Bring up the Bodies

 Bring up the Bodies is the second in Hilary Mantel's excellent Thomas Cromwell trilogy. It's shorter than the other two--Wolf Hall and The Mirror and the Light--because, I gather, it marks a turning point in the court of Henry VIII. A lot of commentary about this series is that Mantel makes history that everyone knows into something suspenseful and exciting. As a product of American catholic high school, the only history I really knew about this era was about Thomas More. The trilogy, then, is scintillating: I really am surprised by most of what I read. A great, great read.