My letter “M” pick for the A to Z Book Challenge was MEDIEVAL MYTHS & MYSTERIES by Dorsey Miller. I fully admit that this was not my original pick for the letter M, but I “read” most of my books on Audible and my original pick, MURDER OUTSIDE THE BACK DOOR by John Tomassi was unfortunately read by an AI voice. I tried, guys, I really did, but it just wasn’t great and really left the story feeling flat. I gave up less than half an hour into it and picked another M title.

Dorsey Armstrong is an American Arthurian scholar who is a Professor of English and Medieval Literature at Purdue University and MEDIEVAL MYTHS & MYSTERIES is part of the “Great Courses” selection on Audible. This is actually a series of lectures condensed into a book and I enjoyed every single bit of it.

Not only does Professor Armstrong dispel a whole lot of inaccurate information about medieval times, she addresses some of the era’s biggest stories like King Arthur, the knights Templar and the Holy Grail, Robin Hood, the black death, etc. and even delves a bit into fanciful creatures like unicorns.

I learned something new in all these lectures, delivered in a charming and often comedic manner by Professor Armstrong (who narrates). I especially enjoyed her dissection of the King Arthur legend – and it was amazing to learn that while a good amount of Arthurian legend is pure myth, it was likely rooted in fact, and the “real” Arthur was not a king but a leader – and a damn amazing one, whose legacy can be traced through the evolution of Britain during a very tumultuous time.

I’m going with four and a half stars on this one and I’ve already queued up more of Dorsey Armstrong’s lectures – Audible has a lot of them. I recommend you do the same, if you have the app.