Different in focus but describing the same era, I liked John Hale's
Lords of the Sea, the epic story of the Athenian navy and the birth of democracy.
For an entirely different kind of reading fodder, I can recommend
Stieg Larsson's Millenium novels, even if you've seen any of the movies (and particularly the current US version of the first book). Be warned, though: you may postpone several of your other to-do items...
