Two History Reviews (Books 15 and 16) in Book Challenge 2016 (52 books to be read in 52 weeks)

So, Terry Jones’ Medieval Lives by Terry Jones and Alan Ereira (224 pages, including bibliography and index) was an interesting read. The chapters are broken into what life was like for various roles, for example “damsels” and “monks”. At 224 pages, it felt like a very brief overview of medieval life. For some reason I couldn’t quite connect with this book - which is a shame, as the premise is quite interesting. Maybe it was just a mix of real world drama and a lack of a certain something with the writing style, maybe I was just tired? Maybe it was just revision for me, as I’ve read heaps of books on history over the years…this is a good starting point for those who are unfamiliar with the medieval period. Date Read: 13-20 February

Alfred The Great by David Horspool (245 pages, including further reading, list of illustrations, acknowledgements and index) is about a person I didn’t know a great deal about. Aside from the obvious - the legend of the burnt cakes/bread (depending on what you read), that sort of thing. The writing style was warm, and the book is a good starting point on the man. The book spends some time on exploring how Alfred’s reputation has changed and evolved over the years as well. Definitely worth a read. Date Read: 19 - 22 February

Books Read: 16/52. Total Pages Read: 4321