Aristotle
2 books
- Fair warning, these are basically lecture notes, so it's dry going. But you get Aristotle patiently working out how to actually live well, virtue as practice rather than luck, and the chapters on friendship alone will change how you think about the people you keep close.
- You get a sharp, compact way to think about why stories work, especially when Aristotle distinguishes plot from character and examines reversal, recognition, and pity and fear. It reads like notes from a brilliant teacher rather than a polished essay, so you’ll enjoy it most if you don’t mind filling in gaps.