Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age

I enjoyed the subject matter -- regular humans in the Viking Age, and the tenderness with which Barraclough writes about them. I also loved that she read the audio book -- it was amazing to hear all those Icelandic/Nordic terms with the right pronunciation. Also, I deeply enjoyed that this book is very clear about how much physical remains don't tell us -- she speculates, is clear about the speculation and what it's based on, and is also clear about how much is unknown (so much). I had no idea that runesticks existed, and that there appears to have been some kind of widespread literacy -- just one of the many, many things I learned about from this book.

This is an OK Viking book, better than most, not as good as some. Barraclough takes the perspective of every day life, people and objects. It kind of works. It's been 2 months since I finished, not much has stayed with me. No fault of the writer. You know all those news stories about an archaeology find - some relic from the Viking age washed out in a glacier or found building a road - she brings context and life to the objects in these stories. It's good for that. The best overall Viking book remains Children of Ash and Elm.

Couldn't finish it. Gave up after 2/3