The Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George (historical fiction) 2017

I have been reading Ms. George for many years, and have been looking forward to this book because I have always been fascinated by Nero. The first book (in what is planned to be a series of two) ends just as Nero is rushing to Rome when he hears it is burning, which was an effective cliffhanger. George has clearly done a lot of research on life in Rome at the time, with fun and detailed descriptions of places like the Circus Maximus and religious rituals that Nero would have participated in. 
I think what many ancient history fans are looking for is how Nero justifies his many famous and horrible political murders to himself, other transgressive acts, and how he sees his role as emperor in the light of his desire to be an artist. Nero is simply delusional about how his artistic performances are seen not only by the senators of Rome, but by common people, which seems plausible.  One character tries to tell him the truth but Nero brushes it off. As for murders, taking part in a marriage ceremony with a man, and scandalous stuff like having upper class Romans participate in artistic endeavors and prostitution, it's always someone else's fault. Here and there it seems like a lame excuse, but it also seems like what a privileged emperor might tell himself.

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.

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.

Elizabeth - Renaissance Prince by Lisa Hilton (nonfiction 2015)

First rate, illuminating arguments.  It can be tough to come up with something new about old Liz.  Hilton analyzes her statecraft in the light of the newly forming Renaissance ideals about princehood.

Dictator by Robert Harris (historical fiction 2016)

The last in a trilogy about the life of Cicero, as told by his secretary Tiro, who is freed in this volume.  The trilogy is absolutely wonderful, a must-read for historical fiction lovers, especially as it encompasses a time of such upheaval in history.  Amazing description of Caesar's assassination.

The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood (fiction 2015)

Atwood puts another futuristic dystopian world together masterfully.  Her novels are never predictable but always recognizably part of the human experience.  Wonderful.

The Pope's Daughter by Dario Fo (historical fiction 2014)

This award-winning book by a theater guy about Lucrezia Borgia suffers from choppiness that may be a result of the translation, but it's a lot of fun.  It really tries to see the real girl behind all the crazy stories.

And Sometimes I Wonder About You by Walter Mosley (mystery 2015)

Mosley is one of my absolute favorite living authors even though he can be uneven.  This is not one of those cases.  The story had me from the first, and I thought I figured it out.  But I did not.  Suspense, violence, beauty and love, all the hallmarks of the greatest Mosley.

Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore by Walter Mosley (fiction 2014)

Really good novel.  A few paragraphs gave me the heart racing chills. 

The Fateful Day by Rosemary Rowe (historical mystery 2014)

I really like this series even for mystery lovers who aren't into the Roman world.  It's fast-paced, funny and full of great details about life.

The Zealot by Simon Scarrow (historical fiction 2006)

Overall Scarrow writes a pretty good yarn, and it's fun to tramp through a different landscape with Macro and Cato this time.

Marbeck and the Privateers by John Pilkingon (historical mystery 2014)

Tight suspenseful action continues in this third book about Marbeck.  This story is set after King James takes over from Elizabeth I and begins to make peace with the Spanish.  Anyone who likes a spy or mystery novel will like this.  I'm impressed by Pilkington's three enjoyable mysteries in a row.

The Summer Queen (a novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine) by Elizabeth Chadwick (historical fiction 2013)

The first in a trilogy, Chadwick gets quite imaginative.  Her characterization of Alienor is a little different from what I've read before, and welcome.

The Ides of April (2013) and Enemies at Home by Lindsey Davis (historical mystery 2014)

The Ides of April is a historical mystery masterpiece in my opinion.  It was incredibly interesting and intricate, and I had no idea what was going on.

The second book in Davis' Flavia Albia series, Enemies at Home, contains lots of obviously well-researched details about all kinds of people in the city of Rome during the time of Domitian.  The main character has to interview and interact with several different folks - slaves, upper middle class matrons, vigiles, and an aedile - to solve a double murder.  The descriptions of the city itself are also lots of fun.  While it is good entertainment, there are a few clunky spots, but enjoyable overall.

The Wayfaring Stranger by James Lee Burke (fiction 2014)

Burke is always good, exciting, funny, sad and crazy - with a few draggy spots where he can sometimes blab on for no reason.  This story is about a Texan who goes to fight the Germans and comes back to start an oil business.  I loved the first half so much that I forced myself to set down the book and start another one so that I could prolong the joy.

With My Dog Eyes by Hilda Hilst (fiction originally published in 1986)

I had never heard of this Brazilian avant-garde author but recognized the "dog eyes" reference to Clytemnestra, so I tried this short book.  It's about a mathematics professor who goes crazy, and it is very very good, funny sad and weird.  The translator and author of the introduction, Adam Morris, missed her clear (to me) debt to Nabokov.

MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood (fiction 2013)

Atwood is one of my top 5 living authors, and this one is really good.  It is the end of a trilogy starting with Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood.  I liked the first book quite a bit, felt a little lost and bored in the second, but this last book ends the trilogy on a high note.  It is funny, sad and weird.

The Lost Sisterhood by Anne Fortier (fiction 2014)

This modern adventure mystery is mixed with a myth-based account of Amazons and makes for a fun read.  There's romance and exotic locations.

To Serve a King by Donna Russo Morin ("historical" fiction)

There are quotation marks around the word historical because the main character did not exist, though many of those in the story did.  This is pure tripe, silly, heaving, with too many adjectives.  So many authors of historical fiction make their female characters "unconventional."  Enjoyed it nonetheless.

Helen of Troy by Margaret George (fiction)

Yes, some people are surprised to learn there was no Helen of Troy, just like there was no King Arthur.  This book is from her perspective, and surprisingly agile though it weighs a ton.  I've read other books by Ms. George, and she is a master of weaving her research into a work of fiction.