Seeking Well-read People!!

Fahrenheit 451
Pride and Prejudice - or any Jane Austen book
Jane Eyre
Anything by Thomas Hardy
The Importance of Being Earnest

Also, The Children of Men by P. D. James. It's not really a classic but it's a great book.

Some of my top favs:

Tigana, by Guy Gavriel Kay - fantasy

Pride & Prejudice, by Jane Austen (and also Sense & Sensibility)

Clan of the Cave Bear, Jean Auel - prehistoric fiction + the other books in the series, except the last one, which was awful.

Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell (I'm a lifelong animal lover)

A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens (I normally hate Dickens, but this was a great book)

Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley - fantasy

I also like anything by Lois McMaster Bujold (the Miles Vorkosigan sci-fi series is wonderful, and her fantasy stuff is good too)

These may not be classics, considering they are fairly new, but I just finished reading the Hunger Game series. They are so good. And I convinced my college daughter to read them, she wasn't interested at first. She loved them too. Now, we're looking forward to the movie release in March.
I also really liked The Kite Runner and My Sisters Keeper.
Enjoy!

Here's one I really enjoyed this summer.... my daughter teaches in Seoul, South Korea, so I enjoyed learning more about that country's history.. it is fiction, based on history. Also, with the tumult going on in North Korea now, it is very timely, also.

The Calligrapher's Daughter, by Eugenia Kim

http://www.thecalligraphersdaughter.com/

One of my all-time favorites is The Source, by James Michener.... I read that in 4 days during "dead week" (the week before finals) in college... MANY years ago.. I've gone through at least 2 copies since then. It is about a fictional archaeological dig in Israel.... (over 1000 pages.. don't get too spooked)... the first 80 or so pages sets the tone, where the archaeologists all arrive... and a number of artifacts are found.... The rest of the story takes you BACK in history, detailing the story about each artifact. It also follows one family from early pre-history (cave man time) when they discover the concept of "God" ...... all the way to current times. Frankly, just about anything by James Michener is great!

Barnes & Nobel has a "classics" section... and the hardbacks are just $10!!!

Sherlock Holmes
Mark Twain Collection
Dickens Collection
Swiss Fam Robinson
Robinson Caruso
Treasure Island
Peter Pan
Little Women
Shakespeare
Alice in the Looking Glass
....
DOZENS and Dozens of books.

___________

My favorite books aren't classics, although I love and adore many classics.

"A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole is my favorite book. It's simply a many-layered masterpiece, and it doesn't hurt that it is set in one of my favorite cities, New Orleans. It's also fun if you've read Don Quixote, because there are many parallels to draw between the two.

You've received some good recommendations for classics! Others that I consider modern-day classics:

"The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant

"A Prayer for Owen Meany" by John Irving

"The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

"She's Come Undone" by Wally Lamb (I love his other novels too.)

"Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett

"The Stand" by Stephen King (and The Shining too!)

Tom Perotta's books are great to me -really wonderful slices of modern suburbia.

If no one mentioned "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald -that's a classic you definitely need to read!

I tore through The Hunger Games trilogy like nothing I had read in awhile! They are extremely enjoyable! Currently I'm reading the second novel in the "Songs of Ice and Fire" series by George R.R. Martin. "Game of Thrones" is the first book. I LOVE anything with the air of the Dark or Middle Ages, and this definitely has that going for it. It's very Tolkein-esque in some ways, so if you haven't read "The Hobbit" or the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy -you may also want to investigate those. I'm not usually heavily into fantasy, but they're incredible novels.

If you like historical fiction, check out John Jakes -particularly The Kent Family Chronicles. They are some of the best books I've ever read -and there was a mini-series of them in the 70s. The first book is "The Bastard". I also love Bernard Cornwell's books on ancient British history -great historical fiction, but brutal as were the times.

I could go on and on - enjoy!

Oooh -and read "Sarah's Key" also! Haunting, heartbreaking and fantastic!

Consider reading books that have been banned or are currently banned in the United States, Arizona's Tucson School district just banned books from their students. There must be something worth it about these books that others are afraid to allow people to read/learn from there. Have a great reading year!

I am a total bookworm...but I read fiction mostly for fun...mysteries are my favorite.

