A bit of topic perhaps, but still interesting as it might give people some ideas on what to read next and to compare each other opinions on certain books. Though we shouldn't go to far with the latter not to derail the thread too much of course. Of course the EBI forums still have the bibliography threads which has many good suggestions and where you can still give your recommendations. But it's a bit dead and doesn't have exact the same use. Also the EB II forum could always use more off topic thread that actually content-wise have something to offer, at least I think.

Personally I'm working on a paper on the revolution of Judah Maccabee and hence I've been looking up a lot in quite a few books. But the only one I'm really actually reading of those is Jews, Idumaeans, and Ancient Arabs by Aryeh Kasher, as it touches more of my pet subject; the Ancient Arabians. Though I'm not done with it yet it looks like a good book, though I do feel like the author likes to see the positive things in the Hasmoneans a bit too much. Still it has good information on a topic which he is right to call a bit neglected.

This Summer I'm thinking of reading:
The last pharaohs : Egypt under the Ptolemies, 305 - 30 B by Joseph Gilbert Manning, which has recieved some good reviews.
I also noticed another book in the new addition shelf of our Library about Pyrrhus: Pyrrhus of Epirus, by Jeff Champion. Though I'm not sure if it is any good.