<p>dragonmom,</p>
<p>“My Antonia … Voted most hated of all the honors/AP novels required for my kids’ career. Just sayin’…” </p>
<p>LOL. My very-well read sister also has dismal memories of reading it in high school. Maybe it’s one of these books you need to grow into.</p>
<p>Have you ever read the Lord of the Rings? It’s not America, but it has some great road trips, and would be good for a long trip.</p>
<p>ILoveLa,</p>
<p>I love the book Angle of Repose. And it is sort of journey/trip novel. Haven’t seen it mentioned anywhere in a long time.</p>
<p>Oh, and put me down as a huge Willa Cather fan - we all love My Antonia in our family. What’s not to like? Simple, elegant prose. Complex characters. Cather is good!</p>
<p>Add my name to the list of *My Antonia *haters!</p>
<p>We read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance on a road trip, but I didn’t like it. </p>
<p>Funny story about On the Road - our CD player was on shuffle and it took us forever to notice the problem!</p>
<p>What I did enjoy on my road trip (9 months on the road) was reading the entire* Norton Anthology of American Literature*. My partner read it geographically, I read it chronologically.</p>
<p>I think you could have fun reading regional authors, even if not the anthology.</p>
<p>Midwest: Stegner (I liked Angle of Repose too.) and Jon Hassler (Staggerford and other books set in Minnesota)
Florida: Hiassen
Maryland: Anne Tyler
Illinois: Studs Terkel etc.</p>
<p>Don Quixote
Watership Down
The Aubrey and Maturin Books by Patrick O’Brian</p>
<p>Second Bill Bryson! Life and Times of Thunderbolt Kid not exactly a road trip book, but is Americana and such a fantastic, laugh out loud book! He has done other more travel related one, including his walking the Appalachian Trail (that’s not the title; that’s the subject). </p>
<p>Also, The Walk West (author?). More in Blue Highways vein.</p>
<p>None of these are novels, but all worth it and fit the theme.</p>
<p>Another vote for Angle of Repose, but my favorite Stegner novel is Crossing To Safety.</p>
<p>I am about to order Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen, from Audible for my next road trip.</p>
<p>A Walk in the Woods is the Bryson book about the Appalachian Trail. It cured me of wanting to take that trip.</p>
<p>“Anywhere But Here” by Mona Simpson. A woman would probably enjoy this more than a guy would.</p>
<p>Bill Bryson is great.
I haven’t read [Amazon.com:</a> Route 66: The Mother Road- Michael Wallis](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Route-66-Mother-Michael-Wallis/dp/0312082851]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Route-66-Mother-Michael-Wallis/dp/0312082851)
or I really liked Tracks by Robyn Davidson- although it isnt on kindle.</p>
<p>I second, or third, Blue Highways. I also thought of Lord of the Rings or even Harry Potter; The idea of having to go through an ordeal to achieve something. I hope your trip is adventurous. Stop often, talk to people.</p>