Medieval books you've read lately that others might like

I'm almost done reading Four Queens: the Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe and thought it might interest others. This is not to say it is the most scholarly book one could imagine; the author sometimes states as fact some things that are at best from biased sources or rumors, but I didn't notice any twisting of historic facts _I_ know from elsewhere. No footnotes, but there is a bibliography. I'm mentioning it because it IS very readable, much like a novel.

Not too long ago I finished Warriors of God, which is about the Third Crusade and the events surrounding it (so, roughly 1187-1193) with much detail about Saladin and Richard the Lionheart. I enjoyed it immensely and would recommend it to anyone interested in Medieval history, the Crusades, Saladin, the Middle East, Arabia, etc., etc., etc.

I just finished reading Charlemagne; From the Hammer to the Cross by Richard WINSTON. It is a good "life and times book". It reads like a novel and gives good insight into Charlemagne and Western Europe in the 9th century. Highly recommended for anyone interested in Charlemagne and his impact on French and German history.

I recently read The Sworn Brothers by Gunnar Gunnarsson, a book about two men from Norway who were among the first settlers to Iceland. An intriguing novel.

It is an essay and quite specialized but I enjoyed very much The Crisis of the XIIth Century by Thomas N. Bisson. I used it for investigation but Bisson writes clearly and passionately, so it helps very much flip through the pages. Very narrative, though I would recommend a quiet week for it.

Albion's Seed is about the immigrants to the New World from England and gives lots of background information on the people types of England from which they came.

I'm currently in the middle of reading The Real History behind the Templars by Sharan Newman and thought I ought to recommend it to others. It's eminently readable even for non-scholars, but reliable because she IS a medievalist who does thorough research. It's nice to have an antidote available to some of the Templar nonsense brewed up in the 20th century, particularly of late.

Have you read Sharan Newman's XIIth century novels? There's a female sleuth-by-accident, very interesting plots and I agree with you in that, being a medievalist, the settings are always carefully researched. If you like her non-fiction, perhaps you might find the novels interesting.

Just finished readingFreydis and Gudrid a
novel by elizabeth Boyer.
It is about the Norse settlements in Newfoundland in Canada. Much of the author's information comes from "The Vinland Saga" The Norse people kept track of their history by reciting & singing it as a series of poems and songs. These were passed down from one generation to the next & tho often embellished, does tell what happened where & to whom with fairly good accuracy.
The author concentrates on the lives of the 2 women, Gudfrid, whose husband is a trader & went on the expedition to establish trade with the natuves. The Norse word for strangers was "Skraelings" which is not a derogitory term. It is how they referred to the native peoples on the north American continent who looked very different from the heavy-set, blond, ruddy complected blue-eyed Norse. The day to day life of the women, their duties & personalities are an interesting part of this story.

I recently finished Millennium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom by Tom Holland, which I really enjoyed. It is about the changes in Christendom around the year 1000, and how much the supposed end of the world influenced everything from daily life to politics to religion in Europe.

Another good (though almost to scholarly to be popular science) book was The inheritance of Rome by Chris Wickham. It was a bit expensive for me, but if you are interested in the early middle ages, you can't go wrong with this book.

MarianV: Is that a new one? The Vinland material has been done in more than one novel, but I'm always happy to look for another 8-)

As to Sharan Newman: I have read ALL her Catherine novels, and have a bit of regret that she's been writing non-fiction instead lately 8-)

If you like the Vinland material I would advise Westviking by Farley Mowat.

Mowat attempts a reconstruction based not just on the sagas, but also on familiarity with the coasts and sea currents - taking into account climatic conditions of that age, etc. Not that I'm totally 100% convinced, but it's a fascinating non-fiction book on the topic.

#11
Freydis and Gudrid was published in 1976 by Veritie Press of Novelty OH. I came across it at an estate sale, but it is a discarded library edition. The author lists an impressive group of sources in her introduction, but points out that it is fiction, tho more accurately, a reconstruction of true events.

Re: Freydis and Gudrid: In that case, perhaps I have read it 8-) I also saw a performance based on it on a trip to Iceland that was really great 8-)