As my dear readers know, I’m fascinated by archaeology and anthropology. So, this article in the Guardian caught my eye:

Michelle Paver’s favourite books on archaeology and anthropology. All the listed books, some new to me, make me greedy for them. (Did you know I have a weakness for books, with bookshelves in almost every room in the house but no more bookshelf space?) I will look for these in the library and maybe put some on my wish list for Christmas and birthday, with Return to Chauvet Cave at the top (because I love picture books). But, aah, too many books, too little time!

I’m not familiar with Michelle Paver, who is the author of four historical novels. Her latest book, for older children, Wolf Brother, is the first in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series, set 6,000 years ago in the world of the Mesolithic hunter-gatherers.

This sounds remarkably like Jean M. Auel’s The Earth’s Children series. I loved these books. The author has done a tremendous amount of research into Mesolithic and Cro-Magnon civilization in central Europe which, along with her expert knowledge of herbs and plants, made for a fascinating saga of what life may have been like in that period. (Now the secret’s out – I’m also a fan of well-researched historical novels!)