Finished: Peter the Great (Massie) The Pulitzer Prize winning story of  Russian tsar, Peter the Great. My son gave me this 850+ page non-fiction beast several months ago and I have been reading it in between all the other books I've read, i.e., the fast reads, as this one is definitely a slow going read in order to take in all the facts, details, history, etc. It is fascinating and I've loved reading it, but so glad to be done. :-) I wouldn't even attempt to recap it, so just going to include the Amazon blurb here. 

"Against the monumental canvas of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe and Russia unfolds the magnificent story of Peter the Great, crowned co-tsar at the age of ten. The acclaimed author of Catherine the Great, Robert K. Massie delves deep into the life of this captivating historical figure, chronicling the pivotal events that shaped a boy into a legend—including his “incognito” travels in Europe, his unquenchable curiosity about Western ways, his obsession with the sea and establishment of the stupendous Russian navy, his creation of an unbeatable army, his transformation of Russia, and his relationships with those he loved most: Catherine, the robust yet gentle peasant, his loving mistress, wife, and successor; and Menshikov, the charming, bold, unscrupulous prince who rose to wealth and power through Peter’s friendship. Impetuous and stubborn, generous and cruel, tender and unforgiving, a man of enormous energy and complexity, Peter the Great is brought fully to life."