What was the best book you've ever read, and why?

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Mine was The Ancient Engineers, by L. Sprague de Camp (goodreads.com). Though he's primarily known as a sci-fi writer, the author did this as a well referenced, fact based history of ancient technologies and engineering. It delivers a great perspective of how knowledgeable and advanced ancient people actually were. Basically how they were just like us in an earlier time, and how one simple invention or discovery was used as a stepping stone onward and upward to the advancement of civilization as a we know it today. It's a great easy read and an eye opener when it comes to advancements in technology in general. How even something as simple as the innovation of adding a stirrup on a saddle can lead to great improvements in human history.

Mine was [The Ancient Engineers, by L. Sprague de Camp](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1120788.The_Ancient_Engineers). Though he's primarily known as a sci-fi writer, the author did this as a well referenced, fact based history of ancient technologies and engineering. It delivers a great perspective of how knowledgeable and advanced ancient people actually were. Basically how they were just like us in an earlier time, and how one simple invention or discovery was used as a stepping stone onward and upward to the advancement of civilization as a we know it today. It's a great easy read and an eye opener when it comes to advancements in technology in general. How even something as simple as the innovation of adding a stirrup on a saddle can lead to great improvements in human history.

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Probably Albert Einstein’s biography by Walter issacson but I like that sort of thing

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That sounds interesting. I don't know much about Einstein other than common knowledge, but he was definitely a brilliant man. So I'd imagine this would be a great read.

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Divorced his wife and married his cousin. Little known fact.

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Interesting.

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3 books. The Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown. Epic fantasy / space opera.

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That's cool. Actually, I used to read a lot as a boy, but not so much anymore. I still read ... but not books, generally science based stuff online. I've always been a bigger non-fiction fan though. But much of my non-fiction when I did read a lot was pseudoscience kinda stuff that is barely non-fiction - LOL. Like your Strange sub. Most fiction I read was sci-fi though. Generally good, entertaining stuff.

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That's a hard question. Probably the Giver- the movie did the book justice but still the book is much better. It is just a great story, told well and makes you think I've read it a few times.

your book sounds interesting, something to keep in mind for my daughter for maybe high school reading?

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That sounds like an interesting book.

On the Ancient Engineers, it is likely dated now. I read it back in the late sixties, and times change. But it inspired me back when most because it was enlightening and an easy read.