I’ve been reading these works all my life, because I enjoy them. I am now working on Virgil’s AENEID again.
The Odyssey and the Iliad were phenomenal, but I really liked Monkey by Wu Ch’êng-ên, a novel written in the mid-1500s. It was a fascinating story of an epic journey from China to India by Prince Tripitaka, with the hero encountering seductresses, dragons, bandits, changelings, spirits, gods, demigods, demons, ogres, monsters, evil wizards, and various fairies. I actually enjoyed it more than the works of Homer.
I fully agree with you — the classics are not dry and boring. They hold true for today as they held true for 800 BC. I would also suggest the Gathas, Puranas and also Livy and Lucius.