Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. Great true story about a convit escaping prison and ending up in India. It's got ~900 pages though, but is well worth a read.
Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (five book series). Probably the funniest books I ever read. Funnier than most cartoons.
A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehan (and the rest in the series about Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro). Thriller books about two detectives in Boston. Funny and moving at the same time.
If you don't read much the books by Dan Brown should be pretty good as well, there's a LOT of cliffhangers, and from my experience this appeals to fresh readers.