I was ignoring books... until I learned how much reading is important and helpful. So, I want you to suggest for me some novels or short stories...

You can't imagine what a pleasure it is for us readers to recommend books to someone who is just starting to appreciate reading. While I don't know what level you are in at school, I will do my best to suggest a few books you might enjoy. 

You may follow the updated Sherlock Holmes on television, but have you ever read the collected stories, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle? Sherlock Holmes solved mysteries with the help of his friend, Dr. Watson, through his incredible powers of logic and observation, a long time before there was such a thing as criminal forensics.  These are fascinating stories that also give us a glimpse into another time and place, 19th and early 20th century England.  These stories were so popular in their day that Conan Doyle, who had killed off Holmes in a final story, had to bring him back because his reading public demanded more of Holmes.

For a combination of adventure and science fiction, Michael Crichton is a wonderful author.  You might try Congo, The Andromeda Strain, or Jurassic Park. (Yes, this was a book before it was a movie.) In the first, explorers discover a mysterious and dangerous culture that I don't want to say too much about for fear of ruining the story, in the second, a group of scientists must track down a deadly virus that is extraterrestrial, and the third, you no doubt already know something about.

Many people find Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom, to be an inspirational read. This book discusses a series of Tuesdays that Albom has with his old professor, who is dying of a terrible disease.  Morrie is an inspirational character, passing on his profound thoughts about life, learning, and death to Albom.

A book that I have always liked is Enders Game, by Orson Scott Card. This is science fiction, about the training of a young man who is the earth's best hope of conquering enemies from space.  Don't be deceived by the babyish cover. I first read this book when I was over fifty, and I enjoyed every page.  It is exciting and surprising to its very end. 

Probably my most favorite book is The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It takes place in the American Roaring Twenties, featuring the mysterious Gatsby, who may or may not have been a gangster, but who has acquired enough wealth to remake himself, in an effort to win the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan, who is from a wealthy family and who has now married Tom Buchanan, one of the ugliest characters in American fiction.  Daisy is Gatsby's dream, representing the American Dream, that anyone can succeed here.  The first time you read it, you will be probably be reading it just to see what happens to Gatsby, but each time you read it, you will discover more and more, about the rich and the poor, about character, and about feelings.  I reread it myself every few years, and I still notice things that I hadn't previously.

This should get you off to a good start, with some variety, since it is difficult to know what your interests and tastes in literature are going to be.  The more you read, the more you will enjoy reading, because you will get better at it and get more meaning out of it. It is important, and it's wonderful that you are beginning to realize this.