The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac. The part when he is in the wilderness on forest fire watch made me want to do that. I don’t imagine that that job position even exists anymore
*Middlesex *by Geoffrey Eugenides. Being a southeast Michigan native, I enjoyed seeing some Detroit history in the story.
I don’t know if you do video games, but Firewatch is a recent one about it.
David Foster Wallace’s final, unfinished novel, The Pale King (who knew the minutiae of working for the IRS combined with a spooky ghost story could be so compelling?) Damn, I wish he would have finished this book before he exited Earth.
The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen. He gets a lot of heat for being an egotistical butthole, but this is a brilliant novel.
Okay, I’m sneaking in Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt; who, technically, was an American citizen). I’m re-reading it for probably the 12th time.
And, just about anything by Cormac McCarthy and Annie Proulx. I also have to throw in Mark Danielewski’s House of Leaves – terrifying and wholly unique.
Thanks, it sounds interesting.
Hey, you stole my answer! 
I’ll add The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.
I’m here for you, man! FEAST OF SNAKES was really good, but my fave of his was THE KNOCKOUT ARTIST, which is definitely in my top 20.
Also with you. I will take Hammett over Hemingway any day.
If Dash had spent the 1920s fruiting around Paris with Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein instead of boozing in Frisco and writing for the pulp magazines, he’d probably have a higher literary reputation than Papa today. The FALCON, RED HARVEST, and THE GLASS KEY outrank any of Ernie’s work other than the early stories and THE SUN ALSO RISES.
Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck.
It surely isn’t the greatest American novel, nor the best I’ve ever read or even the best by John Steinbeck, but it’s my own favorite (and that is the premise of this thread) because it had to be Steinbeck and this is the first I read by him when I was about twelve. It’s one of the greatest descriptions of the joys of life (the life of useless winos in Monterey, Ca. in the early 20th century), deeply humane and funny. It instantly impressed me, I learned about life and people from this book at that age, and I’ve read it again at maybe at about 25 and then two years ago at 47, and it always moved me deeply.
That’s my favorite Steinbeck too. I spend time in Monterey every year and it is so evocative. My dad had a Book Club edition signed by Steinbeck that he sold to fund another purchase - just crushed me.
Great book; haven’t read it in many years. You’ve inspired me to go get a copy to read again.
Two votes for Canticle For Liebowitz, I’m impressed!
Make that three
I find it interesting that my two favorite american authors are mentioned here, but my favorite works of each are not listed as their ‘finest’.
Cats Cradle
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
Actually, fd3perfect, there have been four votes for A Canticle for Leibowitz so far, if we include yours.
puts on glasses
Ah.
And I just managed to misspell your name.
Seconded.
Great story about an [Italian]-American family: The Godfather.
message received, no worries
The pseudo-wampeter of my best novel granfalloon is Cat’s Cradle.