Ring of Seasons : Iceland--Its Culture and History

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful read
Review: I greatly enjoyed this book. It was fun to read and very interesting from a historical point of view. I'm going to Iceland soon and I feel that I understand the background and culture of the country better than before I read this book.
I highly recommend it !

Rating:
Summary: Not the best.
Review: If you are looking for a well-organized history of Iceland, you probably don't want this one. I get the feeling that the author wants it both ways: to be folksy AND legitimate. It doesn't fly. . . I have read several books on Iceland and this is my least favorite. ...

Rating:
Summary: Excellant Research Material
Review: This book is an excellant assortment of history, culture, and personal experience. Each chapter can stand by itself but all the chapters tie in together. The details in this book are amazing. It is great for anyone who is interested in learning more about Iceland and it's rich cultural and historical background. Also, for research, it is set up in such a way that you can find exactly what information you are looking for quickly. This is my favorite book about Iceland so far. It was the most well organized and comprehensive.

Rating:
Summary: Not the best.
Review: This book was much more pleasant to read in many ways than most history books. It blends history with various cultural aspects such as sausage making and other traditional pasttimes and holidays. As a result, it does quite a bit to soften the sometimes drier moments of history. It is one of the few history books I have read that make me feel I would know something useful about a place if I were to travel there. Also, because the historical aspect is why I bought the book, I was not to be disappointed, the Cod Wars, the Settlement, Christianization, it is all there along with an especially interesting section on the first settlement of Greenland. I recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: A pleasant mixture of culture and history
Review: This book was much more pleasant to read in many ways than most history books. It blends history with various cultural aspects such as sausage making and other traditional pasttimes and holidays. As a result, it does quite a bit to soften the sometimes drier moments of history. It is one of the few history books I have read that make me feel I would know something useful about a place if I were to travel there. Also, because the historical aspect is why I bought the book, I was not to be disappointed, the Cod Wars, the Settlement, Christianization, it is all there along with an especially interesting section on the first settlement of Greenland. I recommend this book.