Anthem is easy to read, I promise. Not long or repetitive, too, unlike most of Rand's other stuff. "100 Hair-Raising Little Horror Stories" compiled by Al Sarrantonio. There are really 100, and they are really scary stories; not 8-year-olds' urban legend stuff.
Atlas Shrugged. Because knowing what insanity looks like is the best way to combat it That was mean, I know. I would say I don't really have any must reads. Maybe any sort of religious text that you ever wish to comment on. Because spouting off supposed knowledge on something you've never read=the height of stupidity.
If you are a young adult interested in science fiction, then try "Citizen of the Galaxy" by Robert Heinlein... Lonnie Courtney Clay
Dude, the intertubes never lie. No need to read it myself. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury is wonderful, but I'm guessing you've already read that.
1984 is a good book. I recommend "Catch-22" Joseph Heller. Know how he came up with the number? Best friend's birthday. A famous phrase made up because of a birthday.
- If you like Thrillers, then I would definitely recommend anything by Vince Flynn. Tom Clancy, Brad Thor, and Stephen Hunter [Bob Lee Swagger series] are also good. - Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle are good for mysteries [I'd recommend the Poirot series and And Then There Were None for the former, and any of the Sherlock Holmes stories for the latter, though The Hound of the Baskervilles is my favorite]. - If you like Poetry, then Edgar Allan Poe is it for you. - If you like short stories, then anything by Edgar Allan Poe; The Most Dangerous Game, by Richard Connell; and The Interlopers, by Saki are all amazing. - For urban fantasy, Jim Butcher's Dresden Files are fabulous first-person narratives. - If you enjoy classic literature, then anything by Tolkien; anything by C.S. Lewis; The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas; and Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo. I'd also recommend The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger; Animal Farm and 1984, by George Orwell; and The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde. And that's it from me.
I can’t say I've got the best taste, but some of my favourites are the Uhtred Saga (hence the username) by Bernard Cornwell which I believe are good collection. I also thought the Runelord series by David Farland was unique and entertaining. As for dragons and such, I actually thought the Temeraire books by Naomi Novik were entertaining. And I have read the majority of the David Gemmell books; in which case, my two favourite (and the first two I read) are the White Wolf and The Swords of Night and Day.