The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium by James Lacey

If you are looking for an in-depth history of England in the year 1000 with an emphasis on kings and battles, this is not your book. But if you are looking for an interesting read on everyday life in England around the year 1000, you might enjoy this book.  The book follows a calendar year.  (Determining just what would be the beginning of a calendar year was an interesting tale in itself.) It follows ordinary people, monks and shepherds and plowmen, through the year as they perform their tasks and have their feasts and lean times. The role  of the lords and the place of women, slavery, the treatment of disease, and the very real prospect of famine all are discussed in a very readable manner.  Good book.