I've been meaning to read this modern classic and 2009 Booker Prize winner for AGES: it's been often praised as a believable and meticulously researched novelization of Tudor England in the Cromwell era. Fall felt like a good time to finally jump in; at my friend Mel's urging, I listened to the audiobook narrated by Ben Miles. This is a tale both of Henry VIII's court and of human nature; Wolf Hall, the first in a trilogy, covers the era when the king has determined to marry Anne Boleyn but is still married to Katherine of Aragon, and is pressuring everyone in his circle to make his new marriage possible. I had to mind every word, glance, raised eyebrow, and stiffened shoulder to track who was currently in the king's graces and whose very life was in peril. This was exquisitely done and I'm so glad I finally read it.

From the publisher: "The sequel to Hilary Mantel's 2009 Man Booker Prize winner and New York Times bestseller, Wolf Hall delves into the heart of Tudor history with the downfall of Anne Boleyn."