17 ms·

Summer Reading List

470 points by craigcannon 9y ago

makmanalp 9y ago
Every time I see Sarno's book recommended, it's always controversial, with the "woo-woo" camp and the "it worked for me so I don't care" camp, though I think the people-who-I-respect-who-recommend-this ratio is way higher than most crank books, so it's interesting in that regard. Thoughts? (I haven't read it)
- paul 9y ago
  It always surprises me that people find the concept of the brain being connected to the body to be "woo-woo". The objections are very unscientific. Biology is incredibly complex, and our understanding of it is very shallow, yet people scornfully dismiss the idea that the brain could in any way cause sensation in the body. I think the key to their misunderstanding is the tendency to imagine the brain as a completely separate thing, like the driver of an automobile, rather than a deeply integrated and intertwined system, which science shows it to be. Phantom limb syndrome is in many ways similar -- do these same people consider that "woo-woo"? My one issue with Sarno is that he's a little light on detail in terms of what exactly I need to do to get rid of the pain. For that, I've found this organization/program to be helpful: http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/pages/overcomingpain/ http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/pages/overcomingpain/
  - falcolas 9y ago
    Speaking only for myself: I consider it woo-woo because there's no real set of steps which makes it repeatable for a majority of people. What works for one person works for one person, but it's sold like it works for everybody. I've heard of folks who are capable of meditating their way through a root canal. Should we stop offering Novocain to patients? Should we start actively discouraging dental patients from getting Novocain? To me (dons flameproof suit), it's a lot like Homeopathy - another attempt to sell the placebo effect.
  - makmanalp 9y ago
    > It always surprises me that people find the concept of the brain being connected to the body to be "woo-woo" I don't think it's an objection to psychosomatic phenomena as much as just skepticism towards Sarno's work specifically, lack of support from other MDs, lack of strong peer reviewed evidence, etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tension_myositis_syndrome#Controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tension_myositis_syndrome#Cont... IMHO we're fairly likely to eventually find that what he calls TMS is an early precursor / catch-all to a larger class of health issues (like "cancer"), and as we find better ways to classify, distinguish and diagnose these, we're also going to be able to run better studies and come up with more specific treatments that satisfy the medical community's standards of proof.
  - gcheong 9y ago
    Would you have been likely to recommend this book if your pain didn't resolve after trying it? I'm skeptical of this specific theory of how the mind and body are interacting to cause pain and what he thinks is the proper way to treat it. First of all, on the back cover a 2-6 week period is given. A lot of back pain resolves itself within this time frame so without a proper study done there is no telling how many of his "success" stories are just back pain taking it's usual course. He relies a lot on testimonials. That is never a good proof of a treatment's efficacy. Why not do a proper study and not push the treatment until the results are in? We see this a lot in the medical field where some doctor has convinced themselves they have found the key to treating something yet never actually bothers to do a proper study of it. I can understand that, studies are expensive and it's much easier to live in the world where you think you are helping people and the self-selecting testimonials reinforce this. On the flip side I see a lot of people who are convinced that some "alternative" therapy works for them simply because they tried it and got some relief but are convinced others are BS because it didn't "work" for them. The problem here isn't people not believing in the mind-body connection. Edit: there may be some slight truth to why his treatment seems to work for some in that if you can mentally reframe your pain you are more likely to get better but that nugget seems to be buried in the fluff of his TMS theory: (https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/chronic-pain-a-disease-in-its-own-right/ https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/chronic-pain-a-disease-in-i...)
- kentt 9y ago
  I tried to read it. If you don't have much patience for being preached antiscientific garbage, you won't get through it. I'm not saying that it can't work, or that there isn't some usable knowledge in there, but just that it's based off of idiocy.
- nateberkopec 9y ago
  I'm in the "it worked for me so I don't care camp". I can't believe people think it's woo-woo or anti-scientific, though, after reading it. Sarno's thesis is basically "we haven't found a physical cause for most chronic pain conditions, so why not the brain?". Anxiety sufferers can fool themselves into thinking they're having a heart attack and hyperventilate. Why is it crazy or anti-scientific to think that the same can cause other symptoms?
  - AnimalMuppet 9y ago
    > "we haven't found a physical cause for most chronic pain conditions, so why not the brain?" That makes more sense than I was expecting. In particular, pain must be felt in the brain. That is, my body can be suffering some trauma, but if the nerve signals don't make it to the brain, or the brain doesn't interpret them as pain, then I don't feel pain. (This is true of third-degree burns - they don't hurt very much, because the nerves got destroyed, so you don't feel how bad the burn is.) But if the body isn't under (known) trauma, but the patient is experiencing pain, maybe the brain is a reasonable place to look...
cschmidt 9y ago
It looks like an interesting list. Anyone else remember the Global Business Network (GBN) book club, with Stewart Brand? It was a great resource for so many years. Sadly, it seems to have dropped off the internet with the demise of GBN.
- cschmidt 9y ago
  Here's a list of the books from the glory days. https://web.archive.org/web/20120916000422/http://www.gbn.com/articles/pdfs/bookclub%20index%2088-06_fin.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20120916000422/http://www.gbn.co... The book club had nice reviews of each of these books.
idlewords 9y ago
Pretty cool to see Sheck Exley on this list. He's a pioneer of cave diving, which has a lot of great (and terrifying) lessons about safety, risk, and human factors for programmers to steal.
- evgen 9y ago
  Also worthwhile for programmers who read the book to remember that Sheck died diving a cave, so even the experts get it wrong with catastrophic consequences.
- CalChris 9y ago
  I always thought that Into Thin Air was a good metaphor for development. Most people die on the way down. They summit but then don't leave themselves enough daylight.
kilroy123 9y ago
Slightly off topic, but how many books do you all read a month? I have a hard time getting past 1 a month.
- callmeed 9y ago
  Uhhh I feel accomplished if I get through 3 a year
- sputknick 9y ago
  1 every two months or so.
- eliben 9y ago
  Audiobooks are a great way to increase your book intake considerably. "Reading" while washing dishes, other house chores and commuting can easily get you through 2-3 extra books a month (depending on the length of the commute :)
  - strictnein 9y ago
    This, so much this. I don't mind a day full of chores or yardwork if I've got a good book to listen to. Especially when you realize that you can listen to a lot of books at 1.5x - 2x speed, with very little loss of comprehension.
    - iagooar 9y ago
      > when you realize that you can listen to a lot of books at 1.5x - 2x speed, with very little loss of comprehension. Is it enjoyable, though?
      - strictnein 9y ago
        Yep. 1.5x isn't that big of boost, especially since some of the readers of books seem to be really fond of their own voices.
      - qq66 9y ago
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b_emery 9y ago
I haven't read Behave by Robert Sapolsky, but I did read 'A Primate's Memoir' a while back and it was fantastic. A memoir of his time in Africa studying baboons, well written and entertaining. One of those books that I was sad to finish. You can learn a lot about human behavior and society by studying baboons. Two books I've read this summer that would fit on this list are This will make you smarter from edge.org, and Waking Up by Sam Harris. The first is a collection of the essays from edge.org about what everyone should have in their cognitive toolkit [1]. Consider it a list of a) the many ways one can go wrong when trying to think scientifically, and b) some of the many concepts to consider when trying to solve a problem or understand something. Waking Up was good from the point of view of understanding the science behind 'the self' and meditation. I've started meditating because of this book, and it's a useful guide for avoiding the, shall I say, less rational aspects that are out there. [1] https://www.edge.org/responses/what-scientific-concept-would-improve-everybodys-cognitive-toolkit https://www.edge.org/responses/what-scientific-concept-would...
