The Greeks: an Illustrated History by Diane Harris Cline (nonfiction 2016)

The pictures are great, and the text delivers light exciting history. It's a companion to the PBS Series The Greeks.

The Devils of Cardona by Matthew Carr (historical fiction 2016)

Excellent exciting mystery, adventurous and sexy.  This novel is set in Spain during the Inquisition, and I loved it.  Wonderful characters ranged from the King of Spain, Henry of Navarre, and peasants.

God's Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe 570-1215 by David Levering Lewis (nonfiction 2008)

Lovely to read about a period I don't know well, and Mr. Lewis makes it easy to gather all the threads.  Really moved my understanding of the post-Roman period in Europe forward.

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (fiction 2012)

I'm late to the party. SO good, this story of a Neapolitan friendship.  Go get it.

Vita Brevis, a Gaius Ruso mystery by Ruth Downie (historical mystery, 2016)

I love this series - read it from the beginning.  Lovely details about the Eternal City, wonderful characters, new turns in Ruso's relationship with his Britannian wife Tilla.  Fun stuff.

Graveyard of the Hesperides, a Flavia Albia novel by Lindsey Davis (historical fiction 2016)

Another hit in the series.  I love this female detective in the City of Rome.  The characters are always varied and so well-researched, you feel like it's a real time and place.  I recommend starting at the beginning, and you'll be hooked.

Charcoal Joe, an Easy Rawlins Mystery by Walter Mosely (fiction 2016)

I would highly recommend the entire series, although some offerings are better than others.  This offering is one of them, so good it had me from Ch. 1.  Suspense, sex, action, death, beauty.  Mosely is such a fine mystery writer.