Having read most of the post-ROTJ books, I can atest to the quality of good portion of them. If you're really interested, James, I'd start with the Heir to the Empire trilogy, then go with the Rogue and Wraith Squadron series, and then I, Jedi. New Jedi Order is a interesting concept that falls on it's face near the end, Legacy of the Force is very good up until the last book and is a perfect example of how the prequels should have handled Anakin, and avoid anything by Kevin J. Anderson.
On topic, I think Hannah makes an overly-strong but good point about being a new reader in what is essentially a continuing saga of the next generation of Skywalker clan. Jumping in on 20-30 years of continuity will leave many people scratching there heads and turn them off to the book, no matter the quality.