So far I haven't gotten beyond the 1590s or so in this book, so not even approaching the beginning of the actual war yet. Though I did already learn a ton on the Holy Roman Empire and on protestantism in Austria - here in Europe, the regional/national lines between the various denominations are so clearly drawn, and have changed so little over the past four centuries, that it always comes as a bit of a shock to read about that sixteenth and early seventeenth century in which they did change, at breakneck speeds.

But you mentioned the Wedgwood before, if I ever come across it I'll pick it up, just like a few others that you often list as being exceptionally good - Robert Massie's biography of Peter the Great, and Shelby Foote's Civil War trilogy.