Karl's Reading List

Published by Little, Brown and Company: Great Britain, 1999. A book that makes it clear from the title what it will be about, The Year 1000 is an easy read about life in the Year 1000, specifically, England in the Year 1000. The authors have taken a 'work calendar' from the era, decorated with images from everyday life, and have used those images as a launch-pad, letting each chapter be based on a 'month,' and a 'theme.'  We get looks at the Church, at farming, at trade, and even at the roles of women, which turn out to have been a lot more 'equal' than we might stereotypically think such an era would have been! For example, the authors point out that various wills from the era show that women could own and inherit property, with examples including: "Aelfflaed, a noblewoman [who]...had supervised the farming of many acres with apparent success, while Wulfgeat of Donnington clearly found nothing unusual in leaving his lands to be run by his womenfolk...

Published by Bethany House Publishers/Baker Publishing Group: Bloomington, Minnesota/Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2005. Book 1 of 'Chronicles of the Kings.' One of my favourite Old Testament figures is King Hezekiah. I've even done two sermons talking about him. So, when I noticed this book series on my mum's book shelf (while we are staying at their house, between house purchases) I was interested enough to pick it up. The book is an easy read, and only took a few sittings to get through, but despite the easy nature and a subject that I was predisposed to like, Gods and Kings didn't really 'grip' me as I read it. I was wondering why, and eventually clicked that the narrative is a very 'literal' read - every feeling of every character is explicitly stated: he felt sad, she was angry, etc. This all makes it feel very... shallow. Weirdly. I miss the metaphors. I miss the 'show, don't tell.' I want to feel engaged by the text, but I only feel inf...

Published by Voyager/HarperCollinsPublishers: Hammersmith, London, 1996 (1995). Book 1 of 'The Farseer Trilogy.' Followed by 'Royal Assassin.' Hey writers. Have you ever had trouble coming up with a name for your protagonist? It is possible that Robin Hobb did, as the main character in Assassin's Apprentice is a nameless boy, whose father happened to be the heir-in-waiting to the Seven Duchies. As a bastard (a term that gets flung his way often throughout the book) the boy is mistreated by many of the people in his life, with the main result being that it takes a long time for anyone to get around to giving him an actual name, and even longer for him to be given a name that everyone accepts as his name. It's quite an interesting element in a fairly interesting story, one that I got through a lot quicker than the much shorter Jungle Books.  Our protagonist - generally called 'Fitz' (which, if you know your etymology, means bastard) - is adopted into the r...

Published by Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd: Edinburgh, date unknown. First published 1823. Sir Walter Scott was an author who lived and wrote in the 18th and 19th century, and was one of the most popular authors of his day. He also was an author of predominantly "historical fiction," meaning that many of his books (this one included) were set in a far earlier time period than he was writing.  This makes reading his works doubly fascinating for me, because we aren't just getting a glimpse into the time period of the novel; we are getting a glimpse into the time period of the novel as interpreted by the time period that Scott lived in. Both are different from our modern culture, and they are individually different from each other as well. So, in Quentin Durward we get a tale of chivalry and honour set in 1468, with the norms of that time explained and justified by the norms of Scott's time - a setting and culture  doubly  removed from ours. What about the story, though? We...

Published by JM Dent & Sons Ltd: London, UK, 1973. First published 1939. A slightly old-fashioned book, seemingly written to intentionally resemble fairy tales or 'older' stories (though, being written in 1939 it may also just be old-fashioned), Robin Hood is a collection of stories about the titular outlaw, collected and retold by the author when she was approached and asked to do so. The book begins with Robin Hood already established as an outlaw, and we never get a definitive answer about his origins or family - although we do eventually meet some relatives. We also stay at a distance from his relationship with Marian; she does come into the story eventually but Robin is reluctant to pursue a relationship with her, and the reasons for this are hidden until very near the end of the book. Mostly, then, this is a series of short adventures that are vaguely linked. Different sections of the book may promise that they are about 'Robin and Sir Richard' or 'Robin a...

Published by Zaffre/Bonnier Books: London, UK/Stockholm, Sweden, 2020. Book 1 of the 'Her Majesty The Queen Investigates' series. Followed by 'A Three Dog Problem.' When I first heard about this book series, I loved the concept. As the title of the series reveals, this book follows Queen Elizabeth II as she investigates a crime, "in the vein of Miss Marple." I was recommended this by a friend who is an avid reader, and she told me that she loved the way the book felt true to the late Queen's character; she doesn't go snooping down dark alley-ways herself. Instead, she gathers the information at hand through her trusted advisors (particularly our secondary protagonist Rozie Oshodi), and then helps the investigators do their work, not by telling them where to look, but by subtly pointing them in the right direction. This is absolutely the highlight of the book. As I have said before, I am a fan of the late Queen, and this book manages to (generally) port...