- wuch 9y ago
  I do recommend Behave. Robert Sapolsky is terrific writer. Though, I found it quite funny how in each chapter Sapolsky starts by describing usually story, criticising how it is wrong and too simplistic, elaborating on complexities involved, but at the end of chapter can't resist giving one sentence blurb summary himself - which is of course almost equally simplistic.
baldfat 9y ago
So I really like the description of "The Righteous Mind" WHY is it $2.50 more to get the Kindle version then to have a paperback book shipped to my home! Kindle Version - $11.99 Paperback (Prime) - $9.32 https://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Mind-Divided-Politics-Religion-ebook/dp/B0052FF7YM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501784788&sr=8-1&keywords=the+righteous+mind https://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Mind-Divided-Politics-Relig...
- Danihan 9y ago
  Still one of the best books I've read, period. Can't recommend it highly enough.
  - greenshackle2 9y ago
    I'm about one third of the way through, but I was turned off by him dismissing Kant and Bentham's moral theories because they are autistic ("diagnosed" on the basis of circumstantial evidence). I see the value of bringing systematizing vs empathizing in the picture, but you can do that without character-assassinating them. It was really bizarre to read him bring up their autism, then insist he didn't commit Ad Hominem, then continue on as if he had invalidated Kant's view (without actually making any substantive argument).
    - Danihan 9y ago
      I had forgotten about that... it did rub me the wrong way as well. Generally speaking, I am a fan of Kantian philosophy. That being said, it didn't really detract from the overall messages of the book. Just a strange one-off.
    - ethbro 9y ago
      So much of modern philosophy seems like the task of obfuscating an illogical argument with unrelated logical ones until the reader forgets and assumed the original argument must have been proved logically. I believe it was Apollo Robbins who said one of the brainjacks he uses is the "A, B, C, 7" pattern, where people with distracted attention tend to leap to assuming the next object is like the former ones.
arnioxux 9y ago
No opinion on "The Man Who Knew" but kind of bummed that it will now beat "The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan" in autocompletion.
- gregwebs 9y ago
  Also a pretty ironic title considering Greenspan did not see the major finanical crisis of his time and instead pushed for continued de-regulation. There are some Frontline stories about this: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/warning/ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/warning/
  - sumedh 9y ago
    I cannot take the list seriously because of that. I really don't understand why people respect Greenspan. His excuse for not having regulations was that he thought companies wont make mistakes so there is no need to regulate them.
- pchristensen 9y ago
  +1 for the Ramanujan book!
- CalChris 9y ago
  Probably only briefly. Ramanujan was a genius who deserves to be studied. Greenspan's hagiography will be soon forgotten.
eizo 9y ago
Recently read and highly recommended: - Platform Revolution - The Economic Singularity - Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
gordon_freeman 9y ago
'Healing back pain' is an interesting entry to the list. I just recalled my friend lent me this book and a reminder to now read it. Anyone who has read this book can share their thoughts?
- nabla9 9y ago
  I haven't read the book, know nothing about it, but few people I know ~~have~~ (edit: actually they read his earlier book: Mind Over Back Pain) One person who I trust said that once he reached certain page, his chronic back pain disappeared (just by reading the book). Apparently he is not alone. Maybe for some people chronic back pain is just fearing back pain and having tensing up or something. I'm still very skeptical, but if the author is not selling anything except the book, maybe reading it is not so bad thing.
- imsd 9y ago
  I had back pain for three years, which I attributed to sitting for long hours. I had seen a doctor, multiple physical therapists, a chiropractor, and massage therapist ... all of whom provided temporary relief at best. Upon reading 'Healing Back Pain', I came to understand that it wasn't the sitting but rather built up stress and anxieties causing the pain. Within 1 week of reading, my back felt 80% better. Within one month, 95%. Several months later, I'm now pain-free. My girlfriend also experiences anxiety at times and had back pain that would come and go. She read the book and it cured her back, as well. Admittedly, I found it very strange how effective this book was. I approached it hesitantly, but it has had profound results. Check the reviews on Amazon for further support. This book has had a great impact on my quality of life and I highly suggest it to anyone experiencing not just back pain, but any physical ailment that might be tied to stress, anxiety, tension, etc.
- notadoc 9y ago
  No experience but I heard about Dr Sarno and the book from Howard Stern, who swears by him. Here's a recent segment from the Howard Stern show if you want to hear a bit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEBI7bwrRO8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEBI7bwrRO8
champagnepapi 9y ago
Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valley by Antonio García Martínez Read this recently. Thought it was pretty good.
capocannoniere 9y ago
Am I the only one who would actually prefer these Amazon links to be affiliate links? Affiliate links make me feel like I'm paying back the curator(s) for the awesome recommendations I'm thankful for. However minor that might be. Do people feel like recommendations would be biased if the links were affiliate links?
- dmix 9y ago
  For YC? Eh I wouldn't really care. But if they set up affiliate links for EFF or Tor then that'd be a nice touch.
  - capocannoniere 9y ago
    I'd be more than happy if the proceeds went to ACLU or Watsi or one of the YC non-profits
- davidw 9y ago
  Yes! I completely feel this way when it's someone at all 'reasonable' (ie not a spammer).
- rch 9y ago
  I just created a list with a reminder for next time I'm at my local bookstore.
- adsfsdc 9y ago
  Amazon smile is for you! https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201365340 https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=...
  - vblord 9y ago
    I donate all my smile bucks to the Youth Competitive Programming Circle.
- dionidium 9y ago
  People seem to be really passionate about this topic, but they might as well try to convince me to hate the color orange. The arguments make zero sense to me. Affiliate links don't affect me one way or the other.
soneca 9y ago
Do americans only read books on summer?
- talyian 9y ago
  http://blog.ycombinator.com/yc-2015-reading-list/ http://blog.ycombinator.com/yc-2015-reading-list/ http://blog.ycombinator.com/ycs-winter-reading-list/ http://blog.ycombinator.com/ycs-winter-reading-list/
- protomyth 9y ago
  No, but it comes from two different traditions. The first, and most common, is the Summer Reading List many schools give their students for reading over the summer break. I knew people who had assigned reading, but our school didn't bother. The other was the family vacation and the "beach books" that were once part of the stereotypical beach vacation. Gotta do something while the kids play in the water. Summer books are still a topic.
  - soneca 9y ago
    I knew my little joke wouldn't fit well at HN, but posted anyway. Sometimes you just want to rebel against the stabilishment. But thanks for the serious answer! Going all the way to the end of the page to find my grey comment. There was a sincere curiosity behind the comment.
adamnemecek 9y ago
I wish there were also a reading list for technical books/textbooks.
orthoganol 9y ago
Sapiens is a very preachy, low-on-citations work... the Goodreads reviews are interestingly divided ("Dude it changed my whole world!" to "This is not a serious work."), but the early sections on pre historical humans are still interesting to read, and seemed mostly correct from what I remember from my college anthropology class.
- socratees 9y ago
