Recently I've found myself fostering a growing fascination with history. And after my parents suckered me into watching the BBC's "The Last Kingdom"--a fictionalized version of events occurring during Alfred the Great's life in England--I started some very casual research into the time period. Holy crap there's a lot going on! Reading Wikipedia pages can only get me so far though: does anyone have book suggestions on this topic? Particularly the mid 800s Viking invasion of England? I'm not a scholar and would enjoy something accessible. I know very, very little about how life was back then... I hope this is the right place to ask, and thank you all for any help in advance!
Well first off I can honestly say that Bernard Cornwell's historical fiction series (which the tv series is named after) is not only vastly superior to the show, but also includes some significant research on Cornwell's part to find useful and interesting material. Actually those books (especially the first 3) were a huge reason I originally got interested in History.
The best primary source on any of this period (specifically pertaining to England and Alfred) is the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which can be found free online in translated (not old English) versions. Be warned it was written with a decidedly pro-Saxon bias by a Saxon priest for an audience actively fighting for survival against Vikings. Not an objective recollection in any sense, but still a great source.
A good general read to describe the era (with more scope than just the military history) is Richard Abel's Alfred the Great: War, Kingship and Culture in Anglo Saxon England. Might be worth a perusal.