Whenever anyone asks me for a seriously good read that is not too 'serious' I always offer
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. Don't let the fact that it's a 'western' put you off. You forget that after the first chapter or so.
Another read that's a lot of fun and not too heavy is
Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe.
Michael Chabon, David Sedaris, John Irving - any of their books are totally readable, yet totally outstanding.
And if want to read something that will really blow your mind with both extreme subject matter and extremely beautiful writing try,
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn.
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov is a very engaging read and by turns very funny and very disturbing.
That's all I can think of right now.
I second snowy's The Great Gatsby recommendation. It's one of my all-time favorites.
