Journey
Youth - My reading affair began at 12, and a Jesuit school taught me grammar and the basics of writing.
Adult - College was an unhappy time, reading continued, and real-world editors taught me how to write.
Following are classic poems and short stories that appear in the English category, and many are read aloud by gifted narrators or acted out by talented thespians. An opinion is expressed by choices. The numbering is merely that, not a ranking.

classic poetry
  1. The Bridge, Longfellow The Bridge
  2. A Dream Within a Dream, Poe a dream within a dream
  3. The Cremation of Sam McGee, Robert W. Service cremation
  4. Scorn Not the Least, Southwell scorn not the least
  5. The Soldier, Rupert Brooke The Soldier & Mary's Son (Kipling)
  6. Only Cherries & The Temple, Patchen only cherries & the temple
  7. The Adventures of Isabel, Ogden Nash adventures of Isabel
  8. The White Man’s Burden, Kipling the white man's burden
  9. Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Coleridge rime of the ancient mariner
  10. The Hound of Heaven, Francis Thompson hound of heaven
  11. The Dance of Death, Baudelaire The dance of death
  12. How Do I Love Thee? Browning How Do I Love Thee
  13. Channel Firing, Hardy channel firing
  14. The Prisoner, Emily Brontë the Prisoner
  15. The Diplomatic Platypus, Patrick Barrington the diplomatic platypus
  16. “Hope”, Dickinson hope is the thing with feathers
  17. The Dying Swan, Tennyson, The Dying Swan
  18. The Charge of the Light Brigade, Tennyson Charge of the Light Brigade 
  19. Pocahontas, Thackeray pocahontas
  20. ​The Song of Hiawatha (partial), Longfellow The song of hiawatha
  21. Travel, Stevenson Victorian Era
  22. Because I could not stop for death, Dickinson emily dickinson, poet
  23. Daffodils, Wordsworth Daffodils
  24. ​The Conqueror Worm, Poe the conqueror worm
  25. Recessional, Kipling Recessional
  26. ​Trees, Kilmer trees
  27. The Ocean, Hawthorne The Ocean
  28. In Flanders Field, John McCrae In Flanders Fields
  29. Mary Magdalen’s Blushe, Southwell blush
  30. The Phoenix and the Turtle, Shakespeare The Phoenix and the Turtle
  31. The Cat That Walked By Himself, Kipling the cat that walked by himself
  32. Evening Solace, Charlotte Brontë evening solace
  33. The Day Is Done, Longfellow the day is done
  34. Tarantella, Belloc tarantella
  35. Magdalene's Complaint at Christ's Death, Southwell, McElroy
  36. Loves Horoscope, Crashaw loves horoscope
  37. Great Men, Emerson great men
  38. I Have a Rendezvous with Death, Seeger I Have a Rendezvous with Death
  39. I die alive, Southwell, I die alive
  40. Sonnet V, Edna St. Vincent Millay end of the world
  41. ​Alone, Poe alone
  42. Our Watermelon Patch, Ottis Shirk Our Watermelon Patch
  43. The Captain’s Daughter, James T. Fields captain's daughter
  44. The Raven, Poe prowlers or the raven
  45. Annabel Lee, Poe Annabel Lee
  46. Tymes Goe by Turnes, Southwell tymes goe by turnes
  47. The House on the Hill, Edwin Arlington Robinson The House on the Hill
  48. Gifts, Belloc Gifts
  49. Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening, Frost Robert Frost
  50. Christmas Bells, Longfellow christmas bells
  51. A word is dead, Emily Dickinson dickinson
  52. If, Kipling kipling
  53. The Donkey, G.K. Chesterton The Donkey
  54. Spring and Fall, Gerard Manley Hopkins spring and fall
  55. Sonnet 116, Shakespeare Sonnet 116
​
classic short story
  1. The Tell-Tale Heart, Poe, gothic horror The Tell-Tale Heart
  2. The Outsider, Lovecraft, science fiction The Outsider
  3. The Coin of Dionysius, Ernest Bramah Smith, detective Coin of Dionysius
  4. The Secret of the Growing Gold, Bram Stoker, mystery The Secret of the Growing Gold
  5. The Tomb, Lovecraft, science fiction The Tomb
  6. After Twenty Years, O. Henry, police procedural after twenty years
  7. The Rebellion, Michelle Lore, science fiction the rebellion
  8. Toy Shop, Harry Harrison, science fiction Toy Shop
  9. Crooked Souls, Dashiell Hammett, detective crooked souls
  10. The Man of the Crowd, Poe, ratiocinative The Man of the Crowd
  11. A Little Journey, Ray Bradbury, science fiction A Little Journey
  12. The Gun, Philip K. Dick, science fiction The Gun
  13. The Adventure of the Dying Detective, Arthur Conan Doyle, detective dying detective
  14. The Candle, Tolstoy, morality tale The Candle
  15. Confession Time, Stella Whitelaw, detective misadventure Confession Time
  16. The Yellow Wallpaper, Gillman, gothic horror The Yellow Wallpaper
  17. The Box of Robbers, L. Frank Baum, morality tale The Box of Robbers
  18. The Blue Hotel, Crane, naturalism The Blue Hotel
  19. The Happy Prince, Wilde, allegory The Happy Prince
  20. Icarus and Daedalus, Ovid, morality tale daedalus
  21. Why I Live at the P.O., Welty, Southern realism Why I live at the PO
  22. Small Town, Philip K. Dick, science fiction Small Town
  23. Three short stories, Fritz Leiber, science fiction Fritz Leiber
  24. One Hour, Dashiell Hammett, detective One Hour
  25. A Lodging for the Night, Stevenson, historical fiction Lodging for the Night
  26. Lemmings, Matheson, flash fiction Lemmings
  27. Girl, O. Henry, mystery Girl
  28. To Build a Fire, Jack London, adventure To Build a Fire
  29. Two Military Executions, Bierce, war/supernatural Two Military Executions
  30. When I Knew Stephen Crane, Cather, regionalism When I Knew
  31. A School Story, M.R. James, ghost school story
  32. The Case of the Left-Handed Fan, Brett Halliday, detective The Case of the Left-handed Fan
  33. ​The Four-Fifteen Express, Amelia B. Edwards, ghost The Four-Fifteen
  34. The Possibility of Evil, Shirley Jackson, domestic horror the possibility of evil
  35. Mars Is Heaven, Bradbury, radio drama, science fiction Mars Is Heaven
  36. The Midnight Sun, Rod Serling, radio drama, science fiction midnight sun
  37. Oh Whistle and I’ll Come to You, M.R. James, ghost oh whistle and I'll come to you
  38. The Swimmer, John Cheever, fantasy/reality The Swimmer
  39. Horror Horn, E.F. Benson, horror horror horn
  40. The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin, family irony kate chopin
  41. The Furnished Room, O. Henry, realism room for rent
  42. The Case of Lady Sannox, Arthur Conan Doyle, mystery The Case of Lady Sannox
  43. ​The Temple, Lovecraft, horror the temple
  44. The Temple of the Holy Ghost, O’Connor, Southern realism Temple of the Holy Ghost
  45. Bodies Piled Up, Dashiell Hammett, detective bodies piled up
  46. The Hitchhiker, Dahl, thriller the hitchhiker
  47. The Life You Save May Be Your Own, O'Connor, Southern romance The Life You Save
  48. The Model Millionaire, Wilde, humor the model millionaire
  49. The Five Chinese Brothers, Bishop, morality tale five chinese brothers
  50. One Summer Night, Bierce, mystery one summer night
  51. The Oblong Box, Poe, horror The Oblong Box
  52. The Star Child, Wilde, fable the star child
  53. The Last Leaf, O. Henry, morality tale O. Henry
  54. Marionettes, Inc., Bradbury, speculative Marionettes, Inc
  55. The Beast in the Cave, Lovecraft, horror right-handed
  56. A Good Man Is Hard to Find, O’Connor, Southern romance flannery
  57. Brave New World, Huxley, radio drama, science fiction brave new world
  58. ​The Last Question, Asimov, science fiction The Last Question
  59. How to Make a Million Dollars, Stephen Leacock, humor How to Make a Million Dollars
  60. The Most Dangerous Game, Richard Connell, adventure The Most Dangerous Game
  61. Hills Like White Elephants, Hemingway, realism hills like white elephants
  62. In the Confessional, Amelia B. Edwards, ghost in the confessional
  63. The Watcher, R.H. Benson, ghost reading list - short
  64. Harrison Bergeron, Vonnegut, science fiction Harrison Bergeron
  65. Hearts and Hands, O. Henry, humorous romance Hearts and Hands
  66. The Gift of the Magi, O. Henry, dramatic irony The Gift of the Magi
  67. The Lottery, Shirley Jackson, horror What's a lottery, really?
  68. Just Lather, That’s All, Telez, historical fiction “Just Lather, That’s All”
  69. Examination Day, Slesar, science fiction Examination Day Slesar
  70. Button, Button, Matheson, fantasy Button, Button
  71. The Cask of Amontillado, Poe, gothic horror The Cask of Amontillado
  72. The Appointment in Samarra, Maugham, flash fiction Appointment in Samarra
  73. Red Wind, Chandler, detective Red Wind (Ch. 1 of novel)
  74. The Little Sister, Chandler, animated drama, detective The Little Sister
  75. ​The Long Goodbye, Chandler, detective The Long Goodbye
  76. The Orange Dog, Chandler, radio drama, detective The Orange Dog

