27. Mr. Midshipman Hornblower by C.S. Forester

Found this on the shelf of free books lining the window of the grocery store near my parents house and hesitated to take it at first, but then was drawn in upon realizing it is the first of the Hornblower books (at least within Hornblower's own fictional chronology).  As usual, it is a series of vignettes and I found this to be my favourite so far.  Each vignette describes a stage in Hornblower's early career and I found the contrast between his own lack of confidence and the boldness of his actions quite endearing (as did his senior officers, evidently).  There is also tons of great action, straight up mercenary action like attacking a galley with a jolly boat or jumping on to a burning fire ship to steer it away from its target.  Though I could not agree with it, my biased anglo-saxon side took perverse pleasure in the portrayal of the french and spanish militaries (cruel and inefficient).  Great stuff.