[JWvonGoethe]

On the Second World war the best books I have read recently are Richard J. Evans' The Coming of the Third Reich and The Third Reich in Power; both are very readable, and a third volume is due out soon (next year I think?)

On the French Revolution my favourite is Simon Schama's Citizens; Antonia Fraser's Marie Antoinette is very good, as is Maria Fairweather's Madame de Stael, though neither of these is particularly about the revolution.

Orlando Figes' A People's Tragedy is very good on the Russian Revolution, and his cultural history of Russia is also very readable (Natasha's Dance); John Reed's Ten Days that Shook the World is an interesting narrative of the October Revolution.

For 'English' history you could do worse than Simon Schama's three volume A History of Britain, which is an interesting and very enjoyable overview of the last 5000 years.

Also, I am very much enjoying Christopher Tyerman's God's War: A New History of the Crusades.

Not specifically Rome, but try Robin Lane Fox's The Classical World.