You haven't read much about 1066 before and you want a book that guides you through events, give you a sense of what it was like to be there, in short is READABLE rather than a history text heavy on learning and references butt heavy-going. This is the book for you.
I read this superb book over the years ago and it captured my imagination from the first chapter, which is a description of life in Anglo-Saxon England as 1066 dawned. He does this by describing one small village in detail, explaining the different roles and cycle of the year, emphasising how little the politics of the nation impinged on everyday life. You feel that his sympathy I always with how this affected ordinary individuals and he is a superb story-teller, wearing his learning lightly to keep the pace moving along.
Inspired by Howarth, I have tried to read several more academic texts but none came close to capturing the tension or tell the story as grippingly. I am sure historians would challenge Howarth's account (for one thing it is nearly 30 years old so more recent research will be missing) but to an ordinary punter like me that doesn't really matter: I want something broadly accurate to fire my imagination, not a worthy tome that I give up on at the end of the first chapter.
Great value, thoroughly recommended - and if you're interested Howarth's books on Waterloo and Trafalgar are just as good.