Our all-female "of a certain age" bookclub also likes to mix our monthly selections among new and old fiction, as well as non-fiction. Some of the early 20th century writers are somewhat neglected these days, such as Willa Cather (we read The Lark), Fitzgerald (we read The Great Gatsby), and on to John Steinbeck (we read Grapes of Wrath). I think it is very interesting to re-read some of these classics that perhaps you read when a young person - your perspective may have changed, and you may discover a book that speaks to you now in a way it didn't then. I really liked Saul Bellow's The Adventures of Augie March, Wallace Stegner's Angle of Repose (to echo Jon's recommendations), and becoming re-acquainted with Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye was just great!

Going back to the 19th Century, Thomas Hardy is always good for discussion. We read Tess of the D'Urbervilles and thoroughly enjoyed our discussion of the time and place. I want to take on Theodore Dreiser and Sinclair Lewis, and Thomas Wolff, to see how they stand up to our contemporary eyes - but remember, those books are much longer then we are used to reading today!

Good luck!