What I’ve been reading: April 2016

Another short list, but I’m getting back in my groove now. And in my defence, one is a fairly dense history text with very small font. (Is that an excuse?)

The Making of Europe: Conquest, Colonization and Cultural Change 950 – 1350 by Robert Bartlett

This one is essentially an academic text and wouldn’t have been out of place in some of my history classes in university. This is both a plus point and a minus, depending on your mood. I’ve read almost nothing but fiction recently, so it took a while to settle in to a very non-fiction book. Once I got into it, I enjoyed it.  If you have more than a passing interest in medieval history, it’s worth a read.

This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart

My first foray into Mary Stewart was this book. It was quick and enjoyable and read mostly on the train back from Amsterdam. It’s not the sort of thing I normally read (evidenced by an approving conversation with a mum on my commute). It’s an old-fashioned mystery with a snappy female main character who finds herself sort of re-enacting Shakespeare’s The Tempest.  I can describe this as a good holiday book; it would be good to read in the airport lounge.

 

Other than that, due to our holiday and lots of extra engagements I didn’t do much reading. I am unashamed to say after a very good suggestion made by a co-worker, I am re-reading Harry Potter and currently tearing through book 5 with no regrets.

I’ve just downloaded Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt Everest diaster and have 100 Years of Solitude on my list to read.

What are you reading? Any suggestions for next month?

Advertisement