[springs]

I don't know if you're into humour, but if so someone like Terry Prachett is excellent, and each book can be read seperately, or in order, or Douglas Adam's Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy is good fun.
I think the Hobbit is a good suggestion, it's a good read and zips along nicely,plus the movies due soon.
Ender's Game by Card is a nice, short book, and again there's a movie coming along, so it's in vogue at the mo.
I'm also wondering, looking at your first post, if standalone's rather than a series might be good? Sometimes it's nice to read something and then put it to the side and move to something else? Taking on something like Game of thrones, WOT, LOTR, they are all big series.