what book should i read next?

[Hawise]

i can't decide what to read next i need suggestions but nothing to hard i'm only 15

 

[Snowdog]

What sort of periods/authors do you like? I'm not familiar with Elizabeth Chadwick so I can't compare her to anyone. Do you like romance stories, those with lots of period details or those that concentrate on re-telling known events, etc.?

 

[dwndrgn]

I'd go for the Peter Tremayne Sister Fidelma/Ireland stories. The plots are good and absorbing but while enjoying those you get to learn a great deal about ancient religions and history. Here's a blurb from Publisher's Weekly posted on the Amazon site:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451192990/ref=pd_sim_b_2/104-4881197-9807124?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155
From Publishers Weekly
This immensely appealing launch of a new series is set in seventh-century Ireland, which in Tremayne's rendering is a golden age of enlightenment and of total equality for women. Such narrative stumbling blocks as an abundance of stereotypical characters and much more dynastic trivia, ecclesiastical and secular history than can be absorbed are offset by the vigorous, intriguing puzzle posed by a series of murders and by Sister Fidelma, the tale's brilliant and beguiling heroine. An ecclesiastical conclave to settle major divisions between the Roman and Celtic branch of Christianity is held at Whitby in 664. When a major proponent of the Celtic way, the Abbess of Kildare, is murdered, Sister Fidelma, a fellow Celtic follower and legally trained scholar, is asked to investigate. She is paired with her ideological opposite, Brother Eadulf, on the Roman side, who is shrewd, highly educated and immediately smitten with the outspoken sister. The intellectual and physical sparks that are ignited between these two clerics (in an age before celibacy) light up the pages, and when two monks are killed and the malevolence thickens, the book becomes difficult to put down. It is reassuring to read that Sister Fidelma and Brother Eadulf will reappear... next time in Rome.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

When I was fifteen, some of my favorite books were historical novels by Margaret Campbell Barnes, Thomas B. Costain, and Margaret Irwin. None of them were difficult (you did say you didn't want anything too hard) and I would finish them in a day or so; I seem to remember they had great period detail. That was more than thirty years ago, however, and I don't know if these books would be easy to come by today.

 

[murphy]

When I was fifteen, some of my favorite books were historical novels by Margaret Campbell Barnes, Thomas B. Costain, and Margaret Irwin. None of them were difficult (you did say you didn't want anything too hard) and I would finish them in a day or so; I seem to remember they had great period detail. That was more than thirty years ago, however, and I don't know if these books would be easy to come by today.

Thomas Costain was one of my favorite authors too. Just for fun, went to eBay and they have a lot of his books for sale, reasonably priced. You could also check Amazon to see what they have. He was quite a popular author in his time.

 

[Hawise]

Thank you for your ideas, I will try and get some as soon as poss. and let you know how I get on.

 

[aarti]

I have Thomas Costain's Below the Salt, but haven't read it yet. I actually really want his novel on Bonaparte's exile in Elba. But I haven't read his non-fiction on those fascinating Plantaganets, which I think is what he's most known for (or not?).

I was introduced to Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer around 15, and I still love them

 

[murphy]

I remember his fiction books The Moneyman, The Black Rose and The Tontine Duology, just to name a few. I'm sure they were all best sellers at the time. Seems to me I read his books on the Plantagents, but it was many, many years ago.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I loved Costain's books on the Plantagenets. I remember that my English History teacher in college didn't like them much because they concentrated so much on the color and feel of the period (in addition to the names, dates, and politics) but that, of course, is what appealed to me. I still think that the small cultural details, even about such seemingly trivial matters as the fashionable cut of a sleeve, speak volumes if you're willing to listen.

But they are history books rather than historical novels.

 

[aarti]

I loved Costain's books on the Plantagenets. I remember that my English History teacher in college didn't like them much because they concentrated so much on the color and feel of the period (in addition to the names, dates, and politics) but that, of course, is what appealed to me. I still think that the small cultural details, even about such seemingly trivial matters as the fashionable cut of a sleeve, speak volumes if you're willing to listen.

Yes, I've heard nothing but good about his Plantaganet books, though I've never read them myself. However, your description intrigues me. Since I pretty much snatch up every non-fiction book that deals with England between the years of 1770-1820, regardless of what it's about, I think a book that delves so deeply into details would be right up my alley! Though I admit to not knowing nearly so much about Medieval Britain as about Georgian and Regency Britain.