I picked up 1776 recently, but haven't gotten to it yet. I too read 40-60 books a year, sometimes more if I have some time. W.E.B. Griffin, Brad Thor, Vince Flynn, Lee Child, and Stephen Hunter are favorites of mine. I recently wound up with what appears to be nearly the entire Robert B. Parker collection, I may have to start on those before too long.
Michener's good too, if you're into history.