Writing History while reading fiction

I mostly write history books, and yet, I read so much non-fiction for my research that I inevitably end up reading fiction for my own entertainment. Science fiction, primarily, although good historical fiction holds my attention, too. Perhaps that is why my published book, Hoffman's Army: the 31st Virginia, CSA reads like a novel. I've gone to great lengths to get the voices right, and turned the quotes into part of the action, rather than just description. I think I've been influenced by the wonderful novel The Killer Angels