God's wolf : the life of the most notorious of all crusaders, scourge of Saladin by Jeffrey Lee (nonfiction 2017)

Wonderful book, busting some of the Christian and Muslim myths about this extraordinary person who left France as a second son without many prospects and made himself a prince. 

Saladin by John Man (nonfiction 2016)

I have read a lot about the Crusades, fiction and nonfiction, mostly from a European perspective.  This book gave me a lot more nuanced information to think about, and a great portrait of the man in question.  He was certainly unique.

King John and the Road to the Magna Carta by Stephen Church (nonfiction 2015)

I always love those Angevins.  Here is an interesting read about King John.  Church tries to see John's life from John's own perspective, because of course John did not go through his days thinking he would end up a big old failure.

The Greatest Knight: The Remarkable Life of William Marshal, the Power behind Five English Thrones by Thomas Asbridge (nonfiction 2014)

Humanity was lucky enough that someone found the only copy of Guillaime de Mareschal's biography, and this book uses that and other sources to reconstruct Marshal's long and amazing life.  It's a great read especially for non-fiction, even if you know nothing about the Angevin Empire.

A King's Ransom by Sharon Kay Penman (historical fiction 2014)

A sequel to the author's Lionheart, this story follows Richard Lionheart as he leaves the Holy Land.  It's just as good as the others, with lots and lots of detail about life in the 1100's.  It does have corny moments and draggy bits, but taken as a whole, it is an excellent epic.

Crowner's Crusade by Bernard Knight (historical fiction)

This is a prequel to a popular series of novels, and it was fairly good.  I especially liked the plausible re-telling of Richard II's voyage from Palestine to his capture in Europe after his Crusades ended.

Saladin by Anne-Marie Edde (nonfiction)

This is a hefty tome, full of learned research and exciting exploits.  I've read quite a bit about the Third Crusade, but didn't know a thing about it from Saladin's perspective.  I learned a lot, and then Edde bogged me down in a lot of analysis of rather esoteric subjects, especially in later chapters like "The Gaze of the Other" and "Between Image and Reality."  I enjoyed the book very much until the author became wordy, and even repeated herself.

Clash of Crowns by Mary McAuliffe (nonfiction)

A Story of Bloodshed, Betrayal and Revenge - The Clash of Crowns:  William the Conqueror, Richard Lionheart, and Eleanor of Aquitaine.  Super long title, pretty zippy read.  I've read about all three of these folks quite a bit, and I found this book interesting because of the geography-based analysis of the battles between Richard of England and Phillip of France, which is what most of the book is about.  The author has obviously spent a lot of time traveling and researching in the area, and that adds to her ability to explain events.