Ask HN: What book do you recommend everyone should read?

55 points by Gammarays ↗ HN
Hi HN,

Every person I've come across always has one book that sits at the top of their book list that they would recommend to everyone. For me, it's "How to win friends & influence people" by Dale Carnegie. What's your book?

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Commenting so that I can come here later
The reason folks here are downvoting you is because you can favorite a submission or a discussion and see it in your own profile. No need to comment so you can come back. :)
Well, thanks for telling the reason. I'll take care from next time
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Peter Thiel - Zero to One
I read it in one sitting.

I wouldn't say it is a must read, but it brings up a few good points. It isn't a heavy thinking book, it is like an extended Medium post.

If you want to hear Thiel's ideas, it is worth a read but otherwise I wouldn't really recommend it.

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Sun Tzu - The Art of War.
You can breeze through it in an afternoon and it ends up being strangely applicable to life.
TBH if you read it in an afternoon you're probably missing on a lot of things.

I find that the original text on its own is very hard to fully understand. Usually better to read a commented/detailed edition. At least that's my experience.

But yeah, it is amazing how it can apply to so many things.

The bible.
A bit dry but worth a read.

You will know more about Christianity than a lot of Christians.

It's definitely a good book if you are looking for common sense morality. I think the Jefferson Bible is a better book if you are looking for moral teachings (never read it, only heard about it)

On the Bible front, I'd recommend a story bible. There's a good reason so many people fail to read the Bible: it's full of motivational landmines such as genealogies. Even reading a story bible would put one far ahead in terms of understanding.

The one I read is the Ritchie pruehs story bible, which is free as a Kindle book.

1. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie

2. Deep Work - Cal Newport

3. Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman

Fiction: The Baroque Circle + Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson

Non-Fiction: Presence - Amy Cuddy

Non Fiction: Godel Escher Bach

Fiction: Seveneves

Both of these I've read several times and glean new things each reading. And those things I've learned have formed essential parts of the heuristics I use on a day to day basis to deal with the dark ambiguities of life.

How to win friends and influence people

Man's search for meaning

Architecture of happiness

Eternal Golden Braid

Rich Dad Poor Dad, by Robert Kiyosaki
I've heard that book isn't very good. It is full of stories that didn't happen and are just Robert's ideas about what makes a rich person rich.

Basically, Robert got rich from telling others how rich people are.

I've read plenty of books about finances that are just mind-numbingly obvious that it is a skip for anyone with common sense. Would you agree RDPD is that kind of book?

https://www.johntreed.com/blogs/john-t-reed-s-real-estate-in...

> It is full of stories that didn't happen and are just Robert's ideas about what makes a rich person rich.

If you read it like a parable similar to The Richest Man in Babylon or The Alchemist you can still gather some useful info and refreshers from this book.

A Guide to the Good Life, by William B. Irvine
Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman: Adventures of a Curious Character.

It is very motivating, witty and just great fun to read!

The Holy Bible (y)
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Bogleheads for investing

Transylvania Sunrise
1. Cosmos

2. Demon Haunted World

Both by Carl Sagan

Fiction: The Martian - Andy Weir

Non fiction: Predictably Irrational - Dan Ariely

Fiction: War and Peace; the more everything changes the same humans stay. 200 years old and yet you can empathise with every character

Non-fiction: Letters from Seneca; the only philosophy book I enjoyed and whose tenets I aim to practise every day.

Did you mean "Letters from a Stoic" by Seneca?
Yes, you're right. Thanks for pointing that out!