  My opinion of Sapiens is the same as well - very broad strokes. I feel Sapiens is heavily promoted because of ease in which the content flows? - maybe that's the selling point of the book?
- GuiA 9y ago
  Any recommendations for a book about the same subject matter, but more on the academic side?
  - gradys 9y ago
    Why the West Rules for Now - broad coverage of human history, starting with pre-human hominids. Loosely guided by looking for an account of why in 20th century so much power was concentrated in the West compared to the East, but that guiding question only comes up occasionally. It's mostly a plain history book. I've also heard Our Kind recommended for this kind of thing, but I haven't read it myself.
    - markdog12 9y ago
      I read Our Kind over a decade ago, and thought it was a very good book at the time, but its central thesis, that culture dominates biology, is overstated. I haven't read Why the West Rules for Now, but just looking at its wiki page, it looks to be a complete rehash of Guns, Germs and Steel? The title made me think of The West and the Rest, excellent book: https://www.amazon.ca/Civilization-West-Rest-Niall-Ferguson/dp/0143122061 https://www.amazon.ca/Civilization-West-Rest-Niall-Ferguson/...
  - axplusb 9y ago
ryanjodonnell 9y ago
I would add "The Three Body Problem" and following two books in its trilogy to the list. Sci-fi series by Liu Cixin. Won the Hugo award and is recommended by Obama and Zuck. I felt so small after reading that one :)
- hmmm___food 9y ago
  I believe all of them have won either a Hugo or Nebula.
mehrzad 9y ago
Do they ever choose any radical literature to test their beliefs? Kropotkin's The Conquest of Bread would be a good choice.
- perfmode 9y ago
  Thanks for the recommendation. Found a Kindle version on sale for $1.19. https://www.amazon.com/Conquest-Bread-Peter-Kropotkin-ebook/dp/B074CJWR7X/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1501834065&sr=1-6&keywords=the+conquest+of+bread&refinements=p_n_feature_browse-bin%3A618073011 https://www.amazon.com/Conquest-Bread-Peter-Kropotkin-ebook/...
  - mehrzad 9y ago
    I'm pretty sure it's out of copyright!
ThomPete 9y ago
If I may recommend a book that really will make most people change their perspectives it's "The End of Alchemy: Money, Banking, and the Future of the Global Economy" Rarely have I read a book which made me think about a subject I thought I had a pretty good understanding of completely different. And if that is not enough it's probably one of the few books which doesn't have a moral/ethical agenda but merely seeks to inform about how the crisis happened (and what money really is) For me it's one now on my list of books about important fundamentals in this world. https://www.amazon.com/End-Alchemy-Banking-Future-Economy/dp/0393247023 https://www.amazon.com/End-Alchemy-Banking-Future-Economy/dp...
- harigov 9y ago
  What other books do you consider as important fundamentals?
  - filiwickers 9y ago
    Ha-Joon Chang has very approachable books about capitalism and economics. * Twenty-Three Things They Don't Tell You about Capitalism [1] * Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism [2] [1] https://www.amazon.com/Things-They-Dont-About-Capitalism/dp/1608193381 https://www.amazon.com/Things-They-Dont-About-Capitalism/dp/... [2] https://www.amazon.com/Bad-Samaritans-Secret-History-Capitalism/dp/1596915986 https://www.amazon.com/Bad-Samaritans-Secret-History-Capital...
  - ThomPete 9y ago
    Obviously these lists are subjective but a couple of examples would be: The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins (Evolution) MindStorms by Seymore Papert (Education) Structure of Scientific Revolution by Thomas Kuhn (Scientific Method/ Philosophy) Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter (Formal Systems) The Innovators Dilemma by Clayton Christensen (Entrepreneurship) Innovation and Entrepreneurship Peter F Druckert (Entrepreneurship but most likely because I had a quite crazy experience while reading it) They are all books written by what I consider careful thinkers i.e. people who are able to avoid confusing what they want the world to be with what they actually observe. They don't have to be right and can be highly subjective as long as their premise is clear and they are aware of it.
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jackschultz 9y ago
I know this is a technical site, but for all of these I always get a little sad with how few fictional books are listed on these types of posts. Going over it, seems like there's just one, "The Nix" (may be more where I just missed them). I like seeing fictional books since I can relate to the people writing them. If I enjoyed some of the fictional books that people talk about, then I'll go along with their non-fiction recommendations. Also, reading fiction shouldn't be treated like time wasted! I see that comment a lot by people who only read the non-fiction books, but I highly disagree with that thought. For another comment I guess. One way to do that is to have different sections, one for fiction and one non-fiction. I'd love to see that here. On that note, I've actually experienced that here, with some of the book recommendation threads, finding comments with books I also like and then reading the others. Always fun to talk to people who read the same as you.
- hypertexthero 9y ago
  Agreed. Three fiction recommendations: * The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood * The Last Question by Isaac Asimov * Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon Three non-fiction recommendations: * Art is Work by Milton Glaser * Pragmatic Thinking And Learning by Andy Hunt * The First And Last Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti
- jacobolus 9y ago
  There are 3 novels on the list out of 18 books and one blog.
- pklausler 9y ago
  I returned "The Nix" to Powell's ca. pg. 200 or so when I realized that I really hated it, and I can slog through just about anything.
- daveguy 9y ago
  Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman is also fiction and one of the best books I have ever read. I read it over 20 years ago and some of the stories in it still flash in my mind. Definitely going to re-read it. It is a fast read.
matahwoosh 9y ago
compiled in a Goodreads list (https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/114264.YC_s_2017_Summer_Reading_List https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/114264.YC_s_2017_Summer_...) like you were going to actually read those ;)
rosstex 9y ago
Does anyone have recommendations for summer reading for teaching assistants to undergraduates? I want to become more engaged with current pedagogy techniques.
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DanielleMolloy 9y ago
I'd like to recommend these lists of short reviews of books neuroscientist Christof Koch has (recently) read: http://www.klab.caltech.edu/koch/books-i-read.html http://www.klab.caltech.edu/koch/books-i-read.html https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/brain-science/about/team/staff-profiles/christof-koch/book-list/ https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/brain-science/about/te... They are a captivating mixture of science, scientific theory, cognitive science, AI, science fiction and the like and quite an interesting inspiration for future books to read.
kentt 9y ago
I'd consider Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection to be fiction as well. Too long, shouldn't read: if you believe, your back pain will go away. I'm surprised to see the anti-scientific pseudoscience promoted.
- louprado 9y ago
  There is a drug so powerful that every drug other drug is tested against it: the placebo. If this book saves just one HN reader from opioid addiction then I am glad it made the list.
  - wuch 9y ago
    Actually there is pretty limited support that placebo actually works on anything but subjective measured outcomes.
    - DanBC 9y ago
      Back pain is mostly subjectively measured outcome, and many types of back pain respond very well to placebo.
    - ambivalents 9y ago
      Like pain?
  - cracell 9y ago
    What if people try it instead of a scientifically supported treatment and then it doesn't work and they give up and get addicted to opioids when a real method would've worked for them? Don't get me wrong I think the placebo effect is a very useful tool but best to combine it with other methods that work for many back conditions, such as yoga routines that strengthen the back muscles. Of course what works depends on your particular condition which is why anyone with severe back pain should see a medical professional to get advice for their specific problem.
- imsd 9y ago
