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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?

#461

Post by llamaimperative »

lolinder wrote: post #377
cactacea wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "The best book I've ever read was Atlas Shrugged in 8th grade. Changed my life." "huh, ok" > Really, I'm just looking for people who won't jump down my throat on a faux pas. I think you're dismissing the people such as myself that would note you as an idiot without comment and move on wanting nothing to do with you. Edit: tests and trick questions with people you just met is an ineffective way to navigate the world…

> I think you're dismissing the people such as myself that would note you as an idiot without comment and move on wanting nothing to do with you. > Edit: tests ... with people you just met is an ineffective way to navigate the world. My 2c Do you see the irony here? I wouldn't personally run the kind of test OP is running, but I think that even in your case the test succeeded: they've successfully separated themselve…

How about "tests with an obviously high risk of systematic, invisible false negatives are bad"

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

#462

Post by ataylor284_ »

bo1024 wrote: post #32

Nonfiction: "The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable" by Taleb has had the biggest influence on me. Fiction: I dunno but maybe "Anathem" by Neal Stephenson.

Two of my favorites, too, although I'd go with Anti-Fragile from Taleb.

I think Anathem is Stephenson's best. The Diamond Age is also really good. For every one of his books, I just wish he could write an ending that matches the quality of the rest.

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

#463

Post by slothtrop »

twoodfin wrote: post #324
slothtrop wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bounced off of it expecting to enjoy it because I read lots of Pynchon.

Did you make it past the opening Stephen-centered chapters? I bounced off “Proteus” for years, but as soon as I managed to struggle on to “Calypso” and the mind & habits of Mr. Leopold Bloom I was off to the races.

It's been long enough that I don't recall. I will have to re-try sometime soon. Currently burning through a few other books.

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

#464

Post by 015a »

tb_technical wrote: post #142

"The best book I've ever read was Atlas Shrugged in 8th grade. Changed my life." Not because I remember anything about it, or believe anything it espouses, or even like it all that much, but because it's a useful filter for obnoxious people in meatspace. If someone I don't know too well asks me what my favorite book is, I say Atlas Shrugged. If they react inappropriately, I'll be cordial and treat them with respect,…

Are you Scott Alexander? https://www.reddit.com/r/slatestarcodex/comments/12yn28h/com...

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

#465

Post by tb_technical »

znpy wrote: post #328
bitcoin_anon wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You just failed the test.

I wanted to post something similar. It's crazy how many people essentially jumped at their throat with obnoxious comments and even outright ridiculing the poster (see the "checkers/chess" comment as an example). Quite literally the author explained the whole reasoning and they still "failed the test". I haven't even read atlas shrugged but I guess at this point I'm curious to read it and possibly adopt a similar stra…

Don't let me dissuade you, but it's not a very good read. There's a reason I forgot almost all of it.

But if you like her long-winded style, have fun! It's a long one.

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

#466

Post by zanellato19 »

lolinder wrote: post #377
cactacea wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "The best book I've ever read was Atlas Shrugged in 8th grade. Changed my life." "huh, ok" > Really, I'm just looking for people who won't jump down my throat on a faux pas. I think you're dismissing the people such as myself that would note you as an idiot without comment and move on wanting nothing to do with you. Edit: tests and trick questions with people you just met is an ineffective way to navigate the world…

> I think you're dismissing the people such as myself that would note you as an idiot without comment and move on wanting nothing to do with you. > Edit: tests ... with people you just met is an ineffective way to navigate the world. My 2c Do you see the irony here? I wouldn't personally run the kind of test OP is running, but I think that even in your case the test succeeded: they've successfully separated themselve…

I think the filter is quite effective, I wouldn't want to be friends with anyone who has such a strategy!

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

#467

Post by cactacea »

malthaus wrote: post #318
cactacea wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Saying it is your favorite book is one thing. Saying it "changed your life" is another and yes, I'd think anyone who's life was changed by that particular book is indeed an idiot. I just don't see myself wanting to continue to engage with that person after a comment like that. Maybe I'm just impatient shrug

a better strategy would be a follow-up question on how it changed their life i'm with the parent commenter here as i find your response very much telling on how you evaluate things and frankly, more idiotic than someone's life being changed, even by the "intended" interpretation of the book e.g. would you say that everyone who liked / was influenced by reading "mein kampf" is a nazi?

Depending on context I could see myself asking a followup question. In this specific instance, no that's enough for me personally. As I can see from the other replies the OP made my assessment was in line with my personal values.

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

#468

Post by tb_technical »

015a wrote: post #464
tb_technical wrote: post #142

"The best book I've ever read was Atlas Shrugged in 8th grade. Changed my life." Not because I remember anything about it, or believe anything it espouses, or even like it all that much, but because it's a useful filter for obnoxious people in meatspace. If someone I don't know too well asks me what my favorite book is, I say Atlas Shrugged. If they react inappropriately, I'll be cordial and treat them with respect,…

Are you Scott Alexander? https://www.reddit.com/r/slatestarcodex/comments/12yn28h/com...

No, and I don't know who he is either.

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

#469

Post by readingnews »

Honestly, not making this up, I have no idea how any of you have time to read.

Last few books I read (non-{technical,programming,electronics}) were in college. Perhaps a few for fun, mostly for class.

I work all day, when I am done with work, I have house work to get done. Every single time I grab a book and think "I will read this book", heck even technical,programming,electronics books I _want_ to re-read, time vanishes, I put it up and get too busy.

Reading these comments, seems like a lot of people read books. I have no idea how you all find the time.

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

#470

Post by cactacea »

travisjungroth wrote: post #353
znpy wrote: post #328

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wanted to post something similar. It's crazy how many people essentially jumped at their throat with obnoxious comments and even outright ridiculing the poster (see the "checkers/chess" comment as an example). Quite literally the author explained the whole reasoning and they still "failed the test". I haven't even read atlas shrugged but I guess at this point I'm curious to read it and possibly adopt a similar stra…

I don’t want to pass this test. Someone who uses one of our first interactions to test how tolerant I am of Objectivism removing themselves from my life is an ideal outcome.

Lol yes, so much this
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