One of my best reads recently was
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.
Even if you've seen the movie, I highly recommend the book. It's got great characterization, some history, and a little bit of intrigue/mystery.
I honestly didn't think a book about a British butler in pre-WWII England would interest me as I usually go for SF and Fantasy, but the first few pages about the butler driving a car through the English countryside really charmed me.
Really well written, and features a unique take on the unreliable narrator as sometimes what he says is so obviously what's not really happening and that's part of the books charm and also sadness, but that goes to the heart of one of the major themes in the book (duty versus living your own life). Moving stuff.