I can suggest any type of mystery fiction you would like to read...

My favorite "classic" mysteries "The Cat Among The Pigeons" or "The Man in the Brown Suit" both by Agatha Christie

My other favorites are among many categories...detective mysteries, police procedural, forensic mysteries, (some authors can get really gory with details so it depends on your stomach for the crimes.

The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evonovich make me laugh out loud as I read...read them in order for some good fun...they start out with "One for the Money" then "Two for the Dough", etc etc.

Older Dean Koontz books are spooky and mysterious, "Lightening" "Strangers" and "Watchers" are my some of my favorites...his newer ones can be a bit well start with his older stuff say pre - 1995.

"The Woods" by Harlen Coben...was a real twisty turny mystery keeps you guessing until the end. He also has other good books but that one is my favorite.

The "Elvis Cole" series by Robert Crais. The "Harry Bosch" series by Michael Connolly. The "Kinsey Milhone" series by Sue Grafton. The "Anita Blake - Vampire Hunter" series by Laurel Hamilton (although I warn you big time gore and sex in this series...they start off very mild and by about the sixth book...turns into well sexcapades). The "Eve Dallas - In Death" series by J. D. Robb (who's real name is Nora Roberts). Just about anything by Nora Roberts is going to have a mystery and romance put together in a lighter way.

Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs, oh and Jefferson Bass are good with forensic thriller mysteries...very very graphic as the main characters are dealing with dead bodies...forensic anthropologist, medical examiner, and professor who runs a "body farm". reading them in order helps with the back stories.

Okay...I could go on and on and on...my dream would be to own a bookstore one day...my husband says it will never happen as soon everyone will own a Kindle like device and books will become obsolete. That makes me sad...

Anyways...need a certain type of mystery...ask me...I will probably know...

Personally I don't care for Dickens, Rand, Hemmingway or the long winded Russians. I have tried and earned the T-shirts but they wouldn't make my lists. Books to me are like friends. I love some, hate others and despise a good many. Also like friends I have reasons I read any given book - entertainment, to change my mood, to expand my horizons, to make myself mad, etc. I always remind myself a recommendation is not a guarantee I will enjoy the book. I think you should take what any of us suggest with a grain of salt. Also I find reading to be heavily influenced by the reader's mood/state of mind. Try any book since the worst that will happen is it will irritate you. I have thrown at least one in the trash in disgust but I keep reading. There are so many books and so little time.

I think the classics are well represented in the lists so far. Off the top of my head my classics list would include the following.
Alexandre Dumas - "The Count of Monte Cristo" (I can't count the number of times I have read this book. What you want most is not necessarily what you really want or even need.); "The Three Musketeers" (Pure unadulterated fun.)
Jane Austen - Who cares if it all really boils down to women trying to marry? The conversations can be sharp, swift and pure pleasure. The language is like velvet on the page.
Victor Hugo - "Les Miserables"
Chaucer - "The Canterbury Tales"

For a more modern leaning I suggest the following.
"Lonesome Dove" (Larry McMurtry)
"It" and "Misery" (Stephen King)
Edward Rutherfurd
“Eye of the Needle” (Ken Follett) – In general his books are light fun.

For just fun reading I go for mysteries every time.
Agatha Christie - I have all of her books which I periodically reread. I am particularly fond of the Miss Marple series.
Dick Francis - I have all of his books which I also periodically reread.
Margaret Frazer – I quite like the Joliffe series.
Ellis Peters - The Brother Cadfael series.
Dorothy Gillman – The Mrs. Pollifax series. Silly, light fun.
“Watchers” – Dean Koontz. His older books are better but I don’t always find his books very well written. Also at the end his stories can fall apart; almost like he’s bored with the writing process. Finally I find he has too many ‘how convenient’ moments for my taste.

Happy reading.

Ooh, I have to pick just 10?! Most aren't typical classics but I these are ones I re-read with great pleasure. Here goes:

The Book Thief
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
The Poisonwood Bible
A Prayer for Owen Meany
Madame Bovary
The Life of Pi
The Bell Jar
Middlesex
Everything is Illuminated
We Need to Talk about Kevin
Bee Season
In Defense of Food (non-fiction)

Ok, that's 12. I could give 12 more!

