Books read April

Not much read this month, as I spent much of my spare time in playing Football Manager; the trip to Plymouth didn’t help either. I always think I’ll read more travelling than I actually do.

The Making of Europe — Robert Bartlett
This is what I was reading for most of the month, a history of Europe in the High Middle Ages, between 950 and 1350 CE, when Europe became Europe through a process of “conquest, colonisation and cultural change”, as the subtitle makes clear.

Slow River — Nicola Griffith
Nicola Griffith’s second science fiction novel was just as good as her first. A young woman was kidnapped for ransom, then left for dead on the streets of London. Yet instead of going back to her rich family, she starts a new life amongst the outcasts.

Love in Amsterdam — Nicolas Freeling
Bought this in Plymouth because Sandra liked the Van der Valk series, of which this is the first, a murder mystery told from the point of view of the man suspected of the murder.

The Power of Darkness: Tales of Terror — Edith Nesbit
Supernatural mystery stories by an Edwardian writer better known for her fantasy children’s novels. I read this because Sandra loved it, one of the books she read while in hospital. Decent enough stories, but not intended to be read in quick succession.