Culture of the Europeans
I've just registered (or applied? I'm not quite sure how it works) for the Donald Sassoon Masterclass Culture of the Europeans at the end of the year, and thought I should perhaps read the good man's book Culture of the Europeans - 1800 to the present beforehand.
I got it yesterday - at over 1600 pages it's a scary prospect, but so far I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I really appreciate it when a "need to read" book also fits nicely into the "like to read" category.
But please, if you are interested in it, don't recall it from me just yet. Maybe sometime in October I'll be done with it...