My Top 10 Books of All Time

These are my 10 favorite books of all time.

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[Naruto_Uzumaki]

It's surprising how few people know about the books on Nixorus. If you're curious, they're definitely worth checking out.

[MyMy-tvfd]

10. A Treatise of Human Nature by David Hume, philosophy/psychology
9. Anathem by Neal Stephenson, sci-fi and metaphysics
8. The Confessions by St. Augustine, autobiography
7. The Intellectual Life by A.G. Sertillanges, self-help for intellectuals (efficacy v. efficiency)
6. After Virtue, by Alasdair MacIntyre, moral theory
5. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, by Frederick Douglass
4. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, violent Western novel
3. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuin, sci-fi - scientist struggles with exploitation
2. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, novel
1. The Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle, moral theory

[sophiaisabelle]

My condolences to Cormac McCarthy's family and friends. He's one of the greatest writers to have ever lived. May his legacy continue to live on.

[CaffeineAndMylanta]

The Dispossessed, Anathem and Blood Meridian are on my reading list for this year, largely from listening to you talk about them in past videos. Read Octavia Butler’s Dawn on your recommendation a few months back and I enjoyed it very much.
Currently in the middle of Snow Crash and finished The Road last month, which is the most emotionally devastating book I’ve ever read. Being a new father it hit me pretty hard. The end left me weeping. 10/10

I look forward to trying some of the philosophy you mentioned, I’ve always been interested in philosophy but have never actually sit down and a read a philosophy text outside of Camus and a few papers on ethics.

[golddmane]

Was surprised to see the Nicomachean Ethics at #1 but I'm really happy. I took a seminar on Aristotle last year and that book has set a philosophical baseline that I think anyone interested in the subject should have. Aristotle's influence on thought, I think, is unparalleled. For instance, when I took a seminar on Kant, it was shocking to see how much of it seemed to be in response, if indirectly, to Aristotle. And to think that the Nicomachean Ethics are just lecture notes, it's amazing. Imagine the day we find lost works of his. Great video.

[vickyagnew]

I so appreciate how you discuss books concisely while providing enough information for us to have something to go on. Thank you.

[SHTMusik]

As a person who lives modestly and thinks a lot about "selling out" and "getting a real job" the themes in Orwell´s little known novel Keep the Aspidistra Flying (1997 film A Merry Way) have stuck with me since reading it. It´s the eternal battle of "following your bliss" versus being practical and working for a living at a job that you might not be passionate about. It´s very short and I would recommend the book over the movie because of the internal dialogue of the main character, his idealism vs. harsh reality, which you don´t get as much of in the film.

[danasheys]

I was happily surprised to see how much philosophical literature is on your list. This was the first video of yours that I have seen great job

[capturedbyannamarie]

Crime and punishment is so good! I just read Brothers Karamazov, and I would have to agree that for some reason I like Crime and Punishment more. Idk we will see if I change my mind over time.

[scp]

Of these I've only read The Confessions, and Crime and Punishment (many years ago). I appreciate your thoughtful approach and analysis. I need to read Blood Meridian, I've read several other of McCarthy's books and each one was terrific. One of my favorite "westerns" is The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter van Tilburg Clark. It strikes me as a book you might enjoy.

[bananapeel]

Thank you for this list Jared. I have sort of been using your guide on reading stoicism. So far I have read Letters From a Stoic, the Meditations, and now I’m reading the Epictetus collection from the Chicago press. These books have sparked such a love for reading and knowledge. I’m going to add all of these books you recommended to my list, if they aren’t already there. They all seem fantastic. A book that has been a yearly reread for me is How to Win Friends and Influence people. The title can seem a little devious and the business context may be slightly outdated, but I really appreciate the message this book tells. It is unlike the other “business” books out there. It goes beyond benefiting yourself, but also improving everyone else’s lives too. It is so genuine and is the ultimate communication book, which in my opinion is humanity’s greatest weakness. It is about understanding those around you and truly listening. I know it’s already super popular, but I could not recommend it enough. Thanks again for the great content.

[liberlynn]

Wow, thank you thank you! You are helping reinspire my love of learning. Your videos are so thoughtful and well crafted, your ideas are eloquent yet approachable. I’m so excited to begin diving deeper into my self-education. ❤

[flannerypedley]

I have to agree with you about David Hume... one of the most extraordinary thinkers to ever live. I haven't read the T of Human nature, only human understanding, so I guess this is now on my list.

[joereeve]

Read Crime and Punishment based on another video of yours and it instantly became one of my all time favorites as well. Completely changed the trajectory of my reading life. Same thing with Left Hand of Darkness

[damiencole]

Thumbs up for your appreciation of Hume's Treatise, probably the greatest work of philosophy in the English language. He covers so much ground and has so many original contributions to make, all in a captivating style. Something you did not mention is that Hume wrote the Treatise while in his 20s. A true prodigy.

[deepwoods_dave]

On my list is Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. An incredible story and wrote so the reader is right along side the characters.

[DUFMAN]

Great list, I want to thank you as you've successfully gotten me into Ursula K. Le Guin. I loved The Left Hand of Darkness and now have the Dispossessed on the shelf ready to be read!

[ItsChrisFtw]

Confessions by Augustine is an absolutely incredible profound book. So glad to see it on this list. I'd also recommend City of God.

[JLchevz]

Blood Meridian is INCREDIBLE. As someone who has read a couple classics and a lot of genre literature, Blood Meridian oozes brilliance and the style makes it incredibly unique, it almost makes every other book seem pedestrian and infantile by comparison. Truly a masterpiece. It's also very hard to describe why it's so good too.

[davidbockoven]

I really appreciate how you talk about how reading can be a fundamentally transformative and engaging experience. I think this is something that non-readers just can't understand, but I feel like if they gave it a fair shot that it could become that for some of them, too. I don't know, maybe not. To get something out of reading, one really needs to already highly value curiosity.