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Of all the books you own, what's the one which a) you have never read, and b) is least likely out of all your books to ever be read, but c) you're unlikely to get rid of?
Mine:
The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, by Julian Jaynes.
@passenger
My book would be Shadows of the Mind by Roger Penrose. Same theme, consciousness.
It wasn't what I was expecting. Very math-y.
Now might be a good time to take a peek at it again, actually. It's got more relevance than it did 20 years ago. Also, I've experienced some things since then.
You turned it from "unlikely to be read" to "next on my list" as I answered the question.
Honorable mention: A murder mystery written by a customer, who I was talking to as a cashier. I was so happy to meet a published author, I bought his book from him just to show support. Opened it up, religious themes.
Penrose is an astrophysicist and a friend of Hawking so I'm not entirely surprised that his book is hard going - Brief History of Time must be on the all-time list of "books everybody started and nobody finished."
If you do read it, please let us know what you think. I only know Penrose via his scientific writing and presentations, not his long-form prose.
@passenger @Scoll Richard Dawkins wrote that the Jaynes book was "one of those books that is either complete rubbish or a work of consummate genius; Nothing in between! Probably the former, but I'm hedging my bets."
Having read it, I think he's probably right.
Passenger
Scoll
Chris Harris