I've been on a historical fiction kick the last few years, with a large number in a WWII setting. I just finished a couple of Ken Follet efforts, "Eye of the Needle" and "Jackdaws". They were way better than I had expected. They were quite good, in fact. The best part was that equal attention was given to both sides (made it much more interesting than your typical good-guy perspective). Call me lazy, but I imagine this guy is a good, famous writer? (books were Xmas gifts)
Right now I'm reading about the Lewis-and-Clark-of-the-sea expedition and why it's not as well known. I forget the name of the book (also an Xmas gift -- yes the fam has figured out my lastest reading trend).