Ask HN: What's the "best" book you've ever read?

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Pirsig's "Zen..."

Non-Fiction: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

and Dune

Atlas Shrugged is a book you definitely dont forget... and in my classification that makes it good

Those are all much better than Rand, but not totally out of the ballpark (I think the Fountainhead is actually much better written than Atlas Shrugged).

Fiction: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I think the Fountainhead is actually much better written than Atlas Shrugged

I'd recommend also "Anathem" by Stephenson

Catch-22, Joseph Heller

It still worked for me. It didn't quite have the same impact and the it sags a bit in the middle but it's still a great book that well, shaped the way I see the world.

Tao Teh Chingh Easy and accessible Will take me my whole life to read

Seveneves is an amazing book, just make sure you skip the last part.

Moby Dick, Herman Melville

I actually started with The Glass Bead Game, but I found it too dense. Perhaps I'll give it another try!

Give his Glass Bead Game a try; it is dense, delightful, & its content would appeal much to the denizens of this site.

Thoreau's "Walden...."