Go for "Great Expectations", "David Copperfield" and "Bleak House". If they are not great novels, I don't know what are.

Dickens is full of extremely theatrical scenes. The characters are often a caricature, but the caricature is so finely drawn that it is tremendous fun.

(Nobody should be ashamed for having read or not read some work though, or for having enjoyed or not enjoyed one.)

To each his own. I love Dickens, though I haven't read that much.

Dumas was also paid by the word. Still fun to read.