Let's talk about the top 3 must-read books in a lifetime! 📚
Amit Arora
72 replies
I’m trying to create a solid reading list and would love to hear your recommendations.
What are the top 3 books you think everyone should read at least once in their lives?
These could be your personal favourites, the ones that have made the biggest impact on you, or just books you believe are the best ever written. I’m open to any genre or style—anything that you think is truly worth reading.
Let’s share our top picks!
Replies
Derek Carlson@derek__carlson
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - A classic romance that also critiques social class and gender roles.
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@derek__carlson this one is a classic romance, Derek. any specific things that you loved that most about this book? would love to hear 😊
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I would add:
How to Win Friends (Dale Carnegie)
451 Fernheit (or Animal Farm)
Who moved my cheese?
Almost all of them are short reads :) (When you opt Animal farm instead of 451 Fernheit)
@busmark_w_nika Fahrenheit 451: a book about burning books, now there's an interesting choice! The author might as well have written another book about keeping your eyes healthy: he had the thickest eyeglasses I ever saw on anyone.
@busmark_w_nika Your picks for must-read books are spot on! They offer deep insights and life lessons in stories that are easy to read but hard to forget.
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@busmark_w_nika hehe, nika that super read. what did you like about Animal Farm?
also, who moved my cheese 🍕 is a good pick :)
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@doga_armangil those dystopic are my faves :D
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@busmark_w_nika hahahaha 😂 we sound familiar
For understanding physics and the universe, any Hubert Reeves book. There are English translations but the original versions are in French.
For world politics: World Order by Henry Kissinger. I haven't read it, and I suspect it's as much about what to do as it is about what not to do, but I think it's a must-read nevertheless.
Sometimes it's not a particular book but a class of books:
* To learn a new language, read many books in that language.
* To learn new vocabulary, read books written by erudite people. You guessed it: reading the latest bestselling novel might not always be the best thing to do!
And read e-books, because it's much easier to look up words, not to mention the environmental benefits.
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@doga_armangil Doga, interesting to see you mentioned Hubert Reeves.
also, nice points mentioned.
by any chance, any recommendations for Quantum Physics?
@amit_arora Hello Amit, Quantum computers might lie just around the corner but I haven't read much about them (yet). If you want to play around with Hadamard products and so on there are apps for that, here's one for iOS: Quantum Puzzle Generator. I myself have tried Hello Quantum, which is no longer on App Store.
I realise you've asked for 3 books, so here's my 3rd book recommendation: "Softwar: An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison and Oracle". Yet another book that is as much about what to do as it is about what not to do.
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@doga_armangil 3rd book you shared is also lovely, Doga. 😊
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I have many books which are my personal favorites and I can't not classify them as "must read for everyone" but one comes to mind specifically - Letters on Ethics: to Lucilius (Seneca) and the full version not the short paraphrased ones. But this is a very long read! :D
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@grigory_sl Grigory, this is a super mention. would really love to hear why you picked "Letters on Ethics"?
Denote
Here’s my take on this! It’s tough narrowing it down, but these three books have stuck with me over the years:
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari – This one’s like a crash course in human history, but told in a super engaging way. It really makes you think about how we got here and where we’re headed. Mind-blowing stuff!
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho – A simple but powerful story about following your dreams. It’s one of those books that you can read at any stage of life, and it always gives you something new to reflect on.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl – This one’s deep. It’s about finding purpose even in the darkest of times, written by a Holocaust survivor. It really puts things into perspective and makes you appreciate life in a different way.
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@caohongyuan Hongyyan, I really appreciate your suggestions :)
you have picked two books, which have been very important. 'Man's search for meaning' and The Alchemist.
Would love to have my hand on 'Sapiens'. how did you comebto know about this book? 📚
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@caohongyuan I would actually say the same three books :D
The Alchemist
The Da Vinci Code
The Twilight Saga
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@aiden_yates Aiden, you have interesting brain 🧠. Seems you are an explorer :) Any specific things that you loved the lost about 'The Alchemist'?
Shuggie Bain
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@theamandagallop Shuggie Bain is a good one. Any specific learnings that you would like to share, Amanda. would love to hear. :)
White Noise
American Psycho
Blood Meridian
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@ammarshaukat hahaha.. So we have 'White Noise'. Good collection, Ammar. 😊 any specific learning from White Noise that you would like to share?
would love to hear from you 🙂
The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
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@theavalilzz nice share, Ava. All three have not come to my hands.
if I have to pick among one to start from these three. which one will you suggest ?
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
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@frankfitzpatrick hahaha so are you looking for Daisy as well just like Jay Gatsby did?
Speaking of non-fiction:
Eckhart Tolle – The Power of Now
Elizabeth Gilbert – Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
Viktor Frankl – Yes To Life In Spite of Everything
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@staceyavril this sounds like a Lovely collection. :)
I have not read any of these. thanks for sharing 😊 will read them. which one do you suggest should I pick first?
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I'm gonna save this thread for future. I personally like " A fraction of the the whole" a great work of drama and comedy like what life really is.
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@salar__davari that is lovely drama and comedy. So what do you think what life really is ? 😀
Depends of what kind of books you like.
My personal favorites are:
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Crime and Punishment by Fjodor M. Dostojevski
On top of that I really enjoyed reading The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz. This is a must read for anyone interested in starting their own business.
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@luka_brzin thats lovely read, Luka. Interesting to see The Almanack. would love to listen your learnings from The Almanack?
Ali, Ben Horowitz is a lovely author and explains really well on how to start and think 😊
@luka_brzin I've also read The Hard Thing About Hard Things. It's mostly about how to manage people in an established company or in a very well funded startup. Hopefully there are many of those hanging around on PH!
Bible
Atlas Shrugged
Quick & Delicious
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@amit_arora resilience, perseverance and boldness protagonists have
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for me they are:
1984
The Shadow of the Wind
The Little Prince
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@angela_ni2 The shadow of the wind is a rare book. :) Interesting to see it here, Angela. what was your experience after reading this?
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@amit_arora I really respect Winston Smith, who unwittingly ends up challenging those who abuse their power to brainwash the populace. "Big brother is watching everyone:)"
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Most Recommended Books
1. Man's Search for Meaning
2. Sapiens
3. 4-Hour Workweek
I got this by looking at the books recommended by 600+ of the world's most successful people, and seeing which ones came up over and over.
Full list here: https://www.mostrecommendedbooks...
Trangram
I would suggest:
1. Sapiens – by Yuval Noah Harari
2. The Selfish Gene – by Richard Dawkins
3. Guns, Germs, and Steel – by Jared Diamond
All are mind-blowing!
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@derek_liu_dev these are actually mind blowing 😲. lovely. Which one from these 3, will you suggest me to start with?
Trangram
@amit_arora Definitely Sapiens! It's interesting and eye-opening, and the author is good at story telling while make you rethink what you already learned about the world history and humanity!
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - A powerful exploration of racial injustice and moral growth.
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@kabir_soto this book is a super one :) loved to see it. any specific things that you liked the most about this book? would love to hear from you
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - A novel about teenage angst and the struggle for identity.
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@diane_j_mcgee this is interesting, Diane. glad to know about this. will put my hands on this. Any specific reason of you picking this book?