My Top 5 Favourite Books

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[@davegoodridge8352]

Watching one of your past videos I purchased some Assam tea. Its special. Thank you. I’m 65 years old and I love learning about how much of life I don’t know.

[@thebeansandtoddshow]

I don’t say this lightly Stephen, one of your best videos of all time, one of my favorite books: Night by Elie Wiesel …. Jude

[@BoozerSl]

Onomatopoeia was the word you were thinking of for your second book. It is a word that imitates sound. Woof! Woof! Great video!

[@misswoodhouse5720]

think Batman and 'Pow' 'Wham' so on, the words look as they sound. My inspiration to go on and study English at university was my Year 12 English teacher, I am a dyslexic student and I remember she had faith in me. So, remembering back her favorite word was Onomatopoeia. Now, I am a not so dyslexic English graduate studying masters of teaching. c:

[@fransbaert4666]

A favourite of mine is a book by Etty Hillesum (1914-1943), her diary and letters appear in one volume: 'Life and Letters: An Interrupted Life and Letters from Westerbork'. She was a young Jewish woman who lived in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam where she wrote about how she dealt with and understood the challenges she and her people had to cope with. Her courage and psychological insights have been helpful to so many. Her main sources of inspiration were writers like Rilke, Dostoyevski, Jung... She died in Auschwitz.

[@nicksg3002]

Excellent suggestion. Looking forward reading it. Thank you❤

[@mellow-jello]

Stephen, this is a great topic, and we are meeting our minds here. I concur with the Art of War, and Book of Five Rings, as my top picks which I read in my 20s, along with the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. To close off, my other two picks is Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, and Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning.

[@martinfox2244]

Very interesting choices. Your series on stoicism has been a life changer. I would have thought The Complete Sherlock Holmes would be in there somewhere! My copy prefaced by Christopher Morley is a treasure.

[@stefashaler8340]

Fascinating. Thank you. Out of the sea of beloved books, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn floats to the top today. And usually,

[@fransbaert4666]

Thank you Stephen. I have given many copies of the Enchiridion to friends who needed Epictetus' advice in time of need - in Dutch (wonderful translation), French, Spanish, English... I was very moved when you were speaking about Democritus. A beautiful message to start the new year with. Dank je, gelukkig nieuwjaar, ad multos annos.

[@MarciaStraatmeyer]

I’d have to think to find only five, but perhaps my favorite is Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki. Not a big, theoretical treatise as it was originally a series of talks. A one sentence summary at the start of each section gives the memorable, practical thing to carry with you.

[@gihanzohdy3284]

Excellent video Stephen, thanks so much for the recommendations!

[@theprof_001]

I really enjoyed this most informative and interesting review! Thanks!👍

[@robinmosenfelder6226]

I wish to have a list of these books, the titles written out. Esp considering some of the authors were greek/how to spell titles also

[@sullenpuffin]

Just Google them man, it’s not hard. You don’t need them spoon feed.

[@kookatsoonjan]

ya...I had to back track A LOT...still misspelled many names and titles.

[@johntoh6552]

1.Sun Tzu, "The Art of War" 2. Musashi, "The Book of Five Rings" 3. Epictetus, " Enchiridion" translated as Handbook/Manual of Stoicism 4. Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations" 5. Marco Pierre White. I have not heard of the book by Marco Pierre White. Dr Brown suggested that the title was " The Devil in the Kitchen". In any case, he said this chef wrote so few books that it's easily searchable under his name.😀💁‍♂️

[@loukios]

I would give “the 33 strategies of war” by Robert Greene a read. One of my favourites. Thank you for your videos. Greetings from Cyprus. Ps: “egxeiridion” translates as “on hand” in Greek.

[@tomo9224]

This was my question and I’m so happy you answered! 3/5 I have read. Sun Tzu, Miyamoto Musashi and Marco Pierre White. The others will definitely be put on the list! I’m just messaging to say thank you for answering! As you’re an academic I thought you would have some insight but also show something else you’re passionate about and this video didn’t disappoint. I am a barrister and my current favourite book is Under the Wig by William Clegg QC which is a memoir of sorts by a significant figure in the criminal law fraternity in the UK.

