Books

[Flawed_Ravvn]

What books would INTPs suggest to read?

I'm running out of material and I need something to keep me busy over the summer besides my job. Thanks!

 

[Hawkeye]

Tigana

 

[Red myst]

For fiction: "Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy" and the rest of the books in that series.

 

[Helvete]

Try writing your own, then never finish it, because, procrastination,

 

[Trebuchet]

SF and Fantasy: Redshirts by John Scalzi - initially a humorous parody of Star Trek, it turns into a really good story way beyond mere parody, and won the Hugo for best novel of 2013.

History: Between Silk and Cyanide by Leo Marks - this is an autobiographical book about an English codemaker in WWII. Marks dedicated himself to designing codes that would protect agents in occupied France, including his friend Forest Yeo-Thomas and Violet Szabo (look them up).

Ergonomics: The Psychology of Everyday Things by Don Norman - the cover alone is wonderful. I used to carry it around to use as a conversation starter. This is a lighthearted and yet scientific discussion of design, including doors, light switches, cars, and teapots.

Geology: The Control of Nature by John McPhee - three longish essays about man v. nature. McPhee not only makes the geology fascinating, he makes the people so interesting you wish you could meet them.

Ecology: Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams - this apparently was Adams's favorite of his own books. He went all over the world learning about endangered species, and then wrote wonderful stories about them. There are videos online of him relating some of the stories, which are very funny.

 

[Cherry Cola]

The Public Burning by Robert Coover for a merciless but humorous assault on American paranoia, patriotism, and ISTJ extraordinaire Nixon.

 

[Absurdity]

For fiction:

• "Invisible Cities" by Italo Calvino
• The "His Dark Materials" series by Philip Pullman
• "Fugitive Pieces" by Anne Michaels
• "Cigarettes" by Harry Mathews
• "Dune" by Frank Herbert
• "Labyrinths" by Jorge Luis Borges

I'd recommend some more bleak stuff, which is what I typically read, but I'm not sure what your tastes are.

 

[greenspace]

For fiction, Anything Jeffery Archer. He captures British upper society impeccably. I especially recommend First Among Equals. I also enjoy John Grisham. Wilbur Smith is also a very very informative author. His books are really Historical Fiction.

For non-fiction, I have been reading some classics. Right now I am trying to read Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, the only true Philosopher King. The next book I want to read is the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith.

I also recommend the book "Paradox of Choice"

 

[manishboy]

What books would INTPs suggest to read?

I'm running out of material and I need something to keep me busy over the summer besides my job. Thanks!

It's hard to make a decent recommendation without knowing anything about you. So:

1. How old are you?

2. What have you read and liked? Hated?

 

[peoplesuck]

the wise man's fear is a good book imo. so is the name of the wind.

 

[Spirit]

You mentioned Social Psychology I think, so ...

Pathways to Bliss - Joesph Campbell
Kellogg on Strategy - Dranove and Marciano
Influence: Science and Practice - Cladini
Creating Innovators - Tony Wagner
What everybody is saying - Joe Navarro

 

[EditorOne]

"shadow country" peter matthiessen a novel, a mystery, insight into human nature, a thriller, and it's many many pages so it lasts a long time.

"at play in the fields of the lord" peter Matthiessen Missionaries go wrong in a heathen jungle. a novel, a mystery, insight into human nature, insight into the pursuit of identity.

"Swain's Folly" by me (cough cough) for INTP by INTP, a novel, a mystery, some adventure, unrequited romance, humor, and, what every INTP secretly dreams will happen, a somewhat INTPish protagonist who uses his chameleon aspects and decent voice to stumble into an odd niche as a pop star but still wonders if he'll actually get the girl he can't get out of his head. Sort of like "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexander Dumas, but with a whole lot more self-deprecating humor.

As an aside (I am, after all, INTP) Alexander Dumas' novel was written as serial installments for a Paris newspaper in the 1800s;because of the medium used and the interval between installments, he perfected the art of chapter endings that left you hanging and waiting to find out what happened next. Some things never change.

 

[Architect]

"Swain's Folly" by me (cough cough) for INTP by INTP, a novel, a mystery, some adventure, unrequited romance, humor, and, what every INTP secretly dreams will happen, a somewhat INTPish protagonist who uses his chameleon aspects and decent voice to stumble into an odd niche as a pop star but still wonders if he'll actually get the girl he can't get out of his head. Sort of like "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexander Dumas, but with a whole lot more self-deprecating humor.

Click: bought.

 

[EditorOne]

Enjoy!

 

[Architect]

Enjoy!

I rarely read non sci-fi novels, except older classics. Only one modern novel before. I like how it starts, focusing on her situation rather than someones feelings or other, as many often do. The scene painting is nicely pungent.

 

[EditorOne]

Sci fi: Ty Drago. A heck of a writer.

 

[Cherry Cola]

[*]The "His Dark Materials" series by Philip Pullman

This one definitely. Here are two novels which are both highly enjoyable reads and give you a lot in return:

-The Stranger - Albert Camus. It's like what 120 pages? It's a philosophical book I guess, but more than that it's a great novel imo.

-End Zone - Don DeLillo. An intellectually and athletically gifted deadbeat college football player, ruminates over the prospect of a nuclear holocaust, small wonders of life, and football. Drawing allegories -and thus blurring the line- between them all. Very funny dark humor, great characters.

 

[Pizzabeak]

The Illuminatus! trilogy? It kinda reminds me of Naked Lunch as it is a bit overwhelming with the constant stream of introduction and instant shifts. Freud & Jung even make occasional cameos and the authors seem to be aware of mbti so there seems to be a few references to it, namely introversion/extraversion and even Ne&Si maybe Se&Ni unless I've taken things out of context again. It reads as a detective novel.

