Classic Literature

I was told in grad school it is important to read a variety of literature. It's a good piece of wisdom, but gaining a wide range of reading is difficult in grad school. Please make suggestions of literature. I will provide a brief description of the book from the book's cover and any comments or descriptions of mine I will put in italics. Turn off the television and read!

1. A Tale of Two Cities: Set at the rise of the French Revolution, Charles Darnay leaves the aristocratic life in France to start anew in England. But Darnay cannot escape his past and is threatened by the guillotine. Will Darnay die at the hands of the revolutionists? Will Sydney Carton step in at his death and care for his wife and child? A Charles Dickens masterpiece.
2. Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained: John Milton's classic poems in one volume. In graphic and gripping poetry, Milton tells the story of Lucifer's fall from heaven, the temptation of Adam and Eve and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. I've been told that when the pilgrims came to America they came with two books: The Bible and Paradise Lost. I'm sure they had more books, but the point is to stress the important of Paradise Lost in the development of American religion.  
3. The Brothers Karamazov: Featuring the famous chapter 'The Grand Inquisitor,' Fyodor Dostoyevsky's masterpiece is at once a complex character study, a riveting muder mystery, and a fascinating examination of man's morality and the question of God's existence.
4. Crime and  Punishment: Drawing upon experiences from his own prison days, the author, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, recounts in feverish, compelling tones the story of Raskolnikov, an impoverished student tormented by his own nihilism, and the struggle between good and evil.
5. Les Miserables: Victor Hugo's classic tale set against the backdrop of political upheaval in 19th-century France retains its timeless appeal in this notably condensed rendition of the struggles of former convict Jean Valjean.
6. Walden: Accounts of Henry David Thoreau's daily life on the shores of Walden Pond outside Concord, Massachusetts, are interwoven with musings on the virtues of self-reliance and individual freedom, on society, government, and other topics.
7. The Divine Comedy: Described as the "fifth gospel" because of its evangelical purpose, this spiritual autobiography creates a world in which reason and faith have transformed moral and social chaos into order. It is one of the most important works in the literature of Western Europe and is considered the greatest poem of the European Middle Ages. Author: Dante Alighieri.
8. The Count of Monte Cristo: Falsely accused of plotting the return of Napoleon, arrested on his wedding day, locked away in an island prison, and given up for dead, Edmond Dantes survives his captivity and goes on to wreak havoc on his betrayers. Author: Alexander Dumas
9. 1984: Hidden away in the Record Department of the sprawling Ministry of Truth, Winston Smith skilfully rewrites the past to suit the needs of the Party. Yet he inwardly rebels against the totalitarian world he lives in, which demands absolute obedience and controls him through the all-seeing telescreens and the watchful eye of Big Brother, symbolic head of the Party. In his longing for truth and liberty, Smith begins a secret love affair with a fellow-worker Julia, but soon discovers the true price of freedom is betrayal. Author: George Orwell. This book was really significant in my personal analysis of the systems of control in my life and the institutions that feed me information.   
10. Siddhartha: With parallels to the enlightenment of the Buddha, Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha is the story of a young Brahmin's quest for the ultimate reality. Steeped in the tenets of both psychoanalysis and Eastern mysticism, Siddhartha presents an original view of man and culture, and the arduous process of self-discovery that leads to reconciliation, harmony, and peace. I think this is such an important book for people going through a transition in life. Important to read and digest.