I have a tendency to have multiple books under way at the same time. This week I've been working my way through Catch-22 and the Dune series. Initially I had trouble with Catch-22 as it seemed very repetitive and overly "wordy" but soon the absurd and paradoxical world really won me over. The last time I read Dune was in my early teens and it is interesting to note how differently the story now reads (I'm now in my late 30s).
It is one of my favorite books in its genre. :) I can't really articulate exactly what draws me to it but I do find many of the political and philosophical ideas presented in it fascinating. The series is also worth reading as it expands the lore quite a bit and makes re-reading of the first book even more interesting.
Glad to hear how expansive the universe is. I read Ender's Game when I was in high school and I really hope Dune will grab me as much as that did. It's really interesting how many parallels to Native American genocide I'm picking up on as I rethink it's plot. I'm assuming Dune alludes to Oil production?