 

[Ex-User (9062)]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Obelisk

 

[Valentas]

All Joseph P Farrell books. I guarantee that you will learn a lot, especially about WW2, Nazis, their technology and other stuff uncovered by researchers around the world. Books are heavily referenced thus are not imagination of one person.

 

[Flawed_Ravvn]

Ok, so to make things easier, this is what I'm into:
Non-fiction:
Medical
psychology
music
history
anything animals
sports (like the history behind sports)

Non-fiction:
anything with action and some life changing experience if that makes sense lol.

 

[Ex-User (9062)]

Non-fiction:
anything with action and some life changing experience if that makes sense lol.

Like biographies?

 

[Flawed_Ravvn]

I guess so, just shoot some stuff and I see if I like it. I'm a very curious person.

 

[Ex-User (9062)]

I read biographies of exceptional thinkers, artists, scientists etc. for fun.
But, to be honest, i wanted to ask you whether that second "non-fiction" was a typo.

 

[Hawkeye]

Reading nothing but non-fiction is bad for your health.

 

[Cherry Cola]

Reading nothing but non-fiction is bad for your health.

Definitely, one should not pass of non-fiction as mere entertainment either. If one does so one has not read the right books!

 

[Ex-User (9062)]

Affirmative.
The problem is to keep the right balance,
in order to not drift into fairy-land.

 

[Flawed_Ravvn]

@Salmoneus- and that, everyone, is why you shouldn't respond to someone after you've been up all night studying

Yes that was a typo, sorry.

 

[Ex-User (9062)]

No biggie

 

[manishboy]

Here're a couple of suggestions.

History--
Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation by E. Chancellor. Title pretty much says it all. The history of bubbles.

Fiction--
Things Fall Apart by C. Achebe. You might have read it in school. It's worth a read.

 

[Flawed_Ravvn]

@Editor One- if you send me a free copy then yes I would love to read it

It does sound interesting though

@Salmoneus-fairyland is probably much better then highschool

 

[Ex-User (9062)]

Nice!

 

[Variform]

Ok, so to make things easier, this is what I'm into:
Non-fiction:
Medical
psychology
music
history
anything animals
sports (like the history behind sports)

Non-fiction:
anything with action and some life changing experience if that makes sense lol.

For psychology: Ernest Becker - The Denial Of Death
For history: Graham Hancock, any of his work on ancient civilizations

 

[TheManBeyond]

not an intp but i really loved 100 Years of Solitude and Chronicle of a Death Foretold both by Gabriel García Márquez.

 

[hurricanejane]

Anything by john green, particularily Will Grayson Will Grayson or The Fault in Our Stars

 

[Amagi82]

Fiction:

Name of the Wind and Wise Man's Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss. Part of the Kingkiller Chronicles, and the best-written books I have ever read.

The Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher. These start off decent and just get better and better and better. This is my all-time favorite book series.

Wool, by Hugh Howey. An excellent series about the fall of human civilization.



Non-fiction:

The Sun's Heartbeat, by Bob Berman. I learned more about the star at the center of our solar system reading this book than I suspected even existed.

 

[Spirit]

Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die

 

[Redfire]

The Antichrist - Friedrich Nietzsche (must-read for religious people)

Steppenwolf - Hermann Hesse (must-read for INTP teenagers)

For psychology: Ernest Becker - The Denial Of Death

Seconded.

If you are too lazy to read the book, there's a documentary called "Flight from Death", based on Becker's work and legacy.

 

[Variform]

The Antichrist - Friedrich Nietzsche (must-read for religious people)

Steppenwolf - Hermann Hesse (must-read for INTP teenagers)



Seconded.

If you are too lazy to read the book, there's a documentary called "Flight from Death", based on Becker's work and legacy.

Never met anyone who actually read it. But where else than here would I find someone?
You know, long ago, in my note book in high school there were quotes from famous people and one I remember, it said that literature are books no one ever reads anymore.

 

[Pizzabeak]

Anyone know of any decent books or links containing material about the internet?

 

[Redfire]

Never met anyone who actually read it. But where else than here would I find someone?
You know, long ago, in my note book in high school there were quotes from famous people and one I remember, it said that literature are books no one ever reads anymore.

It's a nice quote, but I frequent bookstores where they sell old second-hand books, and I always wonder who would buy a book on nutrition from the 60's, or things like that. No one reads them because they are completely useless now. But in the same bookstore I found a hardcover, beautiful edition of Zarathustra at the equivalent of two dollars. It was cheap because no one wants to read it.

Ever since I read Denial of Death I've been thinking about buying a human skull to put in my desk, like medieval monks did, so I can be constantly reminded of my own mortality. But explaining it to people would really be a drag, so for now a Vanitas wallpaper is as far as I go.

 

[TBerg]

On the Genealogy of Morals, by Nietzsche. Wonderful explication of the unconscious motives of human beings.

Sherlock.

A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini.

 

[Variform]

Ever since I read Denial of Death I've been thinking about buying a human skull to put in my desk, like medieval monks did, so I can be constantly reminded of my own mortality. But explaining it to people would really be a drag, so for now a Vanitas wallpaper is as far as I go.

You can find pictures to use as wallpaper of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse. That'll do it.

Use www.ixquick.com and use the picture finder.

 

[Redfire]

For now I use Champaigne's "Still Life with a Skull". A flower, a skull, an hourglass. Life, death, time.

 

[Variform]

Poignant, mister! I could shiver. There is a danger to it though. It is a form of abyss-looking. And you know what they say. Something can stare back.

 

[Omnivorous Ocelot]

Harry Potter is pretty good.