Rebels and Rulers, 1500-1660: Volume 2, Provincial Rebellion Book

I've had this on the back of the toilet for a few months--great bathroom reading, I dare say. Sections are broken into small, two to seven page chunks, making this a great bit of porcelain prose.

But, on a lighter note, Roberts does the unthinkable: he condenses three thousand years of European history into a single, accurate, informative tome with a wonderfully readable prose. As a primer for European history, this book is at the top of the class and, moreover, for those who are more intimately familiar with history, it is in no way a tedious read. Neither too surfactory nor too pedantic, Roberts provides a compelling and accessible book on an important part of world history.

And it really is good toilet-reading material. Though, that should not cast aspersions on its merits.