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Non-fiction - Tupaia: Captain Cook's Polynesian Navigator by Joan Druett. It's a fast-paced and engaging tale of adventure that's also the result of painstaking research. Tupaia was an amazing man who's barely touched on in the official accounts of Cook's first voyage, but Druett has uncovered a surprising amount of detail from a multitude of sources, both written and oral. This story has special significance for New Zealanders, Australians and other peoples of the south Pacific, but I'd recommend it to anyone interested in seafaring and exploration.
Fiction - Terry Pratchett's I Shall Wear Midnight, the final (almost certainly) book in his "Tiffany Aching" series. Touching, funny, occasionally very dark, but ultimately uplifting. Pratchett's affection for his characters lends a real warmth to this tale.
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