ‘Me Too’ lens gave an added dimension to Britney Spears’ story, told in court in June 2021, of moving from Princess of Pop to prisoner in her own home. She again shares her truth in this moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith and hope.

The Penguin New Zealand Anthology: To celebrate 50 years since Penguin opened its first office in Aotearoa New Zealand, this anthology brings together 50 stories from some of the country’s finest writers, including Patricia Grace, Maurice Gee, Witi Ihimaera, Owen Marshall, CK Stead, Charlotte Grimshaw, Eleanor Catton and Dominic Hoey.

Behind the Seams – Dolly Parton: Dolly Parton's life told through the heels, wigs, makeup and eye-catching stage clothes that have shaped her image from the 1960s to now. This companion to Dolly's bestselling coffee-table book Songteller features 450 full-colour photographs, including exclusive images from her private costume archive.

Podcasts

History of New Zealand Drum & Bass: Hosted by Kiwi D’n'B legend Jay Bulletproof, this deep dive includes interviews with the producers, DJs, MCs and promoters who were there at the start, right through to the current crop of beat masters.

The Sleep Zone: Do you use podcasts to help you go to sleep? No doubt you have your favourite aural Mogadon already but here’s one specifically designed for sending you to The Land of Nod. Listen, obey and succumb.