Even in this position, or maybe especially in this position, I think it is downright harmful to suggest that there are books every student should read, like the

Even in this position, or maybe especially in this position, I think it is downright harmful to suggest that there are books every student should read, like there is some canonical set of books that will make a great researcher of you and the world would become a better place if everyone would read the same set. I shared this view for a good while and I deeply regret it, you should instead focus on your problem domain and on problem solving, choose your lectures independently, don't get too bound or too concerned about books in general, and stay deeply critical of anything you read - e.g. you should deliberately look for holes even in the most praised works instead of admiring them blindly. That's the way you can progress and not just keep copying what others have done. And it is very good that not everyone has to and not everyone does read the same books. In the end it is not about the fucking books anyway.