On the Road didn't do much for me. What was bold and shocking in the '50s just doesn't have much impact in an age when your average college kid can say he's experienced many of the things which Kerouac recounts. That might just be a measure of how influential the man was, though. Oh, and sometimes he just comes across as the guy who's trying too hard to be cool.

The Stendhal and the Nabokov are excellent. Actually, The Red and the Black would be an excellent choice for a book club discussion. Julien Sorel is one of the most interesting characters in literature, even if he is an unlikable little prick.