Flora Segunda of Crackpot Hall by Ysabeau Wilce

The Blurb On The Back:

Crackpot Hall has a mind of its own.

In magickal Crackpot Hall stairs and hallways disappear at random, and rooms never stay in the same place. When Flora Segunda risks a shortcut in the forbidden Elevator, it takes her to a floor she never knew existed. In its dark, abandoned room lives a strange and dangerous boy ...

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Immaculate world building and original ideas combine with interesting characters to make this an excellent read. It will definitely appeal to fans of Diana Wynne Jones, and promises to build into a fascinating series.

The Great Mortality: An Intimate History Of The Black Death by John Kelly

The Blurb On The Back:

"Believing it to be the end of the world, no one wept for the dead, for all expected to die" Agnolo di Turo, Siena 1348.

The second worst catastrophe in recorded history, the Black Death is exceeded only by World War II in the number of casualties and the amount of emotional suffering it caused.

In just over 1000 days from 1347 to 1351 the plague swept across Europe, killing an estimated 25 million people and touching the lives of every individual. Not knowing the cause of this disaster, many turned to heonism, convinced that God had abandoned his children; others sought solace in self-flagellation or in the violent excesses of a terrible wave of anti-Semitism.

In The Great Mortality John Kelly retraces the journey of this still extant disease, using original source material - diary fragments, letters and manuscripts - to tell the story of its rapid spread from Italy all the way to England. It is a harrowing portrait of a continent gripped by an epidemic, but also a compendium of extraordinary personal stories.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Well researched but easy to understand, I found this to be a very enjoyable account of a horrifying time in European history.