Anyone read novels... ever?

Oh man, so right now I am absolutely obsessed with Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle series. It is a historical and political fiction that strongly involves well known figures in 1600's European history as reoccurring characters with singular personalities. His characterization of Isaac Newton is eerily realistic (as in, I could completely imagine him interacting this way in society outside of the history books).

I'm also looking forward to picking up his books Anathem and Cryptonomicon (which a certain someone has yet to finish!). I love his sense of style in his writing and I highly recommend him to scifi and history nerds.