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#vikings
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Butterfinger
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Mehso-so

I appreciated the attempt to tie archaeological finds to the Norse folklore or Sagas. I learned quite a bit, but I could not stomach the slang. "No take-backsies" doesn't sound very academic, in my opinion.

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Hooked_on_books
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Mehso-so

I was so excited when I saw this on the #WPNF25 longlist because Vikings, but I ended up being a little disappointed. It focuses on grave goods and exploring the culture through them but never quite pulled me in.

Soscha You might be able to find this on Overdrive. Harl, Kenneth W. The Vikings, 2005. 2w
squirrelbrain I struggled a bit with this too 2w
youneverarrived I bailed 😕 2w
See All 6 Comments
Hooked_on_books @squirrelbrain @youneverarrived Glad I‘m in good company! 2w
squirrelbrain And we should have loved it Katie @youneverarrived with all that Viking history around here! 🤦‍♀️ (including the fossilised 💩 of course! 🤣) 2w
youneverarrived @squirrelbrain haha I know, we should have! 2w
49 likes6 comments
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Leniverse
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Viking poo 💩

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Leniverse
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Description of Bergen, Norway c. 1200. Can confirm that 800 years later, this part is still the same 😂

#WomensPrizeNF

julesG 😂😂 3w
31 likes1 comment
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TheKidUpstairs
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Pickpick

"... the personal, intimate parts of people's lives matter every bit as much as the famous, dramatic, narrative defining ones."

Another wonderful selection from the #wpnf25 long list. An interesting, engaging history of the Viking Age told through everyday objects and everyday people. Barraclough's narration is excellent, I highly recommend the audio!

TheKidUpstairs I can understand why it wasn't shortlisted - those books all feel very timely and necessary for the current moment - but I'm so glad to have read this one. Kudos to the Women's Prize Nonfiction judges for highlighting such a wonderful selection of books this year. 3w
charl08 I loved this one. She writes so engagingly about a topic I knew very little about. 3w
Chelsea.Poole I agree--I was so engaged! 3w
54 likes1 stack add3 comments
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charl08
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Pickpick

Fascinating book, filled with details you didn't know you needed about "ordinary" Viking life.

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charl08
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Got to watch those guys who bath once a week...

Bookwomble What! EVERY week! 😱😅 2mo
charl08 @Bookwomble what's hilarious is she also includes an account from a Muslim traveller, who thought they were all filthy... 2mo
32 likes2 comments
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charl08
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One is the Gosforth Cross from Cumbria, carved in the first half of the tenth century, towering 4.4 metres high in the churchyard of St Mary's... [it] also has carved stories that we might remember from Norse mythology, including Loki bound and tortured with snake poison for his crimes, and a figure with its foot in the mouth of a monstrous fanged beast, perhaps Odin fighting the wolf Fenrir at Ragnarok.

charl08 Image from Wikipedia 2mo
42 likes1 comment
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Chelsea.Poole
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Pickpick

#WPNF25 longlist
This was a fascinating read about a period of human history I knew little about, the Viking age. I appreciate the way this was organized; chapters were focused on universal human experiences such as “love”, “play”, “beginnings” and “endings”. I found it fascinating to learn how anthropologists have learned about the people living during this time period using artifacts found in bogs, drawings, bones, burials, and more.

bibliothecarivs I heard part of this interview with the author on my local public radio station a few days ago. I need to finish it. https://radiowest.kuer.org/show/radiowest/2025-02-25/the-hidden-histories-of-the... 2mo
squirrelbrain I started this but it didn‘t grab me. I barely read any, though, and your review makes me want to try again. 🤔 2mo
TheKidUpstairs Did you do audio? I started this as a physical book, but like @squirrelbrain it wasn't grabbing me right off the bat so I picked up something else. But I'm on hold for the audio so I'm thinking I'll try again to listen to it. 2mo
Chelsea.Poole @TheKidUpstairs yes, I listened to this one and I really enjoyed it. I can see that the physical book would be more difficult to get into. 2mo
81 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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charl08
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Similar parchments and manuscripts were used in other parts of medieval Europe, with prayers to the saints for safe delivery, invocations against evil, and holy images. One of these, an English scroll from c.1500, was found to have traces of human proteins associated with vaginal fluids, as well as honey, cereals, milk and legumes (all used as historical treatments during pregnancy and childbirth).
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And I moan about biscuit crumbs 😮

kspenmoll Oh my!!!!😂 2mo
Ruthiella ❤️🐶❤️🐶❤️ 2mo
Ruthiella Also, re: the text 🤢 2mo
Leftcoastzen Cuteness ! 2mo
Suet624 Say what??? 2mo
54 likes1 stack add5 comments