StoryGraph Saturday is a weekly thing where I randomly choose a book from my To Read pile on StoryGraph and show it off to both remind myself that it’s there and to show it to you in case you might find it interesting, too.
The First Kingdom: Britain in the Age of Arthur
by Max Adams
Nonfiction/History
480 pages
From The StoryGraph:
“The bestselling author of The King in the North turns his attention to the obscure era of British history known as ‘the age of Arthur’. Somewhere in the shadow time between the departure of the Roman legions in the early fifth century and the arrival in Kent of Augustine’s Christian mission at the end of the sixth, the kingdoms of Early Medieval Britain were formed. But by whom? And out of what? In The First Kingdom, Max Adams scrutinizes the narrative of this period handed down to us by later historians and chroniclers. Stripping away the more lurid claims made for a warrior-hero named Arthur, he synthesizes the research carried out over the last forty years to tease out the strands of reality from the myth. He reveals how archaeology has delivered evidence of a diverse and dynamic response to Britain’s newfound independence, of material and intellectual trade between the Atlantic islands and the rest of Europe, and of the environmental context of those centuries. A skillfully wrought and intellectually probing investigation of the most mysterious epoch in our history, The First Kingdom presents an image of post-Roman Britain whose resolution is high enough to show the emergence of distinct political structures in the sixth century – polities that survive long enough to be embedded in the medieval landscape, recorded in the lines of river, road, and watershed, and memorialized in place names.”
Am I currently reading a book about the history of early Medieval England? Yes. Do I plan to read another one? Also yes. Even if Adams writes about the same information as the author whose book I’m currently reading, it’s not a bad idea to get information from a different perspective. It’s available from my library, so whenever I want to pick it up, I should be able to get it.
Traveling in Books 
On another note…did you read Evvie Drake?
I did. I finished it earlier this week. I thought it was pretty cute overall. There were some rough edges, but it was Holmes’ first novel, so that’s bound to happen. Granted, I am predisposed to liking Linda Holmes’ stuff, as I have been listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour for ages.
I was surprised when I saw your insta story…didn’t think it was your style. However, I agree that it was a pleasant enough read and did have some decent insights
I read romance once in a blue moon…. Olive at A Book Olive on YouTube loved it, and because it had been on the edge of my radar for awhile, I decided to give it a try.
You know I love a love story when it’s somewhat realistic
That’s one of the things Olive commented on, that their relationship took time to build. I liked that part of it, as well. It feels so much more contrived when they fall head over heels overnight.
I know. I hate when there’s no build up , or there’s too many misunderstandings. I like seeing the relationship growing pains
I see so many of these books with topics I find fascinating and would love to try. But other books keeping jumping in front of me first, so I rely on you as my guide through this library of possible future reads. 🙂
I will do my best to help you maintain a great TBR!