The Far Pavilions question

Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum worked for me as a reread after 15 years.

Helen Hooven Santmeyrs' And Ladies of the Club. Best historical novel I have ever read.

One of my great favourites is: The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracey Chevalier. It is so brilliant because it is short and every word is considered. Girl With a Pearl Earring

Girl with a Pearl Earing was first published 1999 though - only 16 years ago.

For me

Night Life of the Gods - Thorne Smith
Frozen Assets - PG Wodehouse
Green Dolphin St - Elizabeth Goudge
Steamboat Gothic Frances Parkinson Keyes
Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier
Then There Were None - Agatha Christie
Devil's Cub - Georgette Heyer
Mistrees of Mellyn - Victoria Holt
Captain Blood - Rafael Sabatini
Desiree - Ann Marie Selinko
Forever Amber - Katherine Winsor (sp)
Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald

The Mote in Gods Eye - Larry Niven
The House of God - Samuel Shem
Any thing by Agatha Christie, PG Wodehouse, Gerald Durrell or Terry Prattchet.
Or if you wish to go vampirish/sci fi which I frequently do- Diane Whiteside vampire series is good, Lynn Viehl's Darkyn series was also very good, Anne Rice's books are great and you could start at the beginning of Laurell K Hamilton series- something I did 18 months or so ago

I was very impressed with "the ladies" - Had never heard of it - bought it at a garage sale - and loved it;

I'm a Michener(SP?) fan and I reread Hawaii after many years - enjoyed it all over again.
Ditto Lord of the Rings.