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Got to www.teach12.com and start perusing their Literature section of the catalog. I've found it a painless way to start figuring out which works of literature to concentrate on, while accumulating enough context and history to enable me to enjoy the books.

This will vary widely on who you ask depending on their taste.Jane Smiley, in her book, "13 Ways of Looking at the Novel" has a list of 100 novels. You can actually see the list on Amazon buy clicking on the "Look Inside" the book feature. Also, Francine Prose has a book, "Reading Like a Writer" where she includes a chapter, Books to Be Read Immediately (although not all novels.) My advice, head out to your local bookstore and browse the Literature section. Pick some out and read the first page. See who strikes a chord. There is nothing worse than trying to slog through something you dislike--it might put you off entirely. Keep in mind that older literature has more description--be patient--it will pay off. Also, you might do a search on Amazon for something you are interested in outside of literature. Say, search for "sea fiction". (And yes, Hemingway isn't a bad place to start. :)

I'm new to writing and reading literature, so I was wondering who are the top novelist to read?