How to Be Alone
by Sara Maitland · first published 2013
6mentions
4recommended by
6HN commenters
2012–2025first – last mentioned
67% recommend17% neutral17% critical
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…loneliness. While the bible is interesting and insightful, it isn't focused on the question of how to be happy living an isolated life. I'm not sure there good books on that. Maybe Sara Maitland's book "how to be alone". maybe.
on “311 years ago, Alexander Selkirk was rescued on a desert island” ↗I'm not sure to what degree her perspective is specifically feminine, but Sara Maitland has written two books on solitude and silence: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518977-how-to-be-alone https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4437202-a-book-of-silenc...
on “On Solitude” ↗I recommend Jonathan Franzen's postal service essay in _How To Be Alone_ for some perspective on how important the postal service actually is. There are a number of business processes that actually touch normal people's lives that depend on postal mail.
on “The U.S. Postal Service will default on Wednesday unless Congress acts” ↗…time. Novel activities are good for your brain! Another thing I have observed, especially in the age of social media--but it's not new, just seems worse now--is that a lot of young people need to learn how to be alone. Some people are hardly never alone. They have to learn this before they can learn to concentrate. If you are like me, an introvert, you are probably alone a lot (if you are not, that can drain you of…
on “Quit Social Media, Your Career May Depend on It” ↗Knowing how to be alone and being social is not a rigid dichotomy. I think it’s clear what Tarkovsky means: that there is immense value in self-discovery. I’ve heard similar sentiments from other great artists. Grothendieck…
on “Andrei Tarkovsky’s Message to the Young: “Learn to Be Alone” (2015)” ↗…non-fiction, so here are my highlights - Crime and Punishment - Homo Deus - Catch 22 - Flash Boys - The Art of Strategy - Moby Dick (could only get halfway through though :() - The Great Gatsby - How to be Alone (couldn't get past 2 chapters)
on “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” ↗