See The Outsider definitions for more Lovecraft sources.

Classic novels I've read and recommend:
  1. The Caine Mutiny
  2. ​Mutiny on the Bounty
  3. The Power and the Glory
  4. To Kill a Mockingbird
  5. Tess of the d'Urbervilles
  6. The Woman in White
  7. Vanity Fair
  8. Jane Eyre
  9. ​The Citadel
  10. Lost Horizon
  11. ​Kidnapped
  12. The Grapes of Wrath
  13. Heart of Darkness
  14. Gulliver's Travels
  15. The Return of the Native
  16. The Moonstone
  17. The Hound of the Baskervilles
  18. The Old Man and the Sea
  19. The Keys of the Kingdom
  20. The Last of the Mohicans
  21. The Red Badge of Courage
  22. Treasure Island
  23. Kim
  24. Robinson Crusoe
  25. The Great Gatsby
  26. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
  27. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
  28. The Catcher in the Rye
  29. Lord of the Flies
  30. A Passage to India
  31. The Brothers Karamazov
  32. 1984
  33. Fahrenheit 451
  34. Emma
  35. The Scarlet Letter
  36. Brave New World
  37. The Devil's Advocate (M. West)
  38. Animal Farm
  39. The Call of the Wild
  40. White Fang
  41. McTeague
​​
For boys:
The Hardy Boys (original series)