#12 Read a genre book (SFF, horror, mystery, romance) by a disabled author.

Hild is a historical fiction novel set in the 600s on the island that would one day become England. Hild was a real person who became known as Saint Hilda of Whitby.

She was born in 614 to Hereric, king of Deira, and his wife Breguswith. Her father was poisoned (and died from the poisoning) so she was raised in the royal court of her uncle Edwin, king of Northumbria. Baptized at age 13 along with the king, she eventually became a nun and then the founding abbess of Whitby Abbey. Her monastery went on to produce five bishops. She was known for her wisdom. So much so that kings and princes sought her counsel. Sea birds are said to dip their wings in her honor when flying over the abbey. She also got rid of a plague of snakes by turning them all to stone. These stones, ammonites, get their scientific name from Hild. She is even considered one of the patron saints of learning and culture.

The above paragraph is pretty much all we know about her. We have basic biographical information: birth year, death year, basic family details, but there is so much we don’t know about her.

Clearly, she was intelligent. She was a princess who became a nun, a counselor to kings, and a mentor to bishops. We can only imagine the life she must have led. Or we can just read this book.

The amount of research Nicola Griffith has done on the period astounds me. I learned so much about the period just from reading this book. The character of Hild is a strong-willed woman who finds her place in a world where strong-willed women have to lead more from the shadows than the stage.

The book is also incredibly beautifully written. The flow and narrative structure, enhanced by the incredible voice acting by Pearl Hewitt in the audiobook, pull you into this world from so long ago.

I am already reading the sequel. I love everything about it.