  I would not call it "anti-scientific pseudoscience," but the author does openly admit that the science behind why his techniques work is still fuzzy. It's a field that needs more research and understanding. Regardless, the book is very effective for many individuals, myself included. I highly recommend it to anyone dealing with back pain.
spicylad 9y ago
If you haven't read Infinite Jest, you should. I admit it isn't for everyone, but it's definitely worth suffering for.
Dowwie 9y ago
These are safe books. Where's Marx's "A Critique of Political Economy"?
- itg 9y ago
  Maybe they are familiar with it and don't think it is worth anything.
gonzofish 9y ago
Nexus was an awesome read, haven't started book 2, but it's free for Kindle & Prime users
romanovcode 9y ago
Summer is nearly over BTW.
- Dowwie 9y ago
  true but people take most time off in August
filiwickers 9y ago
If you struggle to get diverse voices inside your field, maybe you should read from diverse voices outside your field. I understand it is hard and I also gravitate towards comfortable reading, usually meaning from people that look like me. This is the problem. Start being accountable to yourself about it. 2 of 19 the books in the list are by female authors (both recommended by women). Looking for some good books from women? Check out these: Nonfiction: * Radical Acceptance, Tara Brach * The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs * Freedom Is a Constant Struggle, Angela Davis * Rising Strong, Brené Brown * Cleopatra, Stacy Shiff * The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander Fiction: * Anything by Ursula Le Guin * Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie * Too Like the Lightning, Ada Palmer * Citizen: An American Lyric, Claudia Rankine ... so many more
- muninn_ 9y ago
  So, I have nothing against what you've listed here, this is great stuff. What I find interesting for me personally is that it never once crosses my mind who the author is or what their skin color is or anything like that when I'm looking at a book. I just have no idea (and perhaps no interest really, unless it's something I'm REALLY into). Anyway, it's cool that you're listing these. I'm particularly interested in The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs.
  - filiwickers 9y ago
    Me either, and that's exactly the issue. Look at any top books list and it is mostly white males. Either men have an easier time getting published or men are inherently better writers. I believe the former is the case. By seeking out female writers and other diverse voices we can start to tip the balance. Historically, men were the only ones that had the opportunity to write, so any books from older centuries are going to be by men. But that doesn't have to be the case now. ps. Love Jane Jacobs! After you read that, if you are interested, you may want to check out The Power Broker to see the other side. It is one of my top nonfiction books. (warning, white male author ;)).
    - yters 9y ago
notadoc 9y ago
I'd love a good HN summer fiction reading list, particularly with a sci-fi focus
- Dowwie 9y ago
  1. Neal Stephenson, "Snow Crash" 2. Daniel Suarez, "Kill Decision" 3. Stel Pavlou, "Decipher"
notadoc 9y ago
I'd love a good HN summer fiction reading list, particularly with a sci-fi focus
The_Hoff 9y ago
https://blog.ycombinator.com/yc-summer-reading/ https://blog.ycombinator.com/yc-summer-reading/ is the link to last year's. Anyone else sites would make their URLs consistent? It's always pleasant when you can go to the URL and change the 2017->2016 and it takes you where you want to go.
desireco42 9y ago
HomoDeus is really most excellent continuation of already epic Sapiens. If you didn't read any of those, they are long but well worth the time.
- michaeloblak 9y ago
  Totally agree. It's in the very similar tone to the Sapiens. Reading is entertaining and light. I really like how he approached the topic. Although, the part about the religions was a little bit too long IMO. Any other suggestions about similar books where author is wondering what might happen next? I'm mostly interested in the tech part of it. Recently, I started reading Superinteligennce by Nick Bostrom. So far it's very good.
malandrew 9y ago
> I believe the former is the case. I'm just curious why you hold that belief? I don't have an opinion either way, but I'm curious if that is an informed belief. I agree that it was a problem even more recently than a century ago. It was probably a problem as recently as 10 years ago. However, in 2017, it's not hard to be published. You can even self-publish. Unless the topic is related to the author's identity (i.e. it's about gender, race, sexual orientation, nationality, etc.), I don't see why someone should care about the identity of an author. Take "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" on your list. Why does the gender of the author matter for such a topic? Books are written by individuals not demographics. This is a genuine question and not an attempt to troll. I don't understand why gender or any other identity needs to be a concern aspects where it is orthogonal/unrelated.
- Mz 9y ago
  http://jezebel.com/homme-de-plume-what-i-learned-sending-my-novel-out-und-1720637627 http://jezebel.com/homme-de-plume-what-i-learned-sending-my-... I have posted it twice to HN, and it was essentially ignored, but it provides good evidence that women writers have a much harder time getting published simply because they are female.
  - malandrew 9y ago
    I don't disagree that this is a problem that should be solved, but it doesn't answer my question. Why should I, as a reader, just try to find quality interesting content care about the identity of the author. Authors are just individuals to me. Unless their experience by virtue of their identity is relevant to the subject matter at hand, why should use identity in deciding what to read instead of just relying on subject matter and positive reviews and recommendations?
    - Mz 9y ago
      Why should I, as a reader, just try to find quality interesting content care about the identity of the author. Sorry, it seems really obvious to me and I have heard it said before, so didn't feel I needed to spell it out: Female authors must be better than most to have any shot at getting published. So, women authors who do get published tend to be better authors than most male authors. You aren't required to care. Whether or not you care is on you, but if you want quality writing, there is evidence that due to the fact that women are discriminated against, IF they manage to get published, their writing will be of unusually high quality.
ThomPete 9y ago
One of the most intriguing lists I have ever read was this one: http://spacecollective.org/wilfriedhoujebek/4076/Summery-Books-Too-Far-Out-For-Johnny-Depp http://spacecollective.org/wilfriedhoujebek/4076/Summery-Boo... I still have a few books left to read but most of these are amazing books.
moonka 9y ago
Powerhouse is an incredible book. The author does a great job of weaving in interviews as well as narration to paint a good story of how CAA came to power. I highly recommend Powerhouse as well as his other books, Live From New York (about SNL) and These Guys Have All The Fun (about ESPN).
icco 9y ago
For a far better reading list, longform.org + mailchimp put out a great one this year: http://readthissummer.com/ http://readthissummer.com/
- amk_ 9y ago
  Some thought-provoking stuff in that one.
jonbarker 9y ago
Summer is almost over. Just a nit-pick. I'd like to add to this list "The Master Algorithm" by Pedro Domingos
jdp23 9y ago
17 books by guys. 2 books by women. Both recommended by women.
- ryanar 9y ago
  Looking for diversity? More than one book list in the world. I started following susanjfowler.com and her reading club after the uber interviews came out
thisrod 9y ago
I'm currently reading Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce by Anthony Reid. It's well written history, and the topic has some interesting aspects. The view of Europe from 20 thousand kilometres is quite insightful. The big patterns stand out, as power shifts from the Spanish to the Dutch and then to the British. The different things that those people are trying to achieve in Asia neatly summarise the different things that they might have valued at home. It's also interesting to see a long term situation where land is abundant, and labor is the scarce resource. Women get liberated (or so Reid claims). Battles are fought in order to take the other army from its land, not the land from the army. Labour productivity is so high, and construction materials so easily available; 3 days after an event like Hurricane Katrina, the city has been rebuilt and life is back to normal.
bbleciel 9y ago
money and technology, self-help, and the arc of humanity. wish programmers would read things that challenge their views rather than just reaffirm –_–
esseti 9y ago
it would be good to know why each book is worth reading.

