What are some good, introductory books about the Middle Ages?

What Life Was Like in the Year 1000...its an easy read with info applicable to life from 500-1500.

I don't know if this is the kind of thing you're looking for, but I would have to say 'Le Morte Darthur' by Sir Thomas Malory. If you don't know, it's the Arthurian legends compiled for the first time. It may be legend, not a historical account, but it displays a lot of the values of the times; the fact that the knight is the ideal for the period is evident. It shows the importance of chivalry, the leadership, the adultery, the place of religion, etc. I would say it's more interesting than a history textbook, but that's just my opinion.

The King's Shadow is a good book. It isn't a hard read, but it doesn't fit exactly what you are asking for. This book shows three years of England battling before being taken over by William the Conqueror (aka Willie the Bastard)

Try "The Distant Mirror - The Calamitous 14thCentury" by Barbara Tuchman.

She concentrates on a single family but uses them as a peg to describe the life and mindset of the 14th Century. It found it engrossing and easy to read - not simplistic but well and engagingly written.