What is the best book you have ever read?

Never get bored rereading this one

Be aware that "the hook" of the story doesn't happen until about 100 or so pages in. The first 100 is a bit dense and confusing, but it's intentional, to make you feel confused and unsure of what's going on, much like the 15 year-old lead, whose entire life is changing 

I also loved this book and read it when I was 11, I've re-read it at least five times. But it's not as timeless anymore as it used to be.

I tried dune around the same age and had no idea what was going on. Read it for the first time this year (31) and was kinda underwhelmed. It’s a fantastic book. But the main thing is that it was groundbreaking. Which means so much sci-fi and fantasy were all familiar with comes from it. But that means coming to it in 2026, you have to remember that the ideas given in the book were brand new. If you don’t have that in your mind it’s no where near as good. This was only pointed out to me after I’d finished.

I do, but I haven't read everything he wrote. When I read Crime and Punishment, I thought it was terrific. Still do. But to me, even that book pales in comparison. Still planning to read The Idiot and The Possessed.

Same thing. I was able to relate to it so much and may or may not have cried. Never thought a book would make me feel so much

Go in blind. It is a short book but boy does it stick with you. I read it multiple times as a kid and then read it to my children when they were young.

I somewhat disagree. Not about the film, it is indeed bad, but I don't think the book inherently should make a good movie. It would be better as a high-budget TV show just to allow more time, but even then the structure of the novel is just difficult to put on screen. It's third-person mostly omniscient, and it gets a lot of it's depth from going in and out of *certain* character's internal thoughts by italicizing them. But not all. So it just seems like a lot of scenes would be pretty complex to produce properly without making them too confusing to follow. It should probably have some kind of narration, which would be tough to pull off well.

It's been several years now since I last read it and I think your comment just got me to pick it back up again.

I felt the same about most motivational books. This one stood out because it’s more practical than inspirational it focuses on small habits instead of big mindset talk.

I know what you mean. I read it first 10 years ago and I've never found a book that was as hysterical

The Medusa and the Snail is one of those works that feels small and quiet at first—but the more you sit with it, the more it reshapes how you see life itself. At its core, Lewis Thomas is doing something unusual: blending biology, philosophy, and poetic observation into short essays that explore what it means to be alive. He treats science less like a set of facts and more like a way of noticing. A few key ideas that often stand out: 1. Interconnectedness of life Thomas constantly returns to the idea that no organism is truly independent. Humans, for example, are ecosystems—filled with bacteria that are essential to our survival. He challenges the instinct to see ourselves as separate or superior. 2. Scale and perspective He moves effortlessly between the microscopic (cells, microbes) and the cosmic (Earth, evolution), showing that the same patterns—cooperation, communication, complexity—repeat at every level. 3. Wonder over certainty Unlike a lot of scientific writing, he embraces not knowing. Mystery isn’t a problem to solve—it’s something to appreciate. That tone is a big part of what makes the essays feel almost meditative. 4. The title essay itself “The Medusa and the Snail” contrasts two modes of life: drifting, loosely organized existence (medusa/jellyfish) versus tightly structured, individual identity (snail). It’s a metaphor for different ways organisms—and even human societies—can be organized.