470 points by craigcannon 9y ago

Every time I see Sarno's book recommended, it's always controversial, with the "woo-woo" camp and the "it worked for me so I don't care" camp, though I think the people-who-I-respect-who-recommend-this ratio is way higher than most crank books, so it's interesting in that regard. Thoughts? (I haven't read it)

paul 9y ago
It always surprises me that people find the concept of the brain being connected to the body to be "woo-woo". The objections are very unscientific. Biology is incredibly complex, and our understanding of it is very shallow, yet people scornfully dismiss the idea that the brain could in any way cause sensation in the body. I think the key to their misunderstanding is the tendency to imagine the brain as a completely separate thing, like the driver of an automobile, rather than a deeply integrated and intertwined system, which science shows it to be. Phantom limb syndrome is in many ways similar -- do these same people consider that "woo-woo"? My one issue with Sarno is that he's a little light on detail in terms of what exactly I need to do to get rid of the pain. For that, I've found this organization/program to be helpful: http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/pages/overcomingpain/ http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/pages/overcomingpain/
- falcolas 9y ago
  Speaking only for myself: I consider it woo-woo because there's no real set of steps which makes it repeatable for a majority of people. What works for one person works for one person, but it's sold like it works for everybody. I've heard of folks who are capable of meditating their way through a root canal. Should we stop offering Novocain to patients? Should we start actively discouraging dental patients from getting Novocain? To me (dons flameproof suit), it's a lot like Homeopathy - another attempt to sell the placebo effect.
- makmanalp 9y ago
  > It always surprises me that people find the concept of the brain being connected to the body to be "woo-woo" I don't think it's an objection to psychosomatic phenomena as much as just skepticism towards Sarno's work specifically, lack of support from other MDs, lack of strong peer reviewed evidence, etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tension_myositis_syndrome#Controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tension_myositis_syndrome#Cont... IMHO we're fairly likely to eventually find that what he calls TMS is an early precursor / catch-all to a larger class of health issues (like "cancer"), and as we find better ways to classify, distinguish and diagnose these, we're also going to be able to run better studies and come up with more specific treatments that satisfy the medical community's standards of proof.
- gcheong 9y ago
  Would you have been likely to recommend this book if your pain didn't resolve after trying it? I'm skeptical of this specific theory of how the mind and body are interacting to cause pain and what he thinks is the proper way to treat it. First of all, on the back cover a 2-6 week period is given. A lot of back pain resolves itself within this time frame so without a proper study done there is no telling how many of his "success" stories are just back pain taking it's usual course. He relies a lot on testimonials. That is never a good proof of a treatment's efficacy. Why not do a proper study and not push the treatment until the results are in? We see this a lot in the medical field where some doctor has convinced themselves they have found the key to treating something yet never actually bothers to do a proper study of it. I can understand that, studies are expensive and it's much easier to live in the world where you think you are helping people and the self-selecting testimonials reinforce this. On the flip side I see a lot of people who are convinced that some "alternative" therapy works for them simply because they tried it and got some relief but are convinced others are BS because it didn't "work" for them. The problem here isn't people not believing in the mind-body connection. Edit: there may be some slight truth to why his treatment seems to work for some in that if you can mentally reframe your pain you are more likely to get better but that nugget seems to be buried in the fluff of his TMS theory: (https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/chronic-pain-a-disease-in-its-own-right/ https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/chronic-pain-a-disease-in-i...)
kentt 9y ago
I tried to read it. If you don't have much patience for being preached antiscientific garbage, you won't get through it. I'm not saying that it can't work, or that there isn't some usable knowledge in there, but just that it's based off of idiocy.
nateberkopec 9y ago
I'm in the "it worked for me so I don't care camp". I can't believe people think it's woo-woo or anti-scientific, though, after reading it. Sarno's thesis is basically "we haven't found a physical cause for most chronic pain conditions, so why not the brain?". Anxiety sufferers can fool themselves into thinking they're having a heart attack and hyperventilate. Why is it crazy or anti-scientific to think that the same can cause other symptoms?
- AnimalMuppet 9y ago
  > "we haven't found a physical cause for most chronic pain conditions, so why not the brain?" That makes more sense than I was expecting. In particular, pain must be felt in the brain. That is, my body can be suffering some trauma, but if the nerve signals don't make it to the brain, or the brain doesn't interpret them as pain, then I don't feel pain. (This is true of third-degree burns - they don't hurt very much, because the nerves got destroyed, so you don't feel how bad the burn is.) But if the body isn't under (known) trauma, but the patient is experiencing pain, maybe the brain is a reasonable place to look...

cschmidt 9y ago

It looks like an interesting list. Anyone else remember the Global Business Network (GBN) book club, with Stewart Brand? It was a great resource for so many years. Sadly, it seems to have dropped off the internet with the demise of GBN.

cschmidt 9y ago
Here's a list of the books from the glory days. https://web.archive.org/web/20120916000422/http://www.gbn.com/articles/pdfs/bookclub%20index%2088-06_fin.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20120916000422/http://www.gbn.co... The book club had nice reviews of each of these books.

idlewords 9y ago

Pretty cool to see Sheck Exley on this list. He's a pioneer of cave diving, which has a lot of great (and terrifying) lessons about safety, risk, and human factors for programmers to steal.

evgen 9y ago
Also worthwhile for programmers who read the book to remember that Sheck died diving a cave, so even the experts get it wrong with catastrophic consequences.
CalChris 9y ago
I always thought that Into Thin Air was a good metaphor for development. Most people die on the way down. They summit but then don't leave themselves enough daylight.

kilroy123 9y ago

Slightly off topic, but how many books do you all read a month? I have a hard time getting past 1 a month.

callmeed 9y ago
Uhhh I feel accomplished if I get through 3 a year
sputknick 9y ago
1 every two months or so.
eliben 9y ago
Audiobooks are a great way to increase your book intake considerably. "Reading" while washing dishes, other house chores and commuting can easily get you through 2-3 extra books a month (depending on the length of the commute :)
- strictnein 9y ago
  This, so much this. I don't mind a day full of chores or yardwork if I've got a good book to listen to. Especially when you realize that you can listen to a lot of books at 1.5x - 2x speed, with very little loss of comprehension.
  - iagooar 9y ago
    > when you realize that you can listen to a lot of books at 1.5x - 2x speed, with very little loss of comprehension. Is it enjoyable, though?
    - strictnein 9y ago
      Yep. 1.5x isn't that big of boost, especially since some of the readers of books seem to be really fond of their own voices.
    - qq66 9y ago

deleted 9y ago

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b_emery 9y ago

I haven't read Behave by Robert Sapolsky, but I did read 'A Primate's Memoir' a while back and it was fantastic. A memoir of his time in Africa studying baboons, well written and entertaining. One of those books that I was sad to finish. You can learn a lot about human behavior and society by studying baboons. Two books I've read this summer that would fit on this list are This will make you smarter from edge.org, and Waking Up by Sam Harris. The first is a collection of the essays from edge.org about what everyone should have in their cognitive toolkit [1]. Consider it a list of a) the many ways one can go wrong when trying to think scientifically, and b) some of the many concepts to consider when trying to solve a problem or understand something. Waking Up was good from the point of view of understanding the science behind 'the self' and meditation. I've started meditating because of this book, and it's a useful guide for avoiding the, shall I say, less rational aspects that are out there. [1] https://www.edge.org/responses/what-scientific-concept-would-improve-everybodys-cognitive-toolkit https://www.edge.org/responses/what-scientific-concept-would...

wuch 9y ago
I do recommend Behave. Robert Sapolsky is terrific writer. Though, I found it quite funny how in each chapter Sapolsky starts by describing usually story, criticising how it is wrong and too simplistic, elaborating on complexities involved, but at the end of chapter can't resist giving one sentence blurb summary himself - which is of course almost equally simplistic.

baldfat 9y ago

So I really like the description of "The Righteous Mind" WHY is it $2.50 more to get the Kindle version then to have a paperback book shipped to my home! Kindle Version - $11.99 Paperback (Prime) - $9.32 https://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Mind-Divided-Politics-Religion-ebook/dp/B0052FF7YM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501784788&sr=8-1&keywords=the+righteous+mind https://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Mind-Divided-Politics-Relig...