Published by Zondervan: Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2019. I could have written this book. I mean, obviously I didn't. Dudley Delffs did the hard work of putting the thing together. I give him credit for that. I also give him credit for picking an interesting topic, and one that could make a very interesting book for people like me, who are fans of the monarchy (the late Queen Elizabeth II particularly) and interested in the Christian faith. This is not that book, unfortunately. The reason I say I could have written this book, is that I feel like any fan of the monarchy (the late Queen Elizabeth II particularly) and interested in the Christian faith could have written this book. This is because, although pertaining to focus on her Majesty's faith, it is really a themed biography, with most elements simply being stories that one could read in other biographies. The 'faith' aspect simply arises through Delffs' commentary on the things that Elizabeth did. So, we get some an...

Published by Penguin: UK, 2023. Audiobook by Penguin Audio, 2023.  Uploaded to Audible 28-09-2023.  On the surface, Unruly is a history of England, like other histories that I have read in the past - this one outlining events from the early kings through to Elizabeth I. However, author David Mitchell is more well-known as a comedian than as an author, and Unruly leans heavily into that.  So, unlike a regular history of the kings and queens of England, this one includes commentary on Brexit, comparisons of historical figures to Mitchell's daughter, ranting tangents on why history is occasionally so bizarre (eg. if the Bayeux Tapestry is not technically a tapestry and yet is the most famous 'tapestry' in the world, why has the definition of tapestry not broadened to include it?!) and a bit of colourful language here and there. I am not a fan of the last of these, but I do generally enjoy David Mitchell's comedic style - which also doesn't include swearing as much as s...

Published by Morgan Rice (self-published), 2013. Book 1 in 'The Sorcerer's Ring.'  Audiobook version uploaded to Spotify 18 September 2013.  Narrated by Wayne Farrell. Elise found this book when we had finished Sense and Sensibility and were looking for a new audiobook. The appeal was a) it was fantasy and b) it was a free audiobook. With only those two pieces of information we decided to give it a go. I have since also learned that c) it was Morgan Rice's first novel, and to be honest d) it shows. The book is very cliché - not necessarily a bad thing. Our protagonist, Thorgrin (often just Thor) is the youngest son in a small village, working as a shepherd for his unloving father and bullying older brothers. He wants to join the king's legion, but is forbidden to due to his age and standing within his family. When he comes of age Thor refuses to be overlooked and leaves home, journeying to King's Court in order to prove himself. This he does, making some strong ...

Published as an audiobook by Penguin Audio, 2022.  Narrated by the author. This biography of Queen Elizabeth II is subtitled An Intimate Portrait; an appropriate title considering that the author, Gyles Brandreth, isn't just writing from public records but from a life spent in royal circles. Brandreth quickly tells us that Elizabeth was very careful not to reveal too much about her own personal thoughts and opinions, but doesn't let this stop him from undertaking a very thorough exploration of Elizabeth's life, including her influences, her passions and her faith. The book is set out roughly chronologically, but begins further back than you might expect, taking in the reigns of Victoria, Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII and George VI before we get to Elizabeth's own reign. In each of these chapters, Brandreth highlights the similarities and differences of the reigns, as well as the other ways in which these reigns influenced Elizabeth - Edward VIII's abdication bei...

Published by Pan Books: London and Basingstoke, 1997. First published 1996. Alexander Kinloch is a reclusive artist, living in the highlands of Scotland and trying to stay off the radar as much as he can manage while still earning an income. One day, after learning that his step-father has had a (non-fatal) heart attack, he arrives home to his remote stone cabin to find four thugs demanding to know "where is it?" When Al fails to gives them a satisfactory answer they beat him up and leave him for dead. This mysterious event is the beginning of an adventure that sees Al reconnect with his estranged wife, help a horse disappear, do battle against his antagonistic step-sister and figure out the mystery of what has happened to the embezzled funds of his step-father's brewery. If that sound like a lot of disparate plotlines, it is, though writer Francis does manage to weave them together in a fairly readable fashion. This is the first book I have read by this author, and altho...

