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Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?

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Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?

#661

Post by LinuxAmbulance »

MailleQuiMaille wrote: post #134

Depends at what age you'd ask me that. Harry Potter 4 was the first book I binged when I was a kid. Lord of the Flies was the first book that made me feel weird emotions, and I liked it. Snow crash is the book that made me think "Fuck, how can one write a book like that ?" and therefore started what I hope to be a lifelong hobby. I still think of Flatland from times to times, as I'm jealous and amazed of the brain of…

Snow Crash made me work on being a writer. Just an incredible book, and I am only saddened that he will never again write another book like it.

Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?

#662

Post by edanm »

_gabe_ wrote: post #620
edanm wrote: post #119

Impossible to pick just one. I'll give a few that haven't appeared yet: Fiction: Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality (Eliezer Yudkowsky) Non-fiction: Rationality - from AI to Zombies (Eliezer Yudkowsky) Probably no books have impacted me quite as much as these two, barring early-childhood books that have impacted me from a young age. Fiction: Worm (by Parahumans) Best "superhero" fiction ever created. Just on…

I’m reading the mistborn books right now. I was up until 2 in the morning finishing the first book in the trilogy the other night. These books are fantastic!

I'm pretty much required by law to tell you that his other books are also fantastic, and that if you like Mistborn, you should (after completing the trilogy) try The Stormlight Archive.

Kidding aside, Sanderson is by far my favorite author, and his fantasy books are honestly some of the greatest books I've ever read. And I read a lot. I highly recommend finishing the Mistborn trilogy, and then reading some more :)

Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?

#663

Post by [deleted] »

andrepd wrote: post #580
lolinder wrote: post #483

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, it's likely that the two of you wouldn't get along. I think that's the point, though. They want to associate with people who would respond with curiosity to a controversial statement, you don't want anything to do with someone who likes Atlas Shrugged and you aren't interested to know more. The filter worked and neither of you waste your time!

No! That is not at all what is happening here! >respond with curiosity to a controversial statement It's not about being a "controversial statement" (the implication being anyone who reacts against it is a close-minded woke or something like that). It's about "I read it in 8th grade" + "it changed my life and it's still my favourite book". Honestly swap out for any book and it would be equally cringe to boast about h…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?

#664

Post by Popeyes »

djkivi wrote: post #637
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #362

These threads often end up, with everyone trying to prove they are literary scholars. I prefer junky fantasy books. I'm really too old and cynical to give a damn what y'all think of me. I probably liked David Edding's Belgariad series, along with the Mallorean series, the most. I reread them, regularly, and go through all ten books, in a couple of weeks. They are an easy read. Also, Glen Cook's Black Company books ar…

I quite enjoyed David Eddings books when I was younger as well. It came as a shock when I learned that he and his wife had been jailed for child abuse, which only became known after he died: https://thewertzone.blogspot.com/2020/05/it-has-been-reveale...

Marion Zimmer Bradley too.

Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?

#665

Post by wduquette »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #362

These threads often end up, with everyone trying to prove they are literary scholars. I prefer junky fantasy books. I'm really too old and cynical to give a damn what y'all think of me. I probably liked David Edding's Belgariad series, along with the Mallorean series, the most. I reread them, regularly, and go through all ten books, in a couple of weeks. They are an easy read. Also, Glen Cook's Black Company books ar…

I loved the _Belgariad_ and _Mallorean_ years ago, and re-read them many times. Eddings then came out with a new series, whose name I've surprised; I read the first book and hated it.

And then, as I got older, I started to realize that most of the "good guys", other than Garion, were deeply-flawed awful people who would not be nearly as funny or heroic in real life as they were made out to be in the book. (Picture Polgara smashing everything in sight as she has a tantrum. Belgarath's no better.) And then I couldn't read them anymore, which is a pity.

It's not that I "outgrew" the genre by the way. I read as much fantasy as ever. But not this.

Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?

#666

Post by antod »

Vegenoid wrote: post #284

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams. It's hilarious, absurd, and surprisingly thought-provoking. There are many philosophical questions and lessons that are not really presented as such (though they aren't hidden, either). I read it when I was young, it really shaped my sense of humor and got me thinking about some of life and the universe's big questions.

Yeah that was going to be my answer too. They're some of the few books I've actually remembered stuff from.

The absurdity and slant on looking at things helps keep life in perspective (wasn't trying reference the Vortex there).

I remember occasionally when really get absorbed in it, that strangely the absolute absurdity almost starts seeming plausible.

And, I start seeing the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation all over the place now....

Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?

#667

Post by MrDresden »

In the fictional corner I must place the Nights Dawn Trilogy and Dune.

Other corners don't really have a best book, for me. Recently read 'Emperor of all maladies' and found it a fascinating journey through cancer, both as an illness and as a research subject.

Also recently read 'The Grand Chessboard' which was also fascinating for a completely different reason.

Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?

#668

Post by _whiteCaps_ »

binarin wrote: post #621

The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan - spent the most time reading it and got the most value from it. This book series is my device for the language learning. It was translated into Russian so painfully slow I've just forced myself to read it in English, learning the vocabulary and grammar on the way. Later I did it intentionally with Dutch, and now I'm going to do the same with Spanish. It's so big you can reread it a…

Wow. I'm a fast reader, and it took me ages to finish that series. Reading it 6 times would take a lifetime of effort for most people.

Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?

#669

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

wduquette wrote: post #665
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #362

These threads often end up, with everyone trying to prove they are literary scholars. I prefer junky fantasy books. I'm really too old and cynical to give a damn what y'all think of me. I probably liked David Edding's Belgariad series, along with the Mallorean series, the most. I reread them, regularly, and go through all ten books, in a couple of weeks. They are an easy read. Also, Glen Cook's Black Company books ar…

I loved the _Belgariad_ and _Mallorean_ years ago, and re-read them many times. Eddings then came out with a new series, whose name I've surprised; I read the first book and hated it. And then, as I got older, I started to realize that most of the "good guys", other than Garion, were deeply-flawed awful people who would not be nearly as funny or heroic in real life as they were made out to be in the book. (Picture Po…

> I read the first book and hated it.

That was probably The Elder Gods series (Crystal Gorge, et al).

It is awful. I suspect it was written while he was dying of cancer, and his wife had a great deal of input.

The Redemption of Althalus is ... bearable, but not his best.

I enjoyed The Elenium and The Tamuli series. They had a lot of the character of The Belgariad, but bloodier.

Re: Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?

#670

Post by jrflowers »

tb_technical wrote: post #656
jrflowers wrote: post #598

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I don't like Atlas Shrugged and you can't convince me otherwise. > I lost too much time in my youth trying to keep people, who I thought were my friends, like you happy. This is pretty much a summary of John Galt’s long speech. Also, https://fablesofaesop.com/the-fox-and-the-grapes.html

I'm not surprised that in over 1000 pages, a parallel can be drawn by a statement, from a character from the work in question, and a sentiment I hold. Stopped clocks and all that.

> Stopped clocks and all that.

It’s the fundamental point of the entire story. Like it is literally the thesis of the 1000 page book.

Guy figures out that there are two tiers of people, good or smart or whatever (John Galt, you) and less good or smart or whatever (me, your childhood friends (???)), and the way to address this is for the Smart Goods to protect themselves from the Dumb Bads through their wily tricks. It is the plot to every ayn rand book

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