Danihan 9y ago
Still one of the best books I've read, period. Can't recommend it highly enough.
- greenshackle2 9y ago
  I'm about one third of the way through, but I was turned off by him dismissing Kant and Bentham's moral theories because they are autistic ("diagnosed" on the basis of circumstantial evidence). I see the value of bringing systematizing vs empathizing in the picture, but you can do that without character-assassinating them. It was really bizarre to read him bring up their autism, then insist he didn't commit Ad Hominem, then continue on as if he had invalidated Kant's view (without actually making any substantive argument).
  - Danihan 9y ago
    I had forgotten about that... it did rub me the wrong way as well. Generally speaking, I am a fan of Kantian philosophy. That being said, it didn't really detract from the overall messages of the book. Just a strange one-off.
  - ethbro 9y ago
    So much of modern philosophy seems like the task of obfuscating an illogical argument with unrelated logical ones until the reader forgets and assumed the original argument must have been proved logically. I believe it was Apollo Robbins who said one of the brainjacks he uses is the "A, B, C, 7" pattern, where people with distracted attention tend to leap to assuming the next object is like the former ones.

arnioxux 9y ago

No opinion on "The Man Who Knew" but kind of bummed that it will now beat "The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan" in autocompletion.

gregwebs 9y ago
Also a pretty ironic title considering Greenspan did not see the major finanical crisis of his time and instead pushed for continued de-regulation. There are some Frontline stories about this: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/warning/ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/warning/
- sumedh 9y ago
  I cannot take the list seriously because of that. I really don't understand why people respect Greenspan. His excuse for not having regulations was that he thought companies wont make mistakes so there is no need to regulate them.
pchristensen 9y ago
+1 for the Ramanujan book!
CalChris 9y ago
Probably only briefly. Ramanujan was a genius who deserves to be studied. Greenspan's hagiography will be soon forgotten.

eizo 9y ago

Recently read and highly recommended: - Platform Revolution - The Economic Singularity - Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

gordon_freeman 9y ago

'Healing back pain' is an interesting entry to the list. I just recalled my friend lent me this book and a reminder to now read it. Anyone who has read this book can share their thoughts?

nabla9 9y ago
I haven't read the book, know nothing about it, but few people I know ~~have~~ (edit: actually they read his earlier book: Mind Over Back Pain) One person who I trust said that once he reached certain page, his chronic back pain disappeared (just by reading the book). Apparently he is not alone. Maybe for some people chronic back pain is just fearing back pain and having tensing up or something. I'm still very skeptical, but if the author is not selling anything except the book, maybe reading it is not so bad thing.
imsd 9y ago
I had back pain for three years, which I attributed to sitting for long hours. I had seen a doctor, multiple physical therapists, a chiropractor, and massage therapist ... all of whom provided temporary relief at best. Upon reading 'Healing Back Pain', I came to understand that it wasn't the sitting but rather built up stress and anxieties causing the pain. Within 1 week of reading, my back felt 80% better. Within one month, 95%. Several months later, I'm now pain-free. My girlfriend also experiences anxiety at times and had back pain that would come and go. She read the book and it cured her back, as well. Admittedly, I found it very strange how effective this book was. I approached it hesitantly, but it has had profound results. Check the reviews on Amazon for further support. This book has had a great impact on my quality of life and I highly suggest it to anyone experiencing not just back pain, but any physical ailment that might be tied to stress, anxiety, tension, etc.
notadoc 9y ago
No experience but I heard about Dr Sarno and the book from Howard Stern, who swears by him. Here's a recent segment from the Howard Stern show if you want to hear a bit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEBI7bwrRO8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEBI7bwrRO8

champagnepapi 9y ago

Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valley by Antonio García Martínez Read this recently. Thought it was pretty good.

capocannoniere 9y ago

Am I the only one who would actually prefer these Amazon links to be affiliate links? Affiliate links make me feel like I'm paying back the curator(s) for the awesome recommendations I'm thankful for. However minor that might be. Do people feel like recommendations would be biased if the links were affiliate links?

dmix 9y ago
For YC? Eh I wouldn't really care. But if they set up affiliate links for EFF or Tor then that'd be a nice touch.
- capocannoniere 9y ago
  I'd be more than happy if the proceeds went to ACLU or Watsi or one of the YC non-profits
davidw 9y ago
Yes! I completely feel this way when it's someone at all 'reasonable' (ie not a spammer).
rch 9y ago
I just created a list with a reminder for next time I'm at my local bookstore.
adsfsdc 9y ago
Amazon smile is for you! https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201365340 https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=...
- vblord 9y ago
  I donate all my smile bucks to the Youth Competitive Programming Circle.
dionidium 9y ago
People seem to be really passionate about this topic, but they might as well try to convince me to hate the color orange. The arguments make zero sense to me. Affiliate links don't affect me one way or the other.

soneca 9y ago

Do americans only read books on summer?

talyian 9y ago
http://blog.ycombinator.com/yc-2015-reading-list/ http://blog.ycombinator.com/yc-2015-reading-list/ http://blog.ycombinator.com/ycs-winter-reading-list/ http://blog.ycombinator.com/ycs-winter-reading-list/
protomyth 9y ago
No, but it comes from two different traditions. The first, and most common, is the Summer Reading List many schools give their students for reading over the summer break. I knew people who had assigned reading, but our school didn't bother. The other was the family vacation and the "beach books" that were once part of the stereotypical beach vacation. Gotta do something while the kids play in the water. Summer books are still a topic.
- soneca 9y ago
  I knew my little joke wouldn't fit well at HN, but posted anyway. Sometimes you just want to rebel against the stabilishment. But thanks for the serious answer! Going all the way to the end of the page to find my grey comment. There was a sincere curiosity behind the comment.

adamnemecek 9y ago

I wish there were also a reading list for technical books/textbooks.

orthoganol 9y ago

Sapiens is a very preachy, low-on-citations work... the Goodreads reviews are interestingly divided ("Dude it changed my whole world!" to "This is not a serious work."), but the early sections on pre historical humans are still interesting to read, and seemed mostly correct from what I remember from my college anthropology class.

