Zorba the Greek, 1965.
After reading this book I more or less stopped reading books. Read some books to complete university courses but Zorba felt living was more important that searching for answers via books.
"What is the good of your damn books?" Zorba asked. The 'Boss' replied, "They tell me of the agony of men... who can't answers questions like yours."
"To be alive is to look for trouble. Only death is not. To be alive is to undo your belt and look for trouble."
Karl Popper was refreshing in the philosophy of science. He showed that scientists try to refute theories instead of verifying them. He separated science from non-science.
Ayn Rand showed that some women can be heroic.