Reddit mentions of Master and Commander

I am not sure about any Canadian Forces specific books. But some standard military officer books that in my mind are good to read about leadership and wisdom would be:

• The Good Shepherd by C.S. Forester
  
• Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian
  
• The Art of War by Sun Tzu
  
• Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
  
• [The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell]
  (http://www.amazon.com/Tipping-Point-Little-Things-Difference/dp/0316346624/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342986110&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Tipping+Point+by+Malcolm+Gladwell)

I have the Warhammer total war 1 and pre-orderd 2 since I am a whore for that IP. I will take a look.

Yeah something about throwing a couple ton of iron and tiny boats is...it's nice. If you haven't read (and are into books) I really must recommend the Patrick O'Brian series for some great sea warfare reading.

The Inda series by Sherwood Smith has everything you've mentioned. Tons of piracy, sea battles, and political intrigue. I love these books - I named one of my cats Inda because I adopted him while I was reading them! There's four books in the series.

Not quite pirate books, but highly detailed, scrupulously researched Napoleonic Wars naval fiction (so it definitely has the feel you're looking for): check out Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series, starting with Master and Commander. They're really great. I've read three of them so far. If you like them they will keep you busy for a while; there are like 20 books in the series.

If any of you are up for a different author who cares way too much about food,

https://www.amazon.com/Master-Commander-Patrick-OBrian/dp/0393307050

Get this, read it, then get more of them. Besides, it's totally worth it anyway.