Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read? • Hacker News Board

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

#281

Post by triceratops » Mon, Oct 07, 2024, 5:03 PM UTC

booleandilemma wrote: post #209

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…

Well done OP, this cactacea guy does not seem like someone you'd want to be friends with :)

cactacea said they would neither jump down OP's throat, nor show an excessive amount of interest. That puts them firmly into friendship material territory for OP. Not sure how it's a helpful test.

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

#282

Post by dvdhnt » Mon, Oct 07, 2024, 5:03 PM UTC

The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America by Russell Shorto.

Before the English took New Amsterdam, it was a thriving settlement full of interesting economic ideas and gripping narratives. I can't recommend this book enough. The audiobook is great, so I bought the paperback. 10/10

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

#283

Post by airstrike » Mon, Oct 07, 2024, 5:04 PM UTC

Picking a "favorite" is generally hard. I once learned that the best way to phrase this question is in the form of e.g. "What are some of your favorite books?" so the responder doesn't have to force rank their all-time-favorite in their head, which can feel taxing. So I'll name two:

I'm actually a bit surprised to not see "Brave New World" mentioned yet. That was a life-changing experience to my teenage self

And since someone else has already picked Steppenwolf by Hesse, I'll mention Demian instead.

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

#284

Post by Vegenoid » Mon, Oct 07, 2024, 5:06 PM UTC

"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.

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

#285

Post by BizarroLand » Mon, Oct 07, 2024, 5:06 PM UTC

aristofun wrote: post #2

Unless youve just read a handful of books in your life it is impossible to give a good answer to the question. Books are not oranges.

Some books are oranges. Some are apples. Some are kumquats and carrots and key-lime pie.

Some are soups made by your grandmother while you sat in a high-chair and your parents laughed and talked with your uncles in the living room.

Some are the smell of coffee and bacon and eggs and a little more smoke than usual in the air in the morning when your dad cooked breakfast.

It's okay to have a special and favorite book, just like it is okay to have a special and favorite food.

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

#286

Post by lcall » Mon, Oct 07, 2024, 5:06 PM UTC

Here are some translation recommendations (I haven't read them, but would add War and Peace, which I have read, and which is freely available on gutenberg.org):

10 of the best novels in translation into English

https://www.deseret.com/entertainment/2024/10/06/best-books-...

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

#287

Post by b5 » Mon, Oct 07, 2024, 5:06 PM UTC

delecti wrote: post #277

Diaspora by Greg Egan. No other book has caused such a seismic shift in how I think about consciousness, personhood, continuity of self, the enormity of the universe, and practicalities of galactic timescales. It also triggered quite a few existential crises (which nearly goes without saying, given all that).

Great choice. There’s so much to love in that book.

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

#288

Post by sebg » Mon, Oct 07, 2024, 5:06 PM UTC

myrmidon wrote: post #232

"Vehicles: Experiments in synthetic psychology" by Valentino Braitenberg. Has shaped my outlook on artificial intelligence more than anything else, and this was written in 1984, long before GPT-3 was a thing. Absolutely "mind-blowing" in that it deconstructs and then reassembles your understanding of what a mind is . Best short story: "The Egg" (by Andy Weir); just read it, is very short, no spoilers. Best entertainm…

Just read the egg. Amazing! I had read Weir’s other works and somehow missed this. Thanks for sharing!

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

#289

Post by tikkun » Mon, Oct 07, 2024, 5:07 PM UTC

When I Say No I Feel Guilty.

Never Split The Difference.

The Gift of Fear.

Those 3.

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

#290

Post by brontosaurusrex » Mon, Oct 07, 2024, 5:08 PM UTC

Groving up: Papillon (Henri Charrière - 1969) & Samurai! (Saburo Sakai -1957) Lately: Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir - 2021) Obviously: Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - 25th anniversary edition (Steven Levy - 1984/2010) also: I've read all the books from David Thorne, last one: Let’s Eat Grandma’s Pills (David Thorne - 2022)