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Which book(s) left a lasting impression on you?
(discuss.tchncs.de)
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
Fear of Small Numbers, by Arjun Appadurai
The Selfish Gene.
As soon as the concept clicked halfway through the book my days as an evangelical were over.
It was interesting to me to hear years later that Wall Street types found it influential, because the thing I found most compelling was the explanation of why altruism and social generosity were rational traits.
Flowers for Algernon
Blackshirts and Reds - Parenti
in no particular order:
- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
- Swallows and Amazons
- How to Lose Friends and Infuriate People
- The Wizard of Earthsea
in no particular order
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Not sure if intentional but made me chuckle.
It's worth a read.
I think it's often frowned upon for being somewhat of a naive juvenile pocket philosophical rambling, or the dairy of a madman, but I'd say that it introduces some valid points about the concept of quality that you can then think about yourself.
It's definitely on my top 10 list of books. Not because it's great, but because I can often relate to it in miscellaneous situations even 30 years after reading it.
Same here, top 10 but lower half. I used to re-read it every 4 or 5 years, but I reached an apex point where it held up less and less well, and even abandoned the last read.
That might also be a result of having kids and realising that, while he went through something horrifying in the end, his behaviour before that was rather obnoxious. That said, he could have chosen not to have painted himself in that light, I just never figured out whether he realised it himself or was oblivious / felt it was justified.
Still, some magnificent prose pieces about quality and perception that are highly quotable, and broadly useful as tools to interact with the world around you.
Lila I never quite got to grips with, but my old man said I should try it "when you're older, much older"
I feel the same way about Charles Bukowski. I can read, understand and appreciate the books without liking the guy. He also paints himself in a negative picture, but the thoughts are still worth considering or just knowing of. Whether or not it's intended, I think it's okay for litterature to provoke the reader to think that the author is wrong or plain crazy, because at least it makes me think about stuff instead of just entertaining my existing views.
I did read Lila 25 yeas ago, but I hardly remember it. It's been a long time since I last read any books at all. Perhaps I ought to give it a second chance.
The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guinn
- The Bell Jar
- Between Two Fires
- The Troop (I just not over Newton 😭)
- N0S4A2
Tigana
A book about loss. Loss of family. Loss of country. Loss of culture. Loss of all things. It's beautifully written, and the theme of loss doesn't mean a somber tone throughout, the found family is strong.
The Trial
Survivor by Chuck "Fight Club" Palahniuk.
After Fight Club I went on a spree of reading this guys work. Survivor was the last of his written before the Fight Club movie made it big. It was also released a couple of years before 9/11 which killed its chance of being made into a movie.
I think it highlights how being passive in the world isn't enough to avoid doing bad things. You have to make your own choices to avoid a bad result. Interesting story structure and has some dark comedic moments too.
Such a good book, I too went on a tear through his work after Fight Club and I think this and Choke are fighting for my top spot.
I don't think Choke is as good myself. Still a good read but Survivor has stayed with with more in the years since.
Witness.
(Not the book name, but if you've read the book, good on you).
His Dark Materials
Singularity Sky (and its sequel, Iron Sunrise)
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality (a fanfiction novel that is far better than the original series)
What If (and What If 2, by Randall Munroe)
The Planiverse
The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Society After an Apocalypse
Sophie's World
Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy
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- A Canticle for Leibowitz
- Cloud Atlas
- 1984
I have loved all of David Mitchell's books but Cloud Atlas was the perfect one that I started with that made me want to see everything else he read. I just love the structure of it so so much.
Absolutely. Since I'm not really into the music scene, I thought I wouldn't enjoy Utopia avenue, but I honestly think it's my second-favorite of his works. I am about to start Ghostwritten, though will probably stop there, because I really don't think number9dream is for me. I'm really not a fan of unsatisfying stories or bildungsroman, and I've read that n9d is both. What's your take?
I enjoyed Black Swan Green, in spite of its bildungsroman plot, but It wasn't my favourite (though it wasn't my least-favourite, because that dubious honour has to go to Slade House, which I read before the Bone Clocks, and which I expected to have a MUCH better puzzlebox feel. I felt betrayed when I realized that the alchemical symbology and map of the house on the inside cover of my first-edition copy was all meaningless, especially when the climax was just a deus-ex-horologia before I knew who Marinus was)
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this post was submitted on 28 Jun 2025
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