socratees 9y ago
My opinion of Sapiens is the same as well - very broad strokes. I feel Sapiens is heavily promoted because of ease in which the content flows? - maybe that's the selling point of the book?
GuiA 9y ago
Any recommendations for a book about the same subject matter, but more on the academic side?
- gradys 9y ago
  Why the West Rules for Now - broad coverage of human history, starting with pre-human hominids. Loosely guided by looking for an account of why in 20th century so much power was concentrated in the West compared to the East, but that guiding question only comes up occasionally. It's mostly a plain history book. I've also heard Our Kind recommended for this kind of thing, but I haven't read it myself.
  - markdog12 9y ago
    I read Our Kind over a decade ago, and thought it was a very good book at the time, but its central thesis, that culture dominates biology, is overstated. I haven't read Why the West Rules for Now, but just looking at its wiki page, it looks to be a complete rehash of Guns, Germs and Steel? The title made me think of The West and the Rest, excellent book: https://www.amazon.ca/Civilization-West-Rest-Niall-Ferguson/dp/0143122061 https://www.amazon.ca/Civilization-West-Rest-Niall-Ferguson/...
- axplusb 9y ago

ryanjodonnell 9y ago

I would add "The Three Body Problem" and following two books in its trilogy to the list. Sci-fi series by Liu Cixin. Won the Hugo award and is recommended by Obama and Zuck. I felt so small after reading that one :)

hmmm___food 9y ago
I believe all of them have won either a Hugo or Nebula.

mehrzad 9y ago

Do they ever choose any radical literature to test their beliefs? Kropotkin's The Conquest of Bread would be a good choice.

perfmode 9y ago
Thanks for the recommendation. Found a Kindle version on sale for $1.19. https://www.amazon.com/Conquest-Bread-Peter-Kropotkin-ebook/dp/B074CJWR7X/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1501834065&sr=1-6&keywords=the+conquest+of+bread&refinements=p_n_feature_browse-bin%3A618073011 https://www.amazon.com/Conquest-Bread-Peter-Kropotkin-ebook/...
- mehrzad 9y ago
  I'm pretty sure it's out of copyright!

ThomPete 9y ago

If I may recommend a book that really will make most people change their perspectives it's "The End of Alchemy: Money, Banking, and the Future of the Global Economy" Rarely have I read a book which made me think about a subject I thought I had a pretty good understanding of completely different. And if that is not enough it's probably one of the few books which doesn't have a moral/ethical agenda but merely seeks to inform about how the crisis happened (and what money really is) For me it's one now on my list of books about important fundamentals in this world. https://www.amazon.com/End-Alchemy-Banking-Future-Economy/dp/0393247023 https://www.amazon.com/End-Alchemy-Banking-Future-Economy/dp...

harigov 9y ago
What other books do you consider as important fundamentals?
- filiwickers 9y ago
  Ha-Joon Chang has very approachable books about capitalism and economics. * Twenty-Three Things They Don't Tell You about Capitalism [1] * Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism [2] [1] https://www.amazon.com/Things-They-Dont-About-Capitalism/dp/1608193381 https://www.amazon.com/Things-They-Dont-About-Capitalism/dp/... [2] https://www.amazon.com/Bad-Samaritans-Secret-History-Capitalism/dp/1596915986 https://www.amazon.com/Bad-Samaritans-Secret-History-Capital...
- ThomPete 9y ago
  Obviously these lists are subjective but a couple of examples would be: The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins (Evolution) MindStorms by Seymore Papert (Education) Structure of Scientific Revolution by Thomas Kuhn (Scientific Method/ Philosophy) Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter (Formal Systems) The Innovators Dilemma by Clayton Christensen (Entrepreneurship) Innovation and Entrepreneurship Peter F Druckert (Entrepreneurship but most likely because I had a quite crazy experience while reading it) They are all books written by what I consider careful thinkers i.e. people who are able to avoid confusing what they want the world to be with what they actually observe. They don't have to be right and can be highly subjective as long as their premise is clear and they are aware of it.

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jackschultz 9y ago

I know this is a technical site, but for all of these I always get a little sad with how few fictional books are listed on these types of posts. Going over it, seems like there's just one, "The Nix" (may be more where I just missed them). I like seeing fictional books since I can relate to the people writing them. If I enjoyed some of the fictional books that people talk about, then I'll go along with their non-fiction recommendations. Also, reading fiction shouldn't be treated like time wasted! I see that comment a lot by people who only read the non-fiction books, but I highly disagree with that thought. For another comment I guess. One way to do that is to have different sections, one for fiction and one non-fiction. I'd love to see that here. On that note, I've actually experienced that here, with some of the book recommendation threads, finding comments with books I also like and then reading the others. Always fun to talk to people who read the same as you.

hypertexthero 9y ago
Agreed. Three fiction recommendations: * The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood * The Last Question by Isaac Asimov * Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon Three non-fiction recommendations: * Art is Work by Milton Glaser * Pragmatic Thinking And Learning by Andy Hunt * The First And Last Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti
jacobolus 9y ago
There are 3 novels on the list out of 18 books and one blog.
pklausler 9y ago
I returned "The Nix" to Powell's ca. pg. 200 or so when I realized that I really hated it, and I can slog through just about anything.
daveguy 9y ago
Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman is also fiction and one of the best books I have ever read. I read it over 20 years ago and some of the stories in it still flash in my mind. Definitely going to re-read it. It is a fast read.

matahwoosh 9y ago

compiled in a Goodreads list (https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/114264.YC_s_2017_Summer_Reading_List https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/114264.YC_s_2017_Summer_...) like you were going to actually read those ;)

rosstex 9y ago

Does anyone have recommendations for summer reading for teaching assistants to undergraduates? I want to become more engaged with current pedagogy techniques.

deleted 9y ago

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DanielleMolloy 9y ago

I'd like to recommend these lists of short reviews of books neuroscientist Christof Koch has (recently) read: http://www.klab.caltech.edu/koch/books-i-read.html http://www.klab.caltech.edu/koch/books-i-read.html https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/brain-science/about/team/staff-profiles/christof-koch/book-list/ https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/brain-science/about/te... They are a captivating mixture of science, scientific theory, cognitive science, AI, science fiction and the like and quite an interesting inspiration for future books to read.

kentt 9y ago

I'd consider Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection to be fiction as well. Too long, shouldn't read: if you believe, your back pain will go away. I'm surprised to see the anti-scientific pseudoscience promoted.

louprado 9y ago
There is a drug so powerful that every drug other drug is tested against it: the placebo. If this book saves just one HN reader from opioid addiction then I am glad it made the list.
- wuch 9y ago
  Actually there is pretty limited support that placebo actually works on anything but subjective measured outcomes.
  - DanBC 9y ago
    Back pain is mostly subjectively measured outcome, and many types of back pain respond very well to placebo.
  - ambivalents 9y ago
    Like pain?
- cracell 9y ago
  What if people try it instead of a scientifically supported treatment and then it doesn't work and they give up and get addicted to opioids when a real method would've worked for them? Don't get me wrong I think the placebo effect is a very useful tool but best to combine it with other methods that work for many back conditions, such as yoga routines that strengthen the back muscles. Of course what works depends on your particular condition which is why anyone with severe back pain should see a medical professional to get advice for their specific problem.
imsd 9y ago
I would not call it "anti-scientific pseudoscience," but the author does openly admit that the science behind why his techniques work is still fuzzy. It's a field that needs more research and understanding. Regardless, the book is very effective for many individuals, myself included. I highly recommend it to anyone dealing with back pain.

spicylad 9y ago

If you haven't read Infinite Jest, you should. I admit it isn't for everyone, but it's definitely worth suffering for.

