The ones on this list I enjoyed thoroughly and couldn't put down were Catch 22, The Name of the Rose, both of the Dumas (in the original french), 1984, Brave New World (an interesting pair; giving the right-wing and left-wing dystopias), Cryptonomicon, Slaughterhouse Five, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (but this seems to leave many people cold), and both of the Eco books (these also seem somewhat unpopular).

Books that I think have merit but feel like "work" to read: the Homers, the Dostoyevskys, the Rands, Great Expectations, Don Quijote

Books I'm surprised are not on this list: Of Mice and Men, Death of a Salesman, Waiting for Godot, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.