[@cairosauer]

Thanks. I've read three of your five and just put the other two on my "investigate" list. My top 5 books read in 2024 were: - "Hijab Butch Blues" by Lamya H, - "Solito" by Javier Zamora, - "Flaubert's Parrot" by Julian Barnes, - "The Power Broker" by Robert Caro, and - "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" by Samin Nosrat. Two memoirs (one of a queer woman raised in an Islamic family, the other of a 9 year old boy who travels unaccompanied from Guatemala to join his parents in the US); a work of fiction disguised as a collection of essays on Flaubert; an amazingly detailed (and long) biography and ode to NYC; and a cookbook that includes some recipes, but is much more concerned with process, technique, and culture in cooking.

[@nicksg3002]

Thank you for the recommendations

[@Swiss_Army_Knife1780]

Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick My heart went out to the people of 🇰🇵 and admiration for the defectors, who not only braved death but a seemingly harsh integration into the cutthroat society of 🇰🇷. 🇰🇷: I love you and please recognize that your society has a steep learning curve, which is probably why it is so dynamic and great. To the leaders of 🇰🇵, please remember what it is to be human.

[@philnaunton7181]

Excellent!

[@julianfisher8190]

So, a challenge. What are your fictional top five? (I subscribe to the idea that there is often more truth found in fiction than non...). And what do you read for laughs? I'm not sure you'll answer either of these...but I'd love it if you did!

[@julianfisher8190]

And my top five? (Difficult for a Lit. teacher turned writer...) Middlemarch - Eliot Ulysees - Joyce Anna Karenina - Tolstoy The Patterning Instinct - Lent The Living Mountain - Shepherd There! I even put in a couple of non-fiction in.

[@misswoodhouse5720]

Helllo Dr Brown, great books, I agree with these. I have a degree in English and I hardly read fiction these days, I am studying postgraduate teaching and my time is very taken up by reading academic journals, funny enough right up your alley about cognition and psychology. I must leave you again with an essay I would love you to read, Roland Barthes 'The Death of the Author', I would love you to read this as I believe you will get something out of this. Chelsea c:

[@JSarmat86]

"The Price" by Niccolo Machiavelli - the most pragmatic, or "down to earth" philosophic book I've read during the (short) philosophy course in University. To me, it deserves to be along with "The art of war" by Sun Tzu.

[@fuhrank]

Agreed. “The PRINCE” is a classic.

[@Some1ne]

idk, it's a bit Machiavellian

[@rmossie]

Great Review and commentary.

[@ichirofakename]

My 3 favorite non-fiction books: 1. David Hume's "Dialogues on Natural Religion", which cured me of religion. 2. A.J. Ayer's "Language, Truth and Logic", which cured me of philosophy. 3. David Bohm's "Quantum Theory", which explains what can be explained about how things are. "Sometimes people let the same problem make them miserable for years when they could just say, So what. That's one of my favorite things to say. So what. - Andy Warhol

[@yellowzen1]

I am currently reading Solito !

[@martinomattuzzi7031]

Hello! My five favourite books are 1) The first two Gormenghast books by Mervyn Peake 2) Stoner or Butcher's crossing by John Williams 3) A skanner darkly by Philip Dick 4) The seventh day by Yu hua 5) Norse mithology by Neil Gaiman

[@allanwellings8422]

Excellent as always Stephen. I know I have a copy of Meditations in here somewhere… I was able to guess several of your picks but Marco Pierre White caught me out - l’ll have to get a copy. Thanks again.

[@Calcprof]

Leaving out some classic Math/Physics books, I would list the Tao Te Ching, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Gibbon, Enquiry Into Human Understanding by David Hum. Fiction, just to name a few: The Sot Weed Factor by John Barth, Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne, Bleak House by Dickens and Don Quixote by Cervantes.

[@mempo77]

Montaigne was late(r) to the party, but described the same principle: reculer pour mieux sauter I apply it every day

[@AlexLullos]

We have very similar taste in books!

