Alright folks, grab a mug of whatever you're drinking, because today's deep dive started with a simple itch. I wanted to read about those big old-timey wars – Hastings, Agincourt, stuff like that – but easy, you know? No dusty academic tombs. Just good stories that teach me something while I chill.
Step 1: Asking the Internet Beast
First thing I did was what anyone does: I threw the question at the search bar. Typed in something like "best books medieval battles not boring". Yeah, real scientific. Scrolled past all the big seller ads. Wasn't looking for the 'most purchased', needed the 'actually readable'. Saw the same few titles popping up over and over on forums and book review sites. Good sign.
Step 2: The Library Raid (Online Version)
Next, I hit up my library app. No point buying if I ain't sure, right? Searched for the big names I kept seeing:
- That Dan Jones guy always gets mentioned. People love his storytelling.
- Someone called Bernard Cornwell – apparently writes fiction but knows his battlefield dirt.
- Kept seeing this Agincourt battle mentioned, like everywhere. Seemed like a crowd favorite.
Checked out the digital samples right there on the app. Skimmed the first few pages of each. Dan Jones felt like listening to a friend tell a cool history story. Cornwell? Straight into the mud and blood, really grabbed me. The library actually had copies! Instant holds placed on a couple promising ones.
Step 3: Hunting in the Bookshops
Couldn't wait for the holds, naturally. Popped into a couple local bookshops over the weekend. Wandered the history section. Found Dan Jones’s "The Plantagenets" right there on display. Flicked through. Big sections on key battles woven into the kings' lives. Perfect. Then, buried a bit deeper, I found "Agincourt" by Juliet Barker. Thicker than Jones, looked meatier, but the back blurb promised a deep dive into just that one legendary mess. Had to get that one too.
Step 4: The Actual Reading... And Dropping
Started with Jones. Easy peasy. Read it over a few nights. Covers the big ones – Hastings, Bannockburn, Shrewsbury – but keeps it moving. Doesn't drown you in tactics, gives you the drama. Felt like I actually understood why Hastings mattered beyond just 1066.
Tried a super dense one next. Forget the name, honestly. Some professor's life work, probably. Chapter one felt like homework. Nope. Abandoned ship. Life's too short.
Switched to Barker's "Agincourt". Wow. Yeah, thicker, but she makes that battle come alive. You feel the rain, the mud, the desperation of the French knights stuck in the mud. Learned tons about the longbow and how logistics (or lack of them) absolutely screwed the French. Took longer, worth it.
Just started Cornwell’s "Azincourt" (his spelling). Historical fiction, yeah, but you can tell the dude did his research. It’s raw and personal. Seeing the battle through a soldier's eyes hits different than the historian's overview.
The Final Haul (For Now)
So, after sifting through the noise and reading bits myself, here’s the easy-learn winners I actually stuck with:
- For the Big Picture with Stories: Dan Jones’s stuff. "The Plantagenets" or "The Hollow Crown" especially for the later wars. Fun and informative.
- For One Epic Battle Deep Dive: Juliet Barker’s "Agincourt". You will know everything about that muddy field.
- For Feeling Like You're in the Fight: Bernard Cornwell’s "Azincourt" novel. Learning through gritted teeth.
Mission accomplished? Pretty much! Found the good reads without needing a history degree first. Go grab one!
