You can't go wrong with the classics, so I'll start this off with a couple of my favorites: The Iliad & The Odyssey by Homer. These epic poems have stood the test of time for 2800 years. There are a lot of translations, and they vary wildly. If I knew how to read ancient Greek, I'd get a copy of both stories in their original form. Since I can't, I've settled on the Samuel Butler translation. To make settling on a translation easier, there is a website that allows people to freely compare the different translations, so you know what to look for if you head out and grab a copy of either or both of these phenomenal stories.
The Iliad is set in the final weeks of the Trojan War, a decade-long siege of Troy by a coalition of Greek city-states. It focuses primarily on the fury of Achilles, Greece's greatest warrior. Achilles withdraws from the battle, however, when King Agamemnon dishonors him, leading to Trojan advances.
The Odyssey chronicles the decade-long journey of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, as he returns home after the Trojan War. It covers the final six weeks of his journey, starting with Odysseus trapped on the island of Ogygia by the nymph Calypso. On the way home, Odysseus battles other monsters, such as the Cyclops, and faces the wrath of Poseidon, the god of the sea, while his wife Penelope and son Telemachus defend their home in Ithaca against aggressive suitors who presume Odysseus is dead.
