Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond

Very impressive. It not only covers human history, but also covers why things played out the way they did. I can see why it received the Pulitzer Prize.

The Ancien Regime In Europe by E N Williams

This was basically a good, interesting book about a regime that before I knew very little about. Recommended.

Generations of Captivity: A History of African-American Slaves by Ira Berlin

It's a decent primer if you're not familiar with the subject, but if you know quite a bit about the history of slavery already, you'll get bored with the general subject matter very quickly.

Desertion And the American Soldier: 1776-2006 by Robert Fantina

This book started off promising, discussing desertion during America's early history when the military was just being formed and everything was in chaos. But it quickly becomes a book that pretty much says that you can join the military, they'll spend tons of money on your ass to do what it is you chose to do, and then you just decide that it's not for you because you weren't coddled and your hand wasn't held the entire time, so you're just gonna leave. Now, don't get me wrong. When you're drafted against your will, I think a little more sympathy should be thrown your way. But when you make a willing decision to enter into an agreement to train in an environment that is common knowledge will train you to kill others and possibly go to war, and then you just decide right after that it's against your principles, I have no sympathy for you. This book was a piece of crap that called anyone who deserted and walked away from their responsibilities a hero.