Ellis Peters’ A Rare Benedictine was published after the eighteenth Brother Cadfael novel, meaning I really should not have read it for a long time if I was sticking to strict publication order. However, it’s a collection set at various times before the first novel, so I figured it was okay to read it now. Plus, it’s short, which is a Good Thing during paper hell week. It includes the story of how Brother Cadfael joined the monastery, “A Light on the Road to Woodstock,” and two others, all fairly low-key and enjoyable.