Broad topic I know. Does anyone know any good books that are reasonably accessible to understand the middle ages. Someone close has recently developed a passion for the period. She is already passionate about historical art and architecture and it has spilled over into a general interest in the period.
What's her reading level (edit: as in, is she likely to enjoy an undergrad level book) and budget or access to a public library?
Edit 2: Also, does she have an interest in a particular place or period?
For medieval Byzantine History I'd highly reccomend Anthony Kaldellis' Streams of Gold Rivers of Blood which is a narrative history of the ERE from the 950's to 1090's. For Books on arms and armour I'd suggest the Men at Arms series, very well illustrated and goes into a lot of different time periods across medieval Europe. Books on late antiquity like Justinians Flea also go into how society was changing after the fall of the Western Empire.