Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?

#11

Post by tra3 » Tue, Aug 13, 2024, 7:20 PM UTC

East of Eden by Steinbeck is great. I found it very approachable, and the characters very familiar.

Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?

#12

Post by FerretFred » Tue, Aug 13, 2024, 7:42 PM UTC

northernman wrote: post #8

FerretFred wrote: post #5

"Confessions of an English Eater" by Thomas De Quincey. An autobiographical work in which the author details his unfortunate descent into Laudanum addiction. It all started well, but ended badly...

I think you mean "Confessions of an English Opium-Eater"

Tsk! I did indeed!

Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?

#13

Post by nicbou » Tue, Aug 13, 2024, 7:56 PM UTC

The Count of Monte Cristo. Everyone loves it. It aged marvelously!

Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?

#14

Post by nicbou » Tue, Aug 13, 2024, 7:56 PM UTC

tra3 wrote: post #11

East of Eden by Steinbeck is great. I found it very approachable, and the characters very familiar.

Great book! I loved Grapes of Wrath even more, but anything by Steinbeck is a safe bet.

Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?

#15

Post by sickofparadox » Tue, Aug 13, 2024, 7:58 PM UTC

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?

#16

Post by abrookewood » Tue, Aug 13, 2024, 8:09 PM UTC

I really enjoyed both The Call of the Wild and White Fang by Jack London.

Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?

#17

Post by fabianholzer » Tue, Aug 13, 2024, 8:18 PM UTC

Senecas "De brevitate vitae"

Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?

#18

Post by ZeroGravitas » Tue, Aug 13, 2024, 8:25 PM UTC

The Mayor of Casterbridge: The Life and Death of a Man of Character by Thomas Hardy (1886)

https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/thomas-hardy/the-mayor-of-...

I notice from that link it was on a top 100 Great British novels list.

Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?

#19

Post by kbknight » Tue, Aug 13, 2024, 8:30 PM UTC

I end up re-reading "Brideshead, Revisited" about once a year. It's the rare Christian book where every single character (regardless of their relationship with Christianity) is basically screwed up.

Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?

#20

Post by edtech_dev » Tue, Aug 13, 2024, 9:29 PM UTC

I recently read Stoner by John Williams. Would recommend.