Let me single out astorian’s recommendation of The Brothers Karamazov. It’s crazy how many times I’ve been able to milk that one in conversation with intellectual types, and this is without bringing it up first.
Try these:
THE NEW LIFETIME READING PLAN by Clifton Fadiman, one of the smartest editors of the 20th century.
THE BOOKS IN MY LIFE by Henry Miller, one of the horniest novelists of the 20th century.
CLASSICS REVISITED and MORE CLASSICS REVISITED by Kenneth Rexroth, one of the coolest poets of the 20th century.
astorian and Ukelele Ike have it correct - if this is meant to be “list my favorite 20 books” or “list books from the past 20 years” fine - post away. But if you are truly looking to answer “What does it mean to be considered Well Read” in a true sense of the phrase, then the books astorian listed are a start, and the Lifetime Reading Plan listed by Ike is a great reference.
Please note - most folks don’t get close to reading all of this stuff, so don’t look at the list and get intimidated - just look at it as an opportunity.
“Well Read” does NOT mean “reads a lot”. Nor does it mean “has read a ton of books from the past century”. The jury is still out on what books from the past 100 years will stand the test of time - will Joyce’s “Ulysses”? “Catcher in the Rye” Anything by Stephen King? Who knows? But we do know that a few books each century have stood the test of time and are considered the biggest shapers of the writing, thinking and self-expression we experience today. Knowing what those are and why they are so influential, even if you haven’t read them all yourself, is putting your feet on the path of being well read.
My $.02