I love your question!
For a classic I'd say Gone With the Wind. I spent an entire weekend reading it when I was a teenager. After 600 pages I was disappointed when it ended. I wanted more.

My favorite mystery author is Robert Parker who writes the Spenser detective series (TV series was Spenser for Hire) . Well written, entertaining, fast paced, and a quick read (takes about 3 hours per book).

My all time favorite subject is scifi but not the gory stuff. Try anything by Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov. I also love Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series and Anne McCaffrey's Dragon Rider of Pern series.

Anne Rice is also very good. Some of her books can get dark but the Vampire books are good and I really enjoyed her Mayfair Witches series (The Witching Hour, Lasher, and Taltos). Plus she has several that include both the witches and vampires.

I recently finished Charlene Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series. The books are much, much better than the show True Blood.

L. Ron Hubbard's 10 book Mission Earth series is also quite good.

Have fun!

I LOVED the 13th Tale by Diane Setterfield.

If you read all the Discworld books by Terry Pratchett, you'll have 39 weeks covered.
They are very funny and thought provoking.
No. Name Published
1 The Colour of Magic 1983
2 The Light Fantastic 1986
3 Equal Rites 1987
4 Mort 1987
5 Sourcery 1988
6 Wyrd Sisters 1988
7 Pyramids 1989
8 Guards! Guards! 1989
9 Faust Eric 1990
10 Moving Pictures 1990
11 Reaper Man 1991
12 Witches Abroad 1991
13 Small Gods 1992
14 Lords and Ladies 1992
15 Men at Arms 1993
16 Soul Music 1994
17 Interesting Times 1994
18 Maskerade 1995
19 Feet of Clay 1996
20 Hogfather 1996
21 Jingo 1997
22 The Last Continent 1998
23 Carpe Jugulum 1998
24 The Fifth Elephant 1999
25 The Truth 2000
26 Thief of Time 2001
27 The Last Hero 2001
28 The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents 2001
29 Night Watch 2002
30 The Wee Free Men 2003
31 Monstrous Regiment 2003
32 A Hat Full of Sky 2004
33 Going Postal 2004
34 Thud! 2005
35 Wintersmith 2006
36 Making Money 2007
37 Unseen Academicals 2009
38 I Shall Wear Midnight 2010
39 Snuff 2011

Hi! I joined Goodreads several months ago (http://www.goodreads.com/) and it is useful for getting and sharing reviews on books. You can also keep track of all the books you own.

Some of My Favorites
books by Gregory Maguire (Wicked, Confessions of an ugly stepsister, Mirror, Mirror)
Dan Brown Books (The DaVinci Code, Angels and Demons)
Phillipa Gregory (The Other Boleyn Girl)
Stephanie Meyer (The Twilight Series)
Nathaniel Hawthorn (The Scarlett Letter)
Anne Rice (Interview with the Vampire)
Katherine Howe (The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane)
Louisa May Alcott (Little Women, Little Men)
Sherryl Jordan (The Raging Quiet)
L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables, Ann of Avonlea)
Stephen King (Insomnia)
Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice)
JK Rowling (Harry Potter)
Patrick McManus (The Grasshopper Trap, Real Ponies don't go Oink!)
Sir James George Frazier (The Golden Bough)- nonfiction
Shakespeare Plays
Aurthur Golden (Memiors of a Geisha)
Mineko Iwasaki (Geisha, A Life)
Bram Stoker (Dracula)
JRR Tolkien (The Hobbit)
The Canterbury Tales (Geoffrey Chaucer)
Beowulf
(Three Initiates) The Kybalion - nonfiction
Sherwood Smith (Crown Duel, Court Duel) (ok so technically teen books- but I love them )

Argh- I keep think up great ones I forgot!

Remember a lot of the classics are FREE in e-book format (and there are free computer reading apps) Check out books from amazon, project gutenburg, and google ebooks! I get at least half of my reading material from them!

-M.

Two new ones that have entered this year's top 10:

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant and Girl's Like Us by Shiela Weller

Enjoy!

http://www.amazon.com/Red-Tent-Novel-Anita-Diamant/dp/031...

http://www.amazon.com/Girls-Like-Us-Simon-Generation/dp/0...

I want to add authors I really enjoy are Howard Fast (especially My Glorious Brothers), James Michener (I second adding The Source to the list), John Jakes (a bit of historical American history), John Steinbeck, John Grisham, Amy Tan, Pearl S. Buck (The Good Earth), and Maggie Anton (a wonderful series called Rashi's Daughters).

I have started to listen to books on CD I check out of the library to add additional "reading time". This often takes a long time because I am only alone in the car for bits of the day, on the way home from dropping the kids off, on the way to get them again. 10-15 minute snippets. I usually read a book and listen to another in the car. Keeps me on my toes.

What about the classics of the Women's Movement like Betty Friedan's Feminine Mystique - read it it a Women's Studies Class and it stuck with me. Also, Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own.

Oh, It is hard to limit. Enjoy this adventure. Maybe you can find a way to document the process like keeping a journal, a computer log, or video taping yourself and your thoughts about the books. After so many books they may start to run together. Wow!

A couple that I think of are "The Kite Runner"
I read one about a girl in Iraq, I believe Something about a princess. Dang I wish I could remember the title, it was riviting and eye opening. It was a true story, too.
Bridges of Madison County was a fabulous book, too.
The latest book I read all in one sitting was "A stolen life" by Jaycee Dugaard.

I have read everything from Danielle Steele to Solzhenitsyn. I love Steinbeck, Pearl S. Buck, some Hemingway, Stephen King, Dean Koontz's "Odd Thomas" series, Lilian Jackson Braun's "the cat who..." series, Janet Evanovich, Maeve Binchy, Sue Grafton, Oscar Wilde, .... I could on.

My best suggestion for you is to go make friends with your local librarians. They can help you select books, offer suggestions, and help you begin your journey into literature.

Have fun with your resolution and please pass on the titles of the great books you read so we can all read them also.

:)

ooohhhh this is a good question....this is something that my husband and I are doing...

War and Peace (it's long)
Romeo & Juliet
Atlas Shrugged
David Copperfield
Moby Dick (that was good)
Huckleberry Finn
Tom Sawyer

Are these the classics you are thinking about? Are you looking for fiction or non-fiction?

Great resolution!
Seabiscuit and Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand
The Glass Castle and Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls.
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

You got most of the great classics I love already, especially One and Done's and Riley's, and I'm seeing a bunch I need to get in other posts! I'm finally reading The Hunger Games series and LOVING it.

I'm also a Henning Mankell fanatic. Swedish crime novels. Each one is WAY BETTER than any of the Girl with Dragon Tattoo books imo.

Of course, there is nothing better than the classics. I've just downloaded "Pride and Prejudice" on my Kindle, along with "A Tale of Two Cities".

Before I dive into those, I'm finishing a book called "Moonwalking with Einstein" by Joshua Foer. It a very interesting book about memory and how we use it. Entertaining, as well.

I tend to like all types of books- I thought "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell was interesting and I liked "Freakonomics" and "Superfreakonomics", too. I also like books about people- all types of people from Queen Noor to a book I read about the Ford family.

I've always thought that you could never be too rich, too thin or have too many books. :)

What a great resolution and what great suggestions you have received so far! Happy reading!

I just had to jump in and suggest reading Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier. It is considered a classic, but it is a gripping mystery from the 1930's and it is fantastic, about a young wife who marries a rich man and goes to live in his manor and starts to investigate what really happened to his first wife, Rebecca.

First, I would say do an internet search for "100 books to read before you die." There are many lists along those lines and I think they would be a good starting point.

Of all my reading, the books that first come to mind are Steven Pressfield's historical fiction novels. I found them fascinating, most especially "Gates of Fire."

And one of my favorites is "Lolita" by Vladimir Nobokov. Have fun!

And once you have your Top 10 List, can you please share!!!

I'd lvoe to be your book reading partner and talk about it at the end of the week, Pm me if you are interested.

First of all, if you are going to do this and you don't want to have to shelve the stacks of books that will result---get yourself a Kindle. MANY of the classics are free on kindle also. :)

As for my list, I wholeheartedly agree with:
"A Prayer For Owen Meany" by John Irving, and Tolkien's
"The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

And I am a little surprised that I did not see one mention of
"The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis.

