What I'm reading this month
A peak behind the curtain
Famously, for an academic, the pile of 'to be read' books never gets smaller. In fact, such piles usually just multiply, like a well-kept spider plant (especially considering how many will usually need to be re-read)! But the joy of editing a magazine like Medieval World is that you get more justifications to pick up some that you haven't had chance to look at yet, or loved but haven't been able to return yet, as well as more books to add to the pile/s. I thought you might like a taste of what I'm reading from time-to-time, as well as I'm what I'm adding to the pile: for inspiration, for hints at future issues, and for a peek behind the curtain.
Currently reading
- Blair, Sheila, and Bloom, Jonathan, Rivers of Paradise: Water in Islamic Art and Culture (Yale University Press), 2009.
- Kalas, Gregory, The Restoration of the Roman Forum in Late Antiquity: Transforming Public Space (University of Texas Press), 2015.
- Price, Neil and Mortimer, Paul, An Eye for Odin? Divine Role-Playing in the Age of Sutton Hoo (European Journal of Archaeology 17), 2014.
To be read
- DeLaine, Janet, The Baths of Caracalla: A Study in the Design, Construction, and Economics of Large-scale Building Projects in Imperial Rome (Journal of Roman Archaeology), 1997.
- Fouracre, Paul, Eternal light and earthly concerns: Belief and the shaping of medieval society (Manchester University Press), 2021.
- Ropa, Anatasija, Wild Horses and Their Relatives in the Middle Ages ( Bloomsbury), 2026.
- van Houts, Elisabeth, Empress Matilda: Queen of the Romans, Ruler of the English (Yale University Press), 2026.
Are there any I would currently recommend? Keep your eyes peeled for the next issue of MWCC...
