Books every person should read

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Ancalagon44

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2010
3,274
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There are some very good books that can be obtained cheaply on the Kindle store, and I think some of these are worth reading, or at least worth trying to read.

I'd try to read at least Marcus Aurelius's Meditations and Seneca's Letters from a Stoic. Both are philosophical books although not too difficult to read. What I like about them is that a lot of the advice is still relevant today, and that makes you realize that somebody wrote something 2000 years ago and it is still relevant today. Think of your job, and think of how much you do will be relevant 2000 years now. The point is, you are more than just your job or what you do for a living, you are a human being.

Then, some very good novels:
Dune by Frank Herbert
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk (sp)
Starship Troopers by Robert A Heinlein
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

You can also read the Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, but its heavy going. The Hobbit is aimed at children so it is an easy and enjoyable read. The Lord of the Rings is very good, but it will take you some time to read.
 
John Connor

John Connor

Lifer
Nov 30, 2012
22,757
619
121
A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…
 
C

Craig234

Lifer
May 1, 2006
38,548
350
126
This is a great topic.

One book I think it's good to include is "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" by John Perkins.

I don't know if it's accurate or fictionalized, but it has important points.

I basically don't read non-fiction anymore.

An interesting author to be aware of is Chris Hedges - who wrote the great-titled book, "War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning".

If you do want to read fiction, a classic is Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
 
Kaido

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
51,726
7,302
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I like lifehackey type of stuff, i.e. self-improvement or self-help. Lots of BS out there. Ones I actually liked enough to re-read:
As far as sci-fi goes:
  • Dune
  • Ender's Game
  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Light fantasy:
  • The Hobbit
  • Magic Kingdom for Sale
  • The Word & the Void Trilogy (A Knight of the Word, Angel Fire East, Running With the Demon)
Cooking:
 
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Cappuccino

Cappuccino

Diamond Member
Feb 27, 2013
4,018
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Kaido said:
I like lifehackey type of stuff, i.e. self-improvement or self-help. Lots of BS out there. Ones I actually liked enough to re-read:
As far as sci-fi goes:
  • Dune
  • Ender's Game
  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Light fantasy:
  • The Hobbit
  • Magic Kingdom for Sale
  • The Word & the Void Trilogy (A Knight of the Word, Angel Fire East, Running With the Demon)
Cooking:
Click to expand...
+1
'The Talent Code' what got me back into playing Piano.
 
Kaido

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
51,726
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Cappuccino said:
+1
'The Talent Code' what got me back into playing Piano.
Click to expand...

The concept of myelin is amazing....being able to visualize those pathways forming is a LOT more motivating to continue to slog through the boring, rote work of practice when you know that you're literally building a physical foundation inside your brain.

I loved the author's research & explanation of the different talents, like the whole "how to fly an airplane" bit with the Link Trainer...before that, you either had the right stuff, or you crashed & died...when it really turned out anyone could fly, they just needed a safer training method to Git Gud so they wouldn't crash IRL before getting the skill set down. Or the Suzuki violin stuff, where they split up the music into individual lines & then would play them for weeks super slowly to really master it, to fail at it, to learn where they would trip up, and to learn how to get back into the correct note structure if they did screw up while playing...I mean, that's like shooting fish in a barrel in terms of completely mastering something...of COURSE you would be awesome at it if you took that approach.

And that's why the best are the best...they are willing to put up with the repetitive boringness of deep practice for years & years so that they get the physical moves down & the mental knowledge down for being awesome at it. But given the perspective of myelin, it makes total sense...you have to build up those neural pathways slowly, over time, and that's what makes you good at something. Well, aside from born-with talent...some people just have a high degree of capability right out the gate from being born. Hard work trumps talent, but hard work + talent trumps everything else, so if you just don't physically have the ability to throw a 90mph fastball into a pitcher's mitt, you're just not going to be able to complete in Major League baseball.