Those would probably be my top four. There are tons more of lighter "fun" type books I could recommend, but that don't fit into the "classics" category.

Oops--- almost forgot Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment". If you can get through all the foreign names, the book is fantastic. (a friend told me they just started substituting "normal" names for the characters, lol).

Adding to the lists below (sorry if any are duplicates) - awesome question!):

Anna Karenina by Tolstoy (as substantial as War and Peace but more interesting, IMO). This is my all time favorite book...it's so long that I forget what happens and it's like reading it new every time I read it (3 times)

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand - someone else mentioned Atlas Shrugged below which is also great but I found The Fountainhead to be a more accessible read

Native Son by Richard Wright
Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
The Crucible by Arthur Miller (it's a play but very readable)
The Chosen by Chaim Potok (or any of his works)
Long Day's Journey Into Night by Eugene O'Neill (another play)

a list from a different hemisphere: these books are not about the world as we know it here in america. it will change your definition of rich and poor, love and hate, freedom, happiness, etc. it is not light reading. I will let you google them for a summary. the writing is superb, the story is gripping. I finished these books in one sitting into the early morning.

nectar in a sieve - kamala markandaya
cry, the beloved country - alan paton

on a lighter note:
rebecca -- daphne du maurier
the age of innocence -- edith warton
critical thinking:
a separate peace -- john knowles
the magus -- john fowles (not a typo of the previous author)

I love historical fiction - really gets me to think more on the subject and want to learn more of the facts, but is also a fictional story that keeps me entertained. I started with Egyptian historical fiction (of which there is a lot) and then moved on to Rome (very interesting the similarities between U.S. and Rome). With each book, I learned so much about the history of the time and it made me want to do more research to find out more facts. Pick a time in history that interests you and research some historical fiction books. If you like shows like Tudors, Roma, that sort of thing, then you'll love historical fiction.

What I have loved recently has been:
The girl with the Dragon Tattoo (all 3)
Children of Another God (The Broken World) (all 4)
A child called it (all 3)
Shanghai girls, and dreams of joy

I have heard good things about the hunger games, but have not read them yet.

Anything by:

Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, John Muir

The Bear by Faulkner
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Snow Mountain Passage by Houston (about the Donner Party)
Daughter of Fortune by Allende
McTeague by Norris
Dubliners by James Joyce
London by Rutherford

I've been known to read cereal boxes! :) Seriously, it's hard to pick a favourite, however, I feel you should try reading books written by Dean R Koontz (if you like really well written suspense/sci-fi/psychological thriller). What I particularly like about Koontz is that he's the only writer I've come across who uses lots of metaphors etc but whose stories are real page-turners. I also really like books by Ichael Crichton (he wrote Jurassic Park amongst others). When I was younger I read a lot of Romance novels by Barbara Cartland. Also, if you haven't already read it, I do recommend the "Twilight" series of books. They are MUCH much better than the movies! There's nothing I like better than curling up with a good book and am always open to trying something new. My hubby introduced me to Koontz when we were dating. I'd never read his books before because I thought they were "horrors" (which I don't like!) and now he's one of my all time favourite authors. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you might be surprised by what you end up enjoying! Happy reading :)

Updated

Sorry ... it's Michael Chrichton (typo)! My all time favourite "classic" is Animal Farm by George Orwell (which is still very relevant to us today!) I also really enjoyed Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. The only book I actually never managed to finish was Lord of the Rings! I'm really sorry but I do NOT enjoy the way JRR Tolkien writes. Anyway, have fun! :)

i too am a huge reader and went through all the responses to your question. many i have read, many i wrote down to read but no one mentioned 'shanteram: a novel' by gregory david robert. for me, it was the best book i have ever read. his writing is captivating.

I Am Anthony
by Peggy Stokes

It's the only book I've ever read more than once. Whenever I'm waaaay down - this is the book I read. I'll let you google it, as any summary I write wouldn't do it justice.

Red Tent
Water for Elephants
The Devil in the White City
any Ayn Rand book!
The Help (easy read)

those are some of my favorites. I am in a book club and we have all really enjoyed these!

