Next Read Club15 Books That Will Make You Think
Some books give you answers. The best ones sometimes give you better questions. Fifteen for when you want more than entertainment.
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Some books give you answers.
The best ones sometimes give you better questions.
If you're looking for something beyond a purely entertaining read, these fifteen books can give your brain something to work on.
1.
Daniel Kahneman
A fascinating introduction to the mental shortcuts and biases that influence our decisions.
2.
George Orwell
A classic examination of power, language, truth, and control.
4.
Marcus Aurelius
A collection of reflections on how to approach life with discipline and perspective.
5.
Viktor E. Frankl
A serious exploration of meaning and resilience.
6.
Yuval Noah Harari
A broad history of humanity that raises questions about civilization and progress.
7.
Aldous Huxley
A thought experiment about technology, comfort, happiness, and control.
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde
8.
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde
A philosophical novel about beauty, morality, pleasure, and identity.
9.
Kazuo Ishiguro
A subtle novel that raises difficult questions about humanity and mortality.
10.
Albert Camus
A philosophical examination of meaning and the absurd.
The Psychology of Money
Morgan Housel
11.
The Psychology of Money
Morgan Housel
An accessible exploration of how emotions and behavior influence financial decisions.
Factfulness
Hans Rosling
12.
Factfulness
Hans Rosling
A useful challenge to pessimistic assumptions about the world.
The Righteous Mind
Jonathan Haidt
13.
The Righteous Mind
Jonathan Haidt
Why do people disagree so strongly about morality? This book explores possible answers.
14.
Margaret Atwood
A dystopian story that raises difficult questions about freedom, power, and society.
15.
Paulo Coelho
A much simpler book than many others on this list, but one that invites reflection on purpose, ambition, and the meaning we give to our lives.
Where to start, depending on what you want
If you want thinking wrapped inside a story, start with the dystopias: Brave New World, 1984 and The Handmaid's Tale turn ideas about power, comfort and control into plot. If you'd rather have the ideas straight, Thinking, Fast and Slow and Sapiens are the two most approachable doors into psychology and history. And if you only have an afternoon, The Stranger and The Alchemist are both short enough to finish in one sitting.
More in the same vein: our books that make you think and books that will change your perspective collections, or the full fiction shelf.
Don't be afraid of difficult books
A thought-provoking book doesn't necessarily have to be complicated. Sometimes a simple story leaves you thinking longer than a 700-page philosophical argument.
The goal isn't to prove how much you can understand. It's to become curious.
Don't know what to read next?
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