** If Walls Could Talk by Lucy Worsley

Written by the chief curator of Historic Royal Palaces (what a title!),  If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home tells a series of stories sometimes loosely connected to homes, from how bedrooms became private, to dentistry, to sewer systems. I felt that many of the stories were already quite well-known, such as how the great halls of medieval palaces were used for all activities of the house, and I also regretted that most of the book focuses on rich households, as I would have liked to have at least a glimpse of life in less cushy environments.

However, there is an interesting section about servants and the incredible work that was required to furnish water, heat, and food in those large houses, however. And the author uses her hands-on experience to describe how to seal the door of a bread oven with a strip of dough along with her historical knowledge to explain how wardrobes followed the invention of the lowly but so useful coat hanger. I would have wished for a tighter narrative.

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