Dowwie 9y ago

These are safe books. Where's Marx's "A Critique of Political Economy"?

itg 9y ago
Maybe they are familiar with it and don't think it is worth anything.

gonzofish 9y ago

Nexus was an awesome read, haven't started book 2, but it's free for Kindle & Prime users

romanovcode 9y ago

Summer is nearly over BTW.

Dowwie 9y ago
true but people take most time off in August

filiwickers 9y ago

If you struggle to get diverse voices inside your field, maybe you should read from diverse voices outside your field. I understand it is hard and I also gravitate towards comfortable reading, usually meaning from people that look like me. This is the problem. Start being accountable to yourself about it. 2 of 19 the books in the list are by female authors (both recommended by women). Looking for some good books from women? Check out these: Nonfiction: * Radical Acceptance, Tara Brach * The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs * Freedom Is a Constant Struggle, Angela Davis * Rising Strong, Brené Brown * Cleopatra, Stacy Shiff * The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander Fiction: * Anything by Ursula Le Guin * Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie * Too Like the Lightning, Ada Palmer * Citizen: An American Lyric, Claudia Rankine ... so many more

muninn_ 9y ago
So, I have nothing against what you've listed here, this is great stuff. What I find interesting for me personally is that it never once crosses my mind who the author is or what their skin color is or anything like that when I'm looking at a book. I just have no idea (and perhaps no interest really, unless it's something I'm REALLY into). Anyway, it's cool that you're listing these. I'm particularly interested in The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs.
- filiwickers 9y ago
  Me either, and that's exactly the issue. Look at any top books list and it is mostly white males. Either men have an easier time getting published or men are inherently better writers. I believe the former is the case. By seeking out female writers and other diverse voices we can start to tip the balance. Historically, men were the only ones that had the opportunity to write, so any books from older centuries are going to be by men. But that doesn't have to be the case now. ps. Love Jane Jacobs! After you read that, if you are interested, you may want to check out The Power Broker to see the other side. It is one of my top nonfiction books. (warning, white male author ;)).
  - yters 9y ago

notadoc 9y ago

I'd love a good HN summer fiction reading list, particularly with a sci-fi focus

Dowwie 9y ago
1. Neal Stephenson, "Snow Crash" 2. Daniel Suarez, "Kill Decision" 3. Stel Pavlou, "Decipher"

notadoc 9y ago

I'd love a good HN summer fiction reading list, particularly with a sci-fi focus

The_Hoff 9y ago

https://blog.ycombinator.com/yc-summer-reading/ https://blog.ycombinator.com/yc-summer-reading/ is the link to last year's. Anyone else sites would make their URLs consistent? It's always pleasant when you can go to the URL and change the 2017->2016 and it takes you where you want to go.

desireco42 9y ago

HomoDeus is really most excellent continuation of already epic Sapiens. If you didn't read any of those, they are long but well worth the time.

michaeloblak 9y ago
Totally agree. It's in the very similar tone to the Sapiens. Reading is entertaining and light. I really like how he approached the topic. Although, the part about the religions was a little bit too long IMO. Any other suggestions about similar books where author is wondering what might happen next? I'm mostly interested in the tech part of it. Recently, I started reading Superinteligennce by Nick Bostrom. So far it's very good.

malandrew 9y ago

> I believe the former is the case. I'm just curious why you hold that belief? I don't have an opinion either way, but I'm curious if that is an informed belief. I agree that it was a problem even more recently than a century ago. It was probably a problem as recently as 10 years ago. However, in 2017, it's not hard to be published. You can even self-publish. Unless the topic is related to the author's identity (i.e. it's about gender, race, sexual orientation, nationality, etc.), I don't see why someone should care about the identity of an author. Take "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" on your list. Why does the gender of the author matter for such a topic? Books are written by individuals not demographics. This is a genuine question and not an attempt to troll. I don't understand why gender or any other identity needs to be a concern aspects where it is orthogonal/unrelated.

Mz 9y ago
http://jezebel.com/homme-de-plume-what-i-learned-sending-my-novel-out-und-1720637627 http://jezebel.com/homme-de-plume-what-i-learned-sending-my-... I have posted it twice to HN, and it was essentially ignored, but it provides good evidence that women writers have a much harder time getting published simply because they are female.
- malandrew 9y ago
  I don't disagree that this is a problem that should be solved, but it doesn't answer my question. Why should I, as a reader, just try to find quality interesting content care about the identity of the author. Authors are just individuals to me. Unless their experience by virtue of their identity is relevant to the subject matter at hand, why should use identity in deciding what to read instead of just relying on subject matter and positive reviews and recommendations?
  - Mz 9y ago
    Why should I, as a reader, just try to find quality interesting content care about the identity of the author. Sorry, it seems really obvious to me and I have heard it said before, so didn't feel I needed to spell it out: Female authors must be better than most to have any shot at getting published. So, women authors who do get published tend to be better authors than most male authors. You aren't required to care. Whether or not you care is on you, but if you want quality writing, there is evidence that due to the fact that women are discriminated against, IF they manage to get published, their writing will be of unusually high quality.

ThomPete 9y ago

One of the most intriguing lists I have ever read was this one: http://spacecollective.org/wilfriedhoujebek/4076/Summery-Books-Too-Far-Out-For-Johnny-Depp http://spacecollective.org/wilfriedhoujebek/4076/Summery-Boo... I still have a few books left to read but most of these are amazing books.

moonka 9y ago

Powerhouse is an incredible book. The author does a great job of weaving in interviews as well as narration to paint a good story of how CAA came to power. I highly recommend Powerhouse as well as his other books, Live From New York (about SNL) and These Guys Have All The Fun (about ESPN).

icco 9y ago

For a far better reading list, longform.org + mailchimp put out a great one this year: http://readthissummer.com/ http://readthissummer.com/

amk_ 9y ago
Some thought-provoking stuff in that one.

jonbarker 9y ago

Summer is almost over. Just a nit-pick. I'd like to add to this list "The Master Algorithm" by Pedro Domingos

jdp23 9y ago

17 books by guys. 2 books by women. Both recommended by women.

ryanar 9y ago
Looking for diversity? More than one book list in the world. I started following susanjfowler.com and her reading club after the uber interviews came out

thisrod 9y ago

I'm currently reading Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce by Anthony Reid. It's well written history, and the topic has some interesting aspects. The view of Europe from 20 thousand kilometres is quite insightful. The big patterns stand out, as power shifts from the Spanish to the Dutch and then to the British. The different things that those people are trying to achieve in Asia neatly summarise the different things that they might have valued at home. It's also interesting to see a long term situation where land is abundant, and labor is the scarce resource. Women get liberated (or so Reid claims). Battles are fought in order to take the other army from its land, not the land from the army. Labour productivity is so high, and construction materials so easily available; 3 days after an event like Hurricane Katrina, the city has been rebuilt and life is back to normal.

bbleciel 9y ago

money and technology, self-help, and the arc of humanity. wish programmers would read things that challenge their views rather than just reaffirm –_–

esseti 9y ago

it would be good to know why each book is worth reading.