Brian Jacques: The redwall series and his other books (flying dutchman and a few others, all good. You will laugh and cry, but mostly laugh. And he's so many out in the Redwall series you'll be laughing for ages.
Richard Adams: The Watership Down, Tales from the Watership Down, plague dogs and others. He is an excelleant writer. He pulls you into the story and keeps you there till the end.
Jane Austen, she was a funny funny lady and lived way before her time. She's a bit hard at first with the differance in speach, but the humor is the same

It's a true shame her books couldn't be done justice in the movies, however my kid makes me give her 'blow-by-blows' of the 'behind the scenes action' when we watch them.
JK Rowling just RULES! I don't know why people want to ban her books, other than having something against good reading.
Christopher Paolini: Eragon, The Eldest and the third book is being writen, I hope.. grr! I hate waiting!!! Eragon is going to be released in the movies this x-mas, can't wait!
David Clement-Davies: FireBringer, The Alchemist of Barbal, The Telling Pool and The Sight. Outstanding books that put some of our beliefs in a new light.
C.S. Lewis: Chronicals of Narnia. These books just prove 'short' doesn't mean bad. I love them for that short reality break they give me and that beautiful world I get to visit.
Jean Auel: She'll teach you so much with out you ever realising you are being taught. Only problem is she takes AGES to write 'the next book.' But she writes so well you will sit grumbling waiting. Nothing else you can do short of sitting on her lawn with a picket sign saying 'write woman, write'
Jack London, Mark Twain, the Bronte sisters, Jules Vernon I could go on and on and on and on, my head is simply swimming with books that need to be read again and again. Never discount a 'classic' it has earned that term for a very good reason. I hope you get bite by the book bug and learn to enjoy the insight you get from living for a short time atleast, in someone else's imagination.