I have and I thought it was very nice light reading. I enjoyed it. The usual problem I have with "historical fiction" is that you end up with modern characters with modern sensibilities transported into a setting in the past. That doesn't seem to be the case here.
Ragtime by EL Doctorow - a really cool book written in a very interesting style. The Three Musketeers - by Alexandre Dumas, or any of the others in that series, but why not start at the beginning. Queen Margot - By Alexandre Dumas Chicot the Jester - by Alexandre Dumas
^ yeah! read that...for your project or not. I'm surprised no one said Da Vinci Code. haha Is that now officially pure fiction.
I'm going to second "The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Ecco and Cryponomicon and add the following: Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet Cryptonomicon is not historical fiction, per se, however, a significant portion of the novel takes place during WWII and is a really good, fictionalized accounts of crypto stuff during that time period. If you like Pillars of the Earth, you might also want to try the "sequel" Word Without End as it is more of the same. I went on a tour of England and France as part of a Masters of Liberal Arts class on Medieval History (I was not actually in the class but it's a long story on how I got to go) and the professors on the trip said that "The Name of the Rose" is one of the best novels with regard to accurately portraying life in a medieval monastery. It's also a good murder mystery.