[@Michelt007]

Come to Dr Brown for fountain pens, stay for philosophy! Very interesting list, I own 3 out of 5, but only one did I read completely, and more than once, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. Certainly the most moving book I ever read. I think that there are three categories of books that are about non-technical matters (about "life"): 1) books from philosophers, which attempt at explaining life 2) books on fiction where the author, while not doing any philosophy, gives situations and interpretations of them that are implicit, so that their philosophy is indirect 3) books on fiction where the author tries to imitate the books of the second category without truly understanding them The last category is good for children and those readers who are new to philosophy. But when we grow older, we definitely concentrate our reading on the first 2 categories. And I must say that category 2 is not only about classical books, it is also about clever books seen as being popular, those that are genuinely great, yet will never grand their author a Nobel prize in literature.

[@lionping3112]

"THE GOLDEN VERSES OF PYTHAGORAS" is available as pdf-Document to download and could be of interest.

[@davidhunden120]

I believe Onomatopoeia is what you were trying to remember. A word that sounds like the sound it is describing. BANG!, Sizzzzzzzle,

[@ChymicalWeddings]

I got sucked into reading strictly military history for years, I think Sun Tzu is far easier to understand than say Clausowitz who is very dry, mainly because Sun Tzu goes into mindset, not just technical aspects of what you should do. So much to learn from military writing, especially when your considering what's at stake in the end. My favorite books this year that I read [1] the sympathizer [2] the body keeps the score

[@miamot10]

One of the first three books I read was Diary of an Unknown Aviator. Had some racist comments reflecting the period it was written in, but it created vivid characters with just a few sentences. One part was about flying in combat and his reaction to looking across the circle to the German he was fighting. Also a nod to Strunk & White because impressed how precision in language is necessary for precision in thought. I also loved The Art of War, an antidote to the current idea of war as annihilation. The Anabasis as a story of struggle and survival. Fifthly, Primo Levi. And, why should other's opinion of you have more weight than your opinion of them? Peace.

[@wildcard50]

if you like the art of war, you may like the 48 laws of power by Robert Greene.

[@Thaminotaur]

Just finished the Oxford Union Q & A with Marco Pierre White. I can understand your esteem and appreciation.

[@woodshark1]

Audio is clipping, yet as usual, the content is fascinating.

[@flipper2gv]

A lot of insights on "confrontations"... Interesting

[@lenorebr69]

onomatopoeia, I think was the word for woof, woof. Good video, thx

[@kookatsoonjan]

Most people here, are viewers, not creators. If one finds the "image" somewhat "jarring" , there is always the option to just listen, as these days, you seem to make many strictly audio videos. I appreciate your book recommendations, most of which are related to your profession and field of study. It seems that it all boils down to " You are what you think. Think about it" I look forward to investigating at least one of them, most likely " The Art of War"...Janis

[@barn_ninny]

If one isn't learning about things while reading fiction, one is doing it wrong.

[@JanChristophEbersbach]

Thanks for sharing😊 I'll take a look at the chef's book. This sounds really interesting. I can recommend the bible. If you believe it, there's a God who will help and on whom we can count. That's pretty powerful and the lengths to which God went to get us to come back to him are even more incredible.

[@anujupadhyay10]

Not a non fiction, but still a good resource on human behaviour and warfare - Dwapar Katha, the Stories from Mahabharat by Sudipta Bhowmik, published by Harper Collins.

[@ylee7644]

Fiction has really dropped the ball in the last 15 years or so. I'm gravitating more towards non-fiction than ever before. I suspect that's the case for a lot of people. Non-fiction has had a pretty good run recently because of that.

[@Vermiliontea]

'Art of War' is pretty useless these days for real war. But it's phenomenally useful for serious online wargaming. That's where you experience the real lessons and "wisdom", and realize where they came from. Modern real warfare, otoh, is something completely different.

[@talcual2138]

You're too Dutch, too practical, dear Steven... You can learn a lot, probably more, from literary works of fiction... As I grow older, and I am older than you, I gravitate more and more towards fiction. Give an opportunity to Agustîn Fernández Mallo, and you'll also see that the lines between fiction and non-fiction are blurred, and rightly so.

[@DonaldKitchell-rd9kl]

Try the greatest selling book of all time, about the greatest figure in human history, the Holy Bible. And I don’t mean bits and pieces but from Genesis to Revelation. You really know nothing if you have not as all the other figures you mentioned are nothing but dust on the scales compared to this figure.