I’ve read neither book yet, but I’ve heard Cannery Row and Suttree make a good pairing.

I was floored by Blood Meridian and followed the Cormac subreddit for a little while (unsubscribed because of all the nonsensical ubiquitous “Is this The Judge?” posts). I don’t know if I would have read Thomas Hardy earlier if he wasn’t mentioned in the Cormac subreddit on some threads – maybe it was your exact post that nudged me, I’m not sure – but I was floored by Tess of the d’Urbervilles.