It’s hard to remember what books are worthy of recommendation, so this is a list of such books, updated whenever I think of something new to add. These are the books I’d like to have in physical form, or which I’d take with me if sent to Mars. Some are simply wonderful and worthy of multiple rereads, others are useful in striving for Arete. Most are both.

Books to re-read

Because they’re so good

• LotR
• Dune
• Wiedźmin
• Emily
• Lilith
• Shirley
• Lent
• Among Others
• Earthsea
• The Left Hand of Darkness
• The Myth of Sisyphus
• The Unbearable Lightness of Being
• A Grief Observed
• Lord Jim
• Watership Down
• Ender’s Game
• Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality

To become better

• Rationality: From AI to Zombies
• The Demon-Haunted World
• The Art of War
• The Scout Mindset
• The Black Swan
• Thinking, Fast and Slow

Good textbooks

• Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times
• The Selfish Gene
• The Greatest Show on Earth

Books to buy

• Restoration Agriculture
• Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice
• A Brief History of Time