In anticipation of getting flagged into oblivion, am I the only one who's disappointed in this selection of books?
Of course, taste is subjective, and it should perhaps be expected that much of the list is in line with what is read by the general public, but many of the books are either presenting fact or attempting to convince the reader of the veracity of a certain viewpoint. I'd like to read more open-ended works that ask for interpretation on the part of the reader or, at the least, don't explicitly spell out what they want the reader to walk away with. (certainly some books here fit the bill, e.g. Infinite Jest, Pride & Prejudice, etc.). Again, interests are subjective.
I think that's just the nature of pulling books from HN comments - a lot of those comments are trying to convince people of a viewpoint, so it seems unsurprising that this is the kind of list you'd end up with.
Not good or bad, just a function of where they're coming from.
And as for book recommendations, Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
Personally I wouldn't recommend others' books to someone who is left unfulfilled by such a huge list. I would rather recommend writing or other subjectively-pinned activities, to hold the subject accountable and help them stay out of the critic zone long enough to find their way into more fulfilling growth.
Of course, taste is subjective, and it should perhaps be expected that much of the list is in line with what is read by the general public, but many of the books are either presenting fact or attempting to convince the reader of the veracity of a certain viewpoint. I'd like to read more open-ended works that ask for interpretation on the part of the reader or, at the least, don't explicitly spell out what they want the reader to walk away with. (certainly some books here fit the bill, e.g. Infinite Jest, Pride & Prejudice, etc.). Again, interests are subjective.
In light of this, book recommendations?