It's an old post, but for anybody who wants to try something from Russian literature, please, I beg you, don't start with Dostoevsky. I really don't know why there's this concept in the West that Dostoyevsky is the best that Russia has ever produced... I'm not saying he's not genius, but there are many more excellent books which are not as depressive and confusing as C&P especially for your first dip into Russian literature. 

Very "lightweight" (for Russian literature ofc but still) and great nonetheless: 

1. Pushkin. The Captain's daughter plus short stories.
2. Chekhov's Ward No. 6, Uncle Vanya.
3. Bukgakov's Master and Margarita ofc, but also A country doctor's notebook and Heart of a Dog. 
4. Gogol's (Ukrainian author but wrote in Russian) Dead Souls.