The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"by Robert Louis Stevenson

Its nice to be able to check a renown literary classic off your life reading list; its even nicer to really enjoy the literary classic you're reading, rather than simply enduring it. I'm happy to say that "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" was a classic I thoroughly enjoyed, and I can absolutely see why it has earned its place as a touchstone in our popular culture.
This story falls into the category of "a story that everyone already thinks they know," even if they've never read it (like "Dracula," and "Frankenstein"). And just like many high school and college readers are surprised to discover that Frankenstein is NOT the name of the monster (and even more surprised to learn that the monster is not even really the bad guy, in many ways), I was happily surprised at the depth and detail of this tale. Sure, the basics that we all think we know are there: an amateur scientist develops a tonic that turns him from time to time into a hideous beastly wretch. Yeah, that's the gist...but there's so much more. It is a really fun adventure and mystery story, to begin...not the dry Victorian prose I was expecting. And at its heart it is a nuanced and profound exploration of identity and morality, of the ethical dangers that lie on the scientific frontier, and an unflinching look at the evil which lies just beneath the surface in us all. It is the best of both worlds: an intellectual and thoughtful page-turner. Suffice it to say, I loved it.
Its a quick read, too: my edition clocks in at a very modest and weekend-readable 88 pages, and additionally includes a few other short stories by Robert Louis Stevenson (which were also very fun).
If you're looking for a canonized classic that you can humbly announce you're reading - but you want it to go down easier than cod liver oil - "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" would be a great choice.