There are two books I think every lay Catholic should read immediately, and they are both by Scott Hahn: The Lamb's Supperand Hail Holy Queen. I also recommend Mother Angelica's mini-books (some are available from the EWTN website). Then there is Fr. Benedict Groeschel: The Cross at Ground Zero, Arise from Darkness, and most especially Healing the Original Wound: Reflections on the Full Meaning of Salvation.
Preparing Yourself for Mass by Romano Guardini is a really helpful work for cradle Catholics, converts, reverts, and even cradle Episcopalians (who ought to be Catholic...LOL).
Now here I will show tremendous bias: get ahold of the Paulist Press's one volume on the writings of St. Francis and St. Clare. Also read St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Therese of Liseux, and read St. Faustina's Diary.
Patrick Madrid has written some books that may be helpful in the area of apologetics. And I think everyone should read Bud Macfarlane Jr.'s novels available through www.catholicity.com.
I would also recommend subscribing to a few good Catholic magazines like Crisis, Magnificat (a wonderful monthly compendium of all of the texts for the Liturgy of the Hours, Daily Mass together with a wealth of information), New Oxford Review (which has published in the current issue a most excellent short story by our own Dr. Brian Kopp, ....
I offer those as beginning ideas, and encourage you to read the Scriptures alongside any other reading you do -- especially read the Psalms daily. Now I've gone from suggestin' to meddlin'. God bless you!
Peter Kreeft's works are immeasurable aids too. For a beginner the Summa of the Summa is a good intro. to St. Thomas Aquinas and Thomistic thought.
And I can't help but recommend Michael O'Brien's brilliant novels especially Father Elijah: An Apocalypse.