Who doesn't love Knights and Castles?

Since moving to New York, I've filled my weekends visiting everything from the usual tourist attractions to local haunts, but my favorite day trip so far was to The Cloisters.

Up near the northern tip of Manhattan, in a beautiful park overlooking the Hudson River, the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Medieval European Collection is housed in gorgeous reconstructed French cloisters. The tapestries, stained glass, castle-like structure: I was in love.

I'm not sure what it is, but ever since reading Karen Cushman's CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY when I was in fifth grade, I have been fascinated by all things medieval. I honestly can't explain what appeals to me about that time period--baths were rare, books rarer, life expectancy was grim (heck, I would already be well past my prime!)...

I could go on an on--but something about the mystery of a world just waiting to be unveiled by the coming Renaissance is so interesting. And certainly delicious story-telling can turn even the least glamorous of times into an adventure...

So, if you're like me and have a weakness for a good story (and the age of knights and castles), be sure to keep your eye out for Meg Cabot's RANSOM MY HEART--a medieval romance out next month and penned by Meg's character Mia Thermopolis (so much fun!).

If that gets you in the mood for the era, also try Julia Latham's sexy stories, (her newest, TAKEN AND SEDUCED is due out this spring), backlist Margo Maguire titles or Kinley MacGregor's "Brotherhood of the Sword" Series.