This may seem weird, but I read a Mrs. Polifax book to my kids and they got into the series. The books are about a grandmother during the Cold War who is bored with her life, so she volunteers to be a spy.
Other adult books that I read as a teen:
Mystery
Agatha Christie
Phyllis Whitney
Elizabeth Peters
Historical Fiction
Thomas B. Costain - Some of these are better than others. My favorite by far is Below the Salt which has Supernatural/Time elements (unlike his other books)
Alan Drury wrote some great political fiction, which although somewhat dated sometimes seem amazingly current, in that they’re more about power and the interweaving of political structures. He was definitely right-wing (old school, not MAGA), so you have to balance that perspective when you read them
Misc.
Rebecca
Cheaper by the Dozen (hilarious biography, but sad at the end)
Flowers by Algernon - great book, I think there may be sone sex, but I don’t remember it being graphic