Some b&w bookshelves might be in your price range as well. I havent heard that many in your price range but the few I have heard sounded quite good off of a bel canto setup
NEW The Beatles Stereo Box Set + Help! (Deluxe Colle... - eBay (item 380155809032 end time Sep-10-09 08:00:00 PDT)
Seems slightly below the normal price
I could actually get through Tolstoy (but I usually have to take notes on the characters since I always get confused their names), Tolkein and Moby Dick pretty easily. For some reason I have much more trouble with Dostoevsky.
x2 The best idea I had in college was to buy the Audioengine A2s from strech. They're cheap enough that I wouldn't ball up in the fetal position and cry for a week if they get scratched or broken and they sound good enough to listen while I'm studying.