For children's books, I will have to go with 'The Little Prince'. 'The Secret Garden' is a close second. Both are berry beautiful philosophical pieces that you enjoy as a child and truly appreciate as an adult. I heard that 'Night on the Galactic Railroad' was another good one, and I watched the anime movie featuring the two cats but not the novel (Movies don't count). It's something on my to-do list once my Japanese improves.
Now, as for literature aimed at an older audience, one of my favorites has to be 'The Confederacy of Dunces'. As a short summary, you may as well call it 'Anon's Eberryday Life' (And yes, my phrasing of the summary is a reference to that guro manga). I was told to read 'Don Quixote' next so that'll be my next stop.
'The Brothers Karamazov' is also one that I have read a bit of and have yet to finish, but already I am enjoying it immensely. Dostoevsky has so far touched my heart with what I've read from him, and that is rare. People make fun of his prose but he enriches the heart, right down to its core.
Now this next book, 'Memories of My Melancholy Whores' isn't a contender for my best book but I mention it because I hear so little of it. It's by the same man who wrote 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' and the prose (well, the english translated prose by Edith Grossman) was berry bretty. Subject matter is somewhat similar to Lolita, take that as you will. I find it funny how two books about older men taking advantage of young girls can have such wonde