Non Fiction: History 

[b]A Distant Mirror[/b] - Barbara W Tuchman

An extraordinary slice of Medieval History organised around the life of one of the Peers of France. It touches on every strata of medieval life in France as well as dealing with the major calamities of the the era, the Hundred Years War, The Papal Schism and the Black Death. As well as being extraordinarily evocative, it is extremely well researched and well referenced. Unlike a lot of historical works, Tuchman's prose is amazing and the way she organises the work around the life of Enguerrand de Coucy VII gives it an immediacy and personal stakes which are rare in historical texts.

Fiction: Sci Fi

[b]With the Lightnings[/b] - David Drake

With the Lightnings is the first book in the Republic Of Cinnibar Navy (RCN) series. It follows the adventures of two young nobles of the space nation of Cinnibar as they are thrust into leadership rolls during a coup on an important strategic ally. The protagonists are explicitly modeled on the Aubrey/Martin books by Patrick O'Brien but the characters leap of the page with a verve and vigor you rarely see. The two protagonists provide vastly different lenses for viewing the same events which creates a contrast and a tension that I found extremely enjoyable. Drake has an incredible ability to evoke detail and writes brutal action scenes (based on his own experience in Vietnam). It uses the same psuedo-napoleonic conceits that alot of space opera uses but because it is so upfront about it I didn't find it nearly as tough to swallow as something like Honor Harrington.