Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

481–490 of 980 posts

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

#481

Post by SkyBelow »

influx wrote: post #310
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,…

I do the same thing except substitute The Communist Manifesto.

Now I'm left wondering how well this would work substituting in different books.

Different religious texts? Especially if you pick one that is not part of the primary religion of the area you are located in.

A Modest Proposal? Probably the worst choice. Most won't recognize it and the few who do will assume satire in your response. (Also, essays aren't books, but who is counting.)

A certain book by Nabokov?

What about someone who seriously considers the question, but then says that they've read many books but don't really have one they consider the best? Too much of a non-answer?

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

#483

Post by lolinder »

cactacea wrote: post #475
lolinder wrote: post #377

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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…

Dunno, testing people like that is such an incredibly unhealthy and misguided way to talk to people that I have a very hard time thinking I'm missing out here. Maybe that's just me though

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!

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

#484

Post by lpapez »

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,…

So your approach to a social situation with a new acquaintance is to give a dishonest answer to test whether they are willing to put up with your obnoxiousness in the future?

I'm sorry but if someone disregards you at that stage I wouldn't say that they lack "social accumen to not go too hard in the paint early" as you say, rather that they have sufficient experience with difficult people and just chose to willingly ignore you for their own good.

Even admitting to doing this is already off-putting to me.

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

#485

Post by throwaway2203 »

fhchl wrote: post #265
DanielBMarkham wrote: post #228

Anna Karenina. Nothing mind-blowing. I didn't see a light in the sky. I read a lot, fiction and non-fiction. When I read Tolstoy, I remember thinking "What sort of dark magic is this?" He drew characters in a way I haven't seen since. I _knew_ these people. I remember this book, decades later. I remember a lot of what I've read, but Tolstoy was the man. I have no idea how or why his magic worked.

Anna Karenina is a masterpiece of a novel. I highly recommend it as well. I often jokingly mention that this is the first book that ever made me want to get married. While many now that the novel describes the tragic life and relationships of Anna, only those that read it will now that here is another, as important and positive story, about the love between Kitty and Levin.

That novel helped me understand love.

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

#486

Post by kemko »

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…

HPMoR and Worm? Try Mother of Learning.

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

#488

Post by abeppu »

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…

> If they react inappropriately, I'll be cordial and treat them with respect, but I don't want to be friends. If they're way too supportive - the same rule applies.

> Really, I'm just looking for people who won't jump down my throat on a faux pas.

I think when cactacea says "huh, ok", this is neither inappropriate, or "jumping down someone's throat", or being "way too supportive" -- so I think by tb_technical's stated standards, cactacea has "passed" the filter, but is understandably alienated.

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

#490

Post by matheusmoreira »

influx wrote: post #310
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,…

I do the same thing except substitute The Communist Manifesto.

I've done that too. My reaction to their responses wasn't exactly neutral either.
Post reply on HN