Hi everyone (first post). I can recommend the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. It's a series of 20 novels written by O'Brian between 1969 and 1999.
They are nautical novels set between 1798 and 1815 and involve Jack Aubrey who captains a frigate in the British navy, and his friend Stephen Maturin, the ship's physician and spy. The books read as literature, and are very well researched.
The two are an interesting pair - Aubrey is big, handsome, confident, but is disasterous ashore because his roving eye and impetuous nature. Maturin is a small man, taciturn, ill-looking, naturalist, intellectual, a drug addict, doomed romantic. Maturin is perhaps my favourite character ever from a novel.
The series carries the two through good and bad marriages, bankrupcy, election to parliament, debtor's prison and the pillory, duels, prisoners of war, high stakes espionage, naval battles, storms at sea, a wonderful mix.
The 2003 movie Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World is based on this book series.
The standard recommendation is to begin reading book 2 (Post Captain) and book 3 (HMS Surprise) and then circle back to book 1 (Master and Commander) as the first book is very heavy on nautical jargon.
Enjoy.
