It might be the 21st century where you are, but deep in the stacks of my winter reading, it’s definitely medieval times (although, sadly, without a greasy turkey leg to wave around majestically). My most recent undertaking was Hild, by Nicola Griffith, the much-buzzed-about historical novel that covers the early years of the woman who would grow up to be the real-life St. Hilda of Whitby, an influential and intelligent abbess who was instrumental in introducing Christianity to Britain and whose wisdom led kings to seek her advice. Pretty cool! Read the full review to see my thoughts on this hefty tome.

As I may have mentioned once or twice before, time travel is a subject that is near and dear to my heart, and so I naturally started thinking, why not put together a list of my favorite medieval time-travel books? (Believe it or not, there are enough to compile a full reading list — and that’s not even counting Harlequin romances.) This is exactly the kind of project I love to get distracted by when I should be, say, packing up everything I own prior to moving, so you can look forward to seeing that list very soon. (Spoiler alert: the list will most definitely include Ian Mortimer’s excellent Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England.)

One of my very favorite things about reading is how it can transport us to long-ago times that we can’t otherwise experience firsthand. What’s your favorite historical place and time to visit by way of books?

Stephanie Perry
Latest posts by Stephanie Perry (see all)