Acacia, by David Anthony Durham
Interesting new epic fantasy. The original premise takes the story in enough unexpected directions that I'm willing to forgive the sailing scenes. Also the type of epic that does a great job of tying up enough loose ends in the first book to keep me satisfied, while still leaving large portions of the story unresolved to lead me into the next. I can see why Durham won the Campbell (they need to change the covers on the next print run to read "Winner" instead of "Nominee" :-)
The Name of The Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss
This was also really well written but unlike Acacia, this is the type of first book in a series that establishes a bunch of mysteries very early on, and resolves almost none of them by the end. I liked what I read, but it ended rather abruptly, which leaves me to believe readers are in for the long haul on this one. Don't say I didn't warn you.