A couple that I really like:

Friday by Robert A Heinlein
My favorite Heinlein book, scifi but not too out there (what I call heavy scifi)

The Three Musketeers
Count of Monte Cristo
both by Alexandre Dumas - even if you've seen the various movies thousands of times, there's something new in there. Reading these two has made me appreciate all the movie versions even more.

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy "trilogy" (there are four books)
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
Long Dark Teatime of the Soul
all by Douglas Adams
If you like lighter scifi/comedy, these two series are for you.

Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny
fantasy about the Princes of Amber and Shadow Earth
there are two "series" of Amber books (the Corwin series and the Merlin series), but they all start with Nine Princes. You can find these as an omnibus, with the entire series in on volume.

Happy Reading!

White Noise
Jane Eyre
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Waterland
The Giver
Fahrenheit 451
Brave New World
A Walk in the Woods
The Shock Doctrine
In the Heart of the Sea
The Odyssey - the Fagles translation
The Art of Happiness
Of Mice and Men
Middlesex
Caramello
The House on Mango Street
Midnight's Children

But know that books fill a certain need of the moment. Find the right book for the right moment. Find the books that involve the issues you find compelling so that you will be more likely to make connections easily, especially since you may be reading on your own. Finding someone to read the book at the same time for conversations helps, too.

Join Goodreads, it's a great site to keep track of books and it will give you suggestions based on books you've read.

Google Booker Prize winners and select from there.

I love to read, and these are some of my all time favorites:
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet (all time favorite)
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (plus the other two)
Hunger Games
The Stand by Stephen King
That is a very ambitious resolution...Good Luck!!!

Jane Eyre is my absolute favorite classic! Although Sherlock Holmes is a close second. For something more modern I really recommend the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series.

I occasionally use DailyLit.com

They send a chapter a day....& that's how I've read some of the classics: Pride & Prejudice, revisited some of Mark Twain, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, .....& even the Bible!

EDIT: I also own a wonderful collection of antique books. Some are more than 100 years old. I have a Longfellows book from the Civil War era. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE reading my old books!

Mere Christianity by CS Lewis... and of course the Harry Potter series :)

Madame Bovary (novel) - Gustave Flaubert, French (if you haven't read it already this the author is commentating on romantacism and how fake it is- awesome read. This is probably my favorite book.)

Germinal (novel)- Émile Zola, French (French cole miners before labor unions)

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (novel)- Mark Twain, American (commentates on the social "masks" we wear as individuals in society)

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (novel series)- Stieg Larsson, Swedish- just a really fun book to read :D (way better to read than to watch the movies ESP the American version)

Bossypants (autobiography)- Tina Fey, American- light comedy about women in the entertainment business, I really enjoyed it and read it in about 3 days.

I'm going to bookmark this question so I can refer back to it when I finish my current book, "All the Pretty Horses" Cormac McCarthy (FYI so far I can't get into it, it is very slow...)

Some of my old tyme favorite authors:

Taylor Caldwell
James Clavell
Robert Ludlum
James Michener
Toni Morrison
Louisa May Alcott
Jane Austen
Bertolt Brecht (German playright)
The Arms of Krupp
Agatha Christie

What an awesome thread. I missed this one completely :) I love reading and rarely get to the end of a book before starting 3 more. I have roughly 50-60 books on my Kindle account and only slightly less on my Sony account and maybe 10 or so on my Nook account. The actual physical books I have on my shelves are too numerous to even begin to read or count. I don't know why I collect so many. My 27 year old has read and collected 3 TIMES that amount already. It's a family thing.

Every year I go to the "summer reading" or "Reading list" section of my local library and pick one or two out. I've rediscovered a lot of books that were way over my head in high school. For example, Ethan Fromme. Hated it in high school, understood it a couple of years ago. It also has introduced me to newer "classics."

I've also found that some classics work better for me as audio books. I got through Don Quixote that way, and a friend said she found that Madame Bovery was more accessible as an audiobook.

As to specific recommendations, I would consider starting with things that parallel your current reading. For example, if you are into romance, start with Jane Austen or the Bronte sisters. If you like paranormal, try Lovecraft or Poe. And check out those 100 books before you die lists. That is a great idea. Good luck, happy reading, and let us know your favorites.