The Baroque Cycle trilogy by Neal Stephenson was good. It took me about a year (off and on) to finish though. It's historical fiction through the eyes of a computer geek and sci-fi writer.
I read those a few years back and they obviously come highly recommended, but in the same vein of historical fiction the best this year was: "Drood", by Dan Simmons.
Agreed. I actually liked his previous book "The Terror" even more, although I read it last year. A great book for cooling off on a hot summer day... Simmons is probably the most versatile writer I know.
