Loved this.

The one book that really stood out for me this year out of the 20-some I've read so far is one called Germany: Memories of a Nation. The author's approach is particularly well suited to Germany's extraordinarily fragmented history.
 
Da Vinci's biography by Walter Isaacson is also quite interesting.

Where to start...
 
My absolute favorite is the "Aubrey-Maturin" series by Patrick O'Brian. Historical fiction that centers around the time of the Napoleonic Wars. You may have seen an adaptation if you watched the "Master & Commander" movie, but the books (20 of them) offer much, much more. If you decide to start the series, read at least the first two books...the first book serves mostly to introduce the characters.
 
The "Dune" series by Frank Herbert and continued by his son. Thinking man's scifi.
 
"Gods, Graves and Scholars" by C.W. Ceram (original German Goetter, Graeber und Gelehrte): Nonfiction. If you like archaeology, this is a fascinating book of discovery, including sections on Egypt, Assyria, the Mayans and Aztecs. I have read this book many times.
 
"The Territorial Imperative" by Robert Ardrey. Nonfiction. This book delves into animal behavior, and how the existence of territories looms large in the world of animals and man. The book is MUCH more interesting than my description. TRIVIA you will learn in this book: the "James Bond" character invented by Fleming and of adventure movie fame was named after a mild-mannered orni..orni...ornith...bird scientist who's claim to fame was writing about the habits of birds. 
 
"The Last Sherlock Holmes Story" by Michael Dibdin. DO NOT READ this book unless you are a Sherlock Holmes fan, because 95 percent of the enjoyment comes from knowing all the Sherlock Holmes stories that Sir ACD has written. In this novel, Holmes sets about solving the "Jack the Ripper" murders in Victorian London.
 
That having been said....For starters: "A Study in Scarlet" and "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
 
"Metamorphosis" by Ovid. I think I have the Humphries translation. Ovid was active about the same time Jesus was. The most bloody battle scene in literature (Centauromachy) resides in this series of short stories that explain (in part) how natural things came about.
 
"Short Stories of Mark Twain". There are several collections.
 
"The Gemini Contenders" by Robert Ludlum. A creepy mystery with a lot of violence, but well written. 
 
"Macbeth" or "Hamlet" by Shakespeare. GET A FOLGER edition because they explain some of the antiquated language and contains other annotations. Move on to his other plays if you like these.
 
"Ulysses" by James Joyce. I have never read this novel, so please read if for me and tell me what it is about. Some say this is the best book ever written, but I have never been able to get through it...Right now it is behind me weighing down an Ethernet cable that tends to pop up and catch my foot when I walk out the door. This is true. Also, if you DO get through it, do not pass up an opportunity to tell folks you DID get through it; they will think you are really smart...I know I will.
 
Happy Reading!

rbecker,
 
That's a great list. I read Metamorphoses about a year ago and really enjoyed it, but sometimes I thought that it was the advanced version for people who already know the basic stories. I'd say the theme was that the gods feel no sense of justice towards humans.
 
I'd also like for somebody to read Ulysses and report back.
 

Mitch_I
rbecker,
 
That's a great list. I read Metamorphoses about a year ago and really enjoyed it, but sometimes I thought that it was the advanced version for people who already know the basic stories. I'd say the theme was that the gods feel no sense of justice towards humans.
 
I'd also like for somebody to read Ulysses and report back.
 

I haven't read Ovid for quite a while, but the tendency in all these myths was that humans were pretty much the pawns and playthings of the Olympians. If you ever saw any of the "Clash of the Titan" type movies, they are often framed with the Gods at odds with each other, and making the poor, puny humans pay the price, which is also the case in the literature. That having been said, the Greek and Roman gods display a broad array of humanesque emotions and faults, which is what makes them and keeps them so interesting. IMO Norse mythology not so much...If it weren't for Loki, it would for the most part be a yawner. But perhaps I am unfair; I need to re-read my Snorri Sturluson.

I'm very impressed by all these.  You guys are quite literate!!

jude77
I'm very impressed by all these.  You guys are quite literate!!

I don't know, at least speaking for myself. A couple years ago I compiled a list of the "best" literature using a variety of online resources, and bought several of them to try out. My success rate is not too good: "Ulysses", "The Sound and the Fury", "100 Years of Solitude" and others. I either quit part way through, or make it through and wish I had read something else. 

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. 

rbecker

jude77
I'm very impressed by all these.  You guys are quite literate!!

I don't know, at least speaking for myself. A couple years ago I compiled a list of the "best" literature using a variety of online resources, and bought several of them to try out. My success rate is not too good: "Ulysses", "The Sound and the Fury", "100 Years of Solitude" and others. I either quit part way through, or make it through and wish I had read something else. 

I'm with ya on those. I read them, but I sure don't get why they're "great".  Another one that totally baffled me was Finnegan's Wake. 

A World Lit Only By Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance by William Manchester...
and John Lydon ROTTEN: No Irish - No Blacks - No Dogs:
Both books are well worth the read.