In the reading days of my youth I remember liking Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Also autocorrect tried to change his name to Ray Headbutt :data-laughing:

Steinbeck’s Of Mice & Men is a good quick read.

I still think To Kill a Mockingbird and Great Gatsby hold up well.

And the Waters Still Run by Angie Debo might be up your alley.

Have heard good things about The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah but personally have not read it yet.

Edgar Allen Poe is pretty sweet

For Whom the Bell Tolls. Protagonist is fighting fascists

I’ll recommend La Bête humaine by Émile Zola. It’s surprisingly like a modern crime novel, complete with murderous, deranged protagonists and criminal intrigue. Also, the pacing is well done, which is usually my biggest problem with older prose. And it’s about trains, which is always a plus.