But that doesn't mean you can't still enjoy playing baseball for fun or with a local league. The Talent Code actually changed my perspective on that particular idea...with ADHD, I am very much a perfectionist, which is stupid because it's a not-possible thing, but that translates into an all-or-not attitude...either I could make MLB (or win the Ironman triathlon or get a 4.0 GPA or whatever) or it wasn't worth doing. One big thing I took away from the Talent Code is that it's okay to enjoy things at different levels, and just because you're not the best doesn't mean you can't enjoy it. Like, I'll never be Anand in terms of technical prowess regarding understanding IT companies & their products in detail, but I still enjoy my little IT projects & posting on the forum here. I'll never be Steve Wozniak or Einstein or Alton Brown, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy my little corner of the world. I can still contribute, I can still enjoy things in the capacity I am able to, within my limits, and not being the top or the best doesn't mean it's useless. That concept was a really big deal for me & actually helped me relax from being so uptight.

Also, I've mentioned this story before, but I had a really great AutoCAD teacher back in college. 1.5 hour class twice per week for a semester. His goal was to teach us 3 commands per class, have us demonstrate it, and then we could leave. So one class was like, draw a circle using diameter, then radius, then circumference. Then demonstrate all 3 to him using whatever numbers he gave you to use. Then you could go. I learned over 200 commands that semester, it was amazing! Best approach over. And that jives with how the Talent Code teaches you to study & practice, and learning that true practice & learning is different from just playing or jamming or goofing around. It's work. It takes time. You will screw up, but that is normal & means you're on the right path. And that's where the Grit book comes in (watch the video I linked above, it's quite excellent) - being willing to stick with doing boring things is what makes people successful, because you make progress when everyone else quits.
 
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Cappuccino

Cappuccino

Diamond Member
Feb 27, 2013
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726
126
Kaido said:
The concept of myelin is amazing....being able to visualize those pathways forming is a LOT more motivating to continue to slog through the boring, rote work of practice when you know that you're literally building a physical foundation inside your brain.

I loved the author's research & explanation of the different talents, like the whole "how to fly an airplane" bit with the Link Trainer...before that, you either had the right stuff, or you crashed & died...when it really turned out anyone could fly, they just needed a safer training method to Git Gud so they wouldn't crash IRL before getting the skill set down. Or the Suzuki violin stuff, where they split up the music into individual lines & then would play them for weeks super slowly to really master it, to fail at it, to learn where they would trip up, and to learn how to get back into the correct note structure if they did screw up while playing...I mean, that's like shooting fish in a barrel in terms of completely mastering something...of COURSE you would be awesome at it if you took that approach.

And that's why the best are the best...they are willing to put up with the repetitive boringness of deep practice for years & years so that they get the physical moves down & the mental knowledge down for being awesome at it. But given the perspective of myelin, it makes total sense...you have to build up those neural pathways slowly, over time, and that's what makes you good at something. Well, aside from born-with talent...some people just have a high degree of capability right out the gate from being born. Hard work trumps talent, but hard work + talent trumps everything else, so if you just don't physically have the ability to throw a 90mph fastball into a pitcher's mitt, you're just not going to be able to complete in Major League baseball.

But that doesn't mean you can't still enjoy playing baseball for fun or with a local league. The Talent Code actually changed my perspective on that particular idea...with ADHD, I am very much a perfectionist, which is stupid because it's a not-possible thing, but that translates into an all-or-not attitude...either I could make MLB (or win the Ironman triathlon or get a 4.0 GPA or whatever) or it wasn't worth doing. One big thing I took away from the Talent Code is that it's okay to enjoy things at different levels, and just because you're not the best doesn't mean you can't enjoy it. Like, I'll never be Anand in terms of technical prowess regarding understanding IT companies & their products in detail, but I still enjoy my little IT projects & posting on the forum here. I'll never be Steve Wozniak or Einstein or Alton Brown, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy my little corner of the world. I can still contribute, I can still enjoy things in the capacity I am able to, within my limits, and not being the top or the best doesn't mean it's useless. That concept was a really big deal for me & actually helped me relax from being so uptight.

