My sister actually lives in Sauk Centre, and until a few years ago lived right across the street from the Sinclair Lewis house (a fun stop if you’re ever in the area). When she first moved there, she insisted that the whole family read Main Street. I resisted for a long time but finally gave in and read it. It wasn’t at all what I was expecting. Now I’d consider Sinclair Lewis one of my favorite authors.
On a side note, I find it humorous that Lewis is now Sauk Centre’s favorite son. After Main Street came out, everyone hated him because of his scathing depiction of the town. Apparently some of the characters were easily recognizable as having been based on real people. Now they celebrate Sinclair Lewis Days and the school’s athletic teams are nicknamed the “Streeters.”
Absolutely you must. Wodehouse’s Jeeves and Wooster novels are unparalleled. I think it is universally agreed that his Jeeves novels are better than most of his other stuff; and his early to middle stuff better than his late stuff. So if you can get your mitts on some of his Jeeves novels that were written during his prime you will be a happy man. Those books (The Mating Season; Thank You Jeeves; Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit; Joy in the Morning, etc) are absolute genius.
600 or so years later, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is still a fantastic read.
More modern, but Poe, Stoker, and Lovecraft are still wonderful, and I think even unintentionally benefit from their age since I think that we have been trained in modern times to equate Victorian to creepiness and suspense.
The Odyssey has aged well. The Iliad, not so much. Monsters and action and clever tricks are exciting to every generation; the Wrath of Achilles pretty much requires you to get inside an aristocratic Hellene mindset.
BTW, to read a lot of these, you don’t even need to get up from your computer – they’re available on Project Gutenberg.
I don’t know if “classic” fits, but how about Kurt Vonnegut? I have all his books, and occasionally reread him.
Ooh, just thought of another one: Jack London. Try The Sea Wolf or The Call of the Wild.
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird
Jack London’s Call of the Wild
Henry Fielding’s Tom Jones
Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep
Truman Capote’s short stories
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice