Medieval Book Recommendation

This post is both for people with an interest in writing historical stories based during the Medieval Period and in writing Medieval-esque fantasy.

Over the weekend, I visited the library and ended up checking out a book titled "The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in the Middle Ages" by Sherrilyn Kenyon. This book is short and a pretty easy read. Basically, it is a brief summary about the Middle Ages of western Europe in various aspects of the society and culture. For example, one whole chapter is devoted to what kinds of food were available, silverware and dishes, and spices, and another one gives a look at popular fashions during certain years. There are also other short chapters about Medieval celebrations, the church, family, and even a list of kings of England during the time period. The book is not overly comprehensive, but it provides a good summary; at the end of each chapter, the author gives a list of recommended books on the particular topic that you wish to look further into.

So, if you want to make sure you are writing a realistic story set during the Medieval period or want to make your fantasy story feel more genuinely Medieval, this book is a good tool to have in getting some of the details and providing other sources for further research.