Also, I've mentioned this story before, but I had a really great AutoCAD teacher back in college. 1.5 hour class twice per week for a semester. His goal was to teach us 3 commands per class, have us demonstrate it, and then we could leave. So one class was like, draw a circle using diameter, then radius, then circumference. Then demonstrate all 3 to him using whatever numbers he gave you to use. Then you could go. I learned over 200 commands that semester, it was amazing! Best approach over. And that jives with how the Talent Code teaches you to study & practice, and learning that true practice & learning is different from just playing or jamming or goofing around. It's work. It takes time. You will screw up, but that is normal & means you're on the right path. And that's where the Grit book comes in (watch the video I linked above, it's quite excellent) - being willing to stick with doing boring things is what makes people successful, because you make progress when everyone else quits.
Click to expand...
Ever since you changed your DP to Lord Pizza Queen IV you have become very inspirational.
 
Dr. Detroit

Dr. Detroit

Diamond Member
Sep 25, 2004
8,536
938
126
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig

The Jungle - Upton Sinclair

Too Fat to Fish - Artie Lange

Marching Powder: A True Story of Friendship, Cocaine, and South America's Strangest Jail - Thomas McFadden

Misery - Stephen King
 
Muse

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
40,905
10,228
136
OTTOMH -- I'd start with Alan Watts' "The Book (on the taboo against knowing who you are)"

Then? Dunno. A book that influenced me a lot early on was Dostoevsky's The Idiot, but that can't be considered required reading. Some other ideas:

1984

Brave New World

I read Hamlet before seeing the play. I think that was a really good idea. That one will stick with you.

I Ching (The Chinese Book of Changes). It's one of those books that can change your life if you can get to it. If a book can't change your life I figure it isn't worth reading.

Personally, I'm not sure I've gotten more out of a book than William Blake's "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell"
 
Last edited:
A

Ancalagon44

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2010
3,274
202
106
Thanks for mentioning the Talent Code, I'll check it out. Looks like an interesting read.

Another one that the OP (or other people) might find interesting is the 4 Hour Work week by Tim Ferris. Now, I do think that a lot of the stuff contained in that book is a lot harder to achieve in real life than the book makes it sound. But, it does give you an interesting perspective on time management and on freeing yourself from needing a salary.
 
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SMOGZINN

SMOGZINN

Lifer
Jun 17, 2005
14,359
4,640
136
I also wanted to remind you that Project Gutenberg has a lot of classic novels, some of the ones mentioned here even, for free and formatted for the Kindle.

If your goal is to be well read I would highly recommend that you start by reading a number of these classics that you can get for free from Project Gutenberg: (in somewhat order that I think of their importance to being well read)

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare (you simply can not consider yourself well read until you have read all of Shakespeare)
The Republic by Plato
Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
Moby Dick; Or, The Whale by Herman Melville
The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana by Vatsyayana
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton and John Jay and James Madison
 
Muse

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
40,905
10,228
136
Ancalagon44 said:
Another one that the OP (or other people) might find interesting is the 4 Hour Work week by Tim Ferris. Now, I do think that a lot of the stuff contained in that book is a lot harder to achieve in real life than the book makes it sound. But, it does give you an interesting perspective on time management and on freeing yourself from needing a salary.
Click to expand...
That's an interesting notion. I think I've "enjoyed" a salary for only about 10% of my working life and made do the rest. So many people think/feel that their life revolves around having a salary. Getting past that can be liberating. But it presents some problems! :) Well, life has its problems. I suppose it's possible to live beyond all that, though. Great thread, bookmarking.
 
Starbuck1975

Starbuck1975

Lifer
Jan 6, 2005
14,698
1,909
126
Lord of the Flies
A Seperate Peace
A Game of Thrones
Dune
Brave New World
1984
The Prince
The Road
Blood Meridian
The Stand
Lord of the Rings trilogy
The Bourne Identity
Cloud Atlas
The Odyssey
The Iliad
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
I Am Legend
The Call of the Wild
Private Parts
A Confederacy of Dunces
Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy
 
MagnusTheBrewer

MagnusTheBrewer

IN MEMORIAM
Jun 19, 2004
24,122
1,594
126
BurnItDwn

BurnItDwn

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
26,353
1,862
126
Muse said:
I haven't read this stuff but I like where you're going... thumbs up!
Click to expand...
I think they should be taught in "religion class" in all schools that are forced to teach fictional nonsense during science class.
 
zinfamous

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,866
31,364
146
Everybody Poops.

One of the more important life tasks that everyone should learn.
 
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