The Decamaron by Giovanni Boccaccio is one of my favourite books. It's writen as ten different people telling a story each for ten days, during the Plague. I like it for different reasons. There are different types of story, some funny, some tragic, some risque, with realistic characters. You also get an insight into what people were like at that time, and the fact that they weren't really that different to us (although some views on women, for example, have changed rather a lot). I also liked the Diary of a Nobody, which is quite funny and also gives an insight into the people of the time. Even though the protagonist (can't think of his name off the top of my head) can be quite pompous at times, he is still a sympathetic character, and you want him to do well, even when you know he won't. Among more modern books I'd have to say everything that I've read by Neil Gaiman has been excellent. I love the way he can take aspects of religions, myths, etc. and make a mythology all his own from them. Hope this is the sort of thing you wanted to know.