Published by Profile Books in association with National Trust: London, 2012 (2011). This is a very readable history of England, from the time of the early Saxon kings up until the publication of the book in 2011. Jenkins clarifies early on that his focus is on England itself, rather than Britain as a whole, only bringing in other parts of the world as they interact with England. In practice this does mean that Britain often features (particularly once Wales and Scotland are to some degree 'absorbed' into the larger nation) but on the whole a reader of this book would need another resource to find out about those nations. I've always enjoyed English history, and my interest in it grew after working at Westminster Abbey from 2008-2009 during my OE. Although I knew some of the main facts of the various monarchs, particularly post-William the Conqueror, Jenkins fleshes them out well, somehow making certain elements more memorable than I had previously found.  The feud between H...

Published by Collins Clear-Type Press: London and Glasgow, date unknown. The second book in 'The D'Artagnan Romances.' Preceded by ' The Three Musketeers. ' Followed by ' The Vicomte de Bragelonne. ' First published in French 1845. Not as well-known as The Three Musketeers or even the later sequel The Man in the Iron Mask, this second installment of the story of D'Artagnan, Aramis, Porthos and Athos picks up (surprise, surprise) twenty years after the events of the first book. Cardinal Richelieu has died, and a new cardinal, Mazarin, has taken his place as a new antagonist-of-sorts, manipulating the queen and also secretly being her lover. Also making his presence known as the book progresses is Mordaunt, the son of the long-executed Lady de Winter, now seeking revenge against the musketeers and anyone else responsible in his eyes for the death of his mother and the loss of his titles - a list that includes his own father and the king of England, Charles...

Published by Book Club Associates/Hodder and Stoughton: Suffolk, England, 1974 (1973). This one took me a while to get through. I've been reading it in the background while other books have been on the go for a couple of months at least, far longer than I'd usually take to get through a fiction book. Part of this is that the Alphabet Soup challenge took some of my focus, but part of it is also that the book is quite slow. Not boring. Just slow. Able to be read as a stand-alone book (as indeed I have done so), The Hollow Hills is actually the second book in a series following the life of Merlin. This book follows Merlin from the morning after he has helped Uther to 'have his way' with Ygraine (the event that leads to the birth of Arthur) and ends with Arthur being proclaimed king at age 14. In between, Merlin has a number of adventures, including a time of overseas pilgrimage, finding the sword of Macsen Wledig (which Arthur will name 'Caliburn') and avoiding as...

Published by Fourth Estate: London, 2013 (2012). Book Two of the Wolf Hall Trilogy: ' Wolf Hall '; ' Bring Up The Bodies '; 'The Mirror and the Light'. The second novel in a series charting the life of Thomas Cromwell, Bring Up The Bodies follows the template set down by Wolf Hall : Cromwell is such a central figure to the book that almost any use of the word 'he' refers to Cromwell himself, yet he is such a closed figure that his true motivations are only revealed occasionally. We see Cromwell maneuvering and manipulating, but whether he is serving his own motivations or those of his liege, Henry VIII, remain mostly concealed. Even the 'side' of various debates can remain murky, with Cromwell happy to befriend even those he means to bring down in order to fully take advantage of the situation. Bring Up The Bodies, like its predecessor, won the Booker prize, and in both cases I feel that this award was earned. The books are both very well written...

Published by Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd: Edinburgh, London, Paris, Melbourne, Toronto and New York, Date unknown. First published 1888. This is the second Robert Louis Stevenson book I have read, after Treasure Island , and, like its more famous brother, The Black Arrow shows Stevenson to be a good writer with an ability to keep the reader interested. However, The Black Arrow feels a little more like a product of its time in structure, with a plot that is far more episodic than Treasure Island . It may actually be that in creating a plot that required a journey to an island full of treasure, Stevenson forced himself out of that style for Treasure Island, and that The Black Arrow is more of a 'normal' Stevenson novel! Only time (or another book) will make it clear. As for this novel...  Black Arrow tells the story of Dick Shelton, a young orphan and heir to an estate, being raised by Sir Daniel Brackley, during the time of the war of the roses. The action picks up relatively qu...

Published by Fourth Estate: London, 2010 (2009). Book One of the Wolf Hall Trilogy: ' Wolf Hall '; ' Bring Up The Bodies '; 'The Mirror and the Light'. Set during the reign of King Henry VIII, Wolf Hall follows the rise to power of Thomas Cromwell, who goes from son of a blacksmith to adviser to a cardinal, to advisor to Henry himself. The first chapter of the book is set during Cromwell's childhood, but immediately after this the book jumps to Cromwell as an adult, already adroit at political maneuvering. The 'prologue' therefore can seem a bit out of place, but it does serve as a constant reminder of where Cromwell has come from, and provides hints towards his motivations. Because Cromwell himself is fairly closed on this front. The book is written in a very close third-person narrative, with almost any mention of "he" referring to Cromwell. We get his thoughts, his conversations and actions, but at the same time very little about his mot...