:wasalam: dear sister,
Everyone will have their own favourites. It's best to read more than one, so you can see the same thing phrased in different ways, where it might strike a chord more in one translation than another.
At websites like quran.com, you can click on a surah, then on the left, click the translations you wish to see, and then read each verse with four or five translations, to help you get a feel for it. I like looking at Saheeh International, The Noble Qur'an (Muhsin Khan and Hilali) and Pickthall together. Pickthall's good and accurate word for word even though the English is slightly old style, so is Saheeh International which is in more modern English, Muhsin Khan is also good and authentic, but has extensive use of parentheses. Those are my top three. Certainly don't stick to one translation and use a few alongside each other.
If I had to recommend one, it'd be Saheeh International, because the English isn't archaic, yet is still very close to the word by word the meaning of the Arabic, and without being too flowery. Also, Saheeh International are known for not having any leanings one way or the other, and their translation is reliable one, and well-recommended by knowledgeable people (along with Hilali and Khan). However, Saheeh International doesn't have any explanatory footnotes.
There's a PDF here:
http://home.exetel.com.au/rakib/down...a_Alislami.pdf
One that I like with a brief commentary and modern, flowing English, is Towards Understanding the Qur'an, by S. A Mawdudi (originally in Urdu), abridged, translated into English and edited by Zafar Ishaq Ansari, published by The Islamic Foundation. I can't find the abridged version online. The beginning introduction itself is very good, and the full version (six volumes!) has surah introductions (the abridged version doesn't have surah introductions though). However, the Mawdudi one doesn't aim to be accurate word for word, rather to capture the essence or spirit of the translation.
The one I wouldn't recommend, is the M. H. Shakir one mentioned above. M.H. Shakir was a Shi'a, and his translation is a favourite amongst the Shi'as because the wording he uses in his translation of certain verses lends them credence to their doctrines, and in the hard copy footnotes of certain editions, he says that certain verses are referring to Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Hussain (may Allah be pleased with them). Some copies have a reference list in the front which includes a list of verses he has translated which support the Shi'a ithna asharia doctrine. Even though the English is clear, I would avoid this one.
Hope that helps a bit.