17 ms·

Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?

• abstrct 7y ago
  In the wake of new attempts to "ban encryption", I'd recommend reading Crypto by Steven Levy (2001). https://www.stevenlevy.com/index.php/books/crypto https://www.stevenlevy.com/index.php/books/crypto
  • segfaultbuserr 7y ago
    The Code Book [0] by Simon Singh (1999) is another famed popular science book that offers a non-technical introduction to cryptography and its history, there's also an indie game [1] Cypher by Matthew Brown (2018) inspirited by the book. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Code_Book https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Code_Book [1] https://store.steampowered.com/app/746710/Cypher/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/746710/Cypher/
• teekert 7y ago
  In the wake of China's expansion into Africa, I'd recommend "Confessions of an economic hitman" by John Perkins.
  • justaguyhere 7y ago
    I read this long time ago, it was unbelievable and crazy to my naive brain. I don't know how much of it is true and how much of it is made up, it is definitely worth a read. I remember reading it in one sitting, shaking my head along the way multiple times
    • teekert 7y ago
      Me too! The most memorable ones are the Iran CIA coup of 1953 which is pretty much considered the truth. Torrijos "murder" remains a mistery imho. I'm willing to believe the book... I also love the way the book is written, like an adventure, very immersive.
• EKemp 7y ago
  That has to be Factfulness from Hans Rosling :-) Why: Where journalists continuosly provide the trees of human progress, this book provides the forest.
• jonwinstanley 7y ago
  I found “Sapiens” absolutely fascinating and incredibly dense in information.
  • posedge 7y ago
    That was the first book that came to my mind. Highly recommend.
  • neilkakkar 7y ago
    and if you don't get time for the entire book: I did an almost lossless compression - https://neilkakkar.com/sapiens.html https://neilkakkar.com/sapiens.html
    • jacknews 7y ago
      Thanks so much for this - I'm really a fan of condensed factual books. I think the book format necessitates undesirable verbosity (ahem), detail, anecdotes, side stories, padding etc.
  • dx7tnt 7y ago
    I didn't enjoy this at all. I thought the tone and the style were pretty awful.
  • ozim 7y ago
    I found it 50% of things I already knew. I got dissapointed with author lack of knowledge how farming works. He just keeps going on how those hunter gatherers had it all good and farming started to break people backs and stuff. When farming you work hard 2 times a year, rest of the year you just check out on stuff and myabe round up some animals. But it is not 365 days a year back breaking labor. I was dissapointed with that book, maybe because everyone was saying it is great book, so I had high expectations.
    • lelima 7y ago
      The hype is ruining me some movies and books as well..
• elwesties 7y ago
  Recommend "radical candor" it has totally changed my management style and it applicable to both managers and non managers
• pmoriarty 7y ago
  On the Shortness of Life by Seneca.[1] [1] - https://tripinsurancestore.com/4/on-the-shortness-of-life.pdf https://tripinsurancestore.com/4/on-the-shortness-of-life.pd...
  • manjana 7y ago
    On the genre of Stoicism, Marcus Aurelius has intrigued me for some time. I have yet to read any of Seneca's work though but imagine that it is any bit as much quality(!). I would like to add a candidate for the recommendation on Stoic philosophy - "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius".
    • cannonedhamster 7y ago
      Meditations is great. Seneca's letters are better I think.
    • Scarblac 7y ago
      Meditations disappointed me, it was so obviously never meant as a coherent whole. Just long lists of notes in more or less random order, lots of repetition, not everything intelligible, few things applicable. I think reading a randomly selected 1/6th of Meditations gives more or less the same experience as reading all of it.
      • andyjohnson0 7y ago
        I find it great to dip into. Open at random and read a page. Like you said, it's just not meant to be read as a whole.
• kuu 7y ago
  I'd recommend The selfish gene , quite interesting book, it gave me a new perspective in how the evolution and life works.
  • w4tson 7y ago
    Plus one. I’m reading this now. I have little interest in biology/zoology but already I’m gripped by it. I can’t believe how old it is, yet still feels fresh
• 13of40 7y ago
  When I was a pre-teen/teen, I grew up in a pretty nerdy family with a scientist dad, a brother who eventually became a linguist, and stacks of Byte Magazine, Omni, Particle Physics Digest, etc. as far as the eye could see. I couldn't stomach the fantasy stuff my brother was into, and I was a bit on the technical side, so I decided my genre was Sci Fi. I followed this to the point that I felt deeply guilty for reading anything else, until one summer I found myself at a cabin somewhere with nothing to do but lay in a hammock and read Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen. Oh my God, it went down so easy compared to the Sci Fi. It really made me realize a joy in recreational reading that's stuck for 30 years. Now I'm not saying that Florida Humor Noir is right for you, but don't feel obligated to spend your summer reading something like Nudge or Crucial Conversations.
• michelpp 7y ago
  The Book of Why, by Judea Pearl. http://bayes.cs.ucla.edu/WHY/ http://bayes.cs.ucla.edu/WHY/
  • beefield 7y ago
    I'm in the middle of it and I feel - maybe weird could be a right word, regading the book. It is very verbose in explaining how stupid statistics and statisticians were before the causal revolution orchestrated mainly by the author were. And how magnificiently efficient and simple these new concepts with causation diagrams are for uncovering causal relationships. But for some reason I have completely missed how you come up with these diagrams in the first place, and how you actually, practically use the data to validate if the diagram you have come up with is correct. In other words, the book has completely failed to help me build any kind of mental model how I should apply this magnificent new idea in practice. Is that just me being dumb or would there be some other sources worth reading for yhe same concepts? (Yes, I am intrigued with the question how to evaluate causal statements)
    • merlinsbrain 7y ago
      I think you’ll enjoy this piece titled “Bayesian Networks without Tears”. https://www.cs.ubc.ca/~murphyk/Bayes/Charniak_91.pdf https://www.cs.ubc.ca/~murphyk/Bayes/Charniak_91.pdf The author of this paper/article attempts to make Judea Pearl’s concepts digestible while keeping a good balance between using math (not much) but still referring to the relevant mathematical concepts. I’m currently (re-)exploring these concepts (specifically Bayesian networks) and would be happy to chat (check profile) if you end up reading this paper or finding different sources which help you grok the field!
• drej 7y ago
  Basically anything by Simon Singh, I mostly enjoyed the Code Book and the Big Bang, Fermat's Last Theorem was also solid. Detailed yet extremely readable for a very wide audience.
• pfalafel 7y ago
  Anything by W. G. Sebald for instance The Rings of Saturn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rings_of_Saturn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rings_of_Saturn
• jefim 7y ago
  My to-go favorite for relaxed summer evenings is "The Master and Margarita" by Bulgakov. It is a literature masterpiece that magically adjusts to my current inner state. It can be both easy reading when I'm tired and just want to unwind, and thought provoking when I'm ready to be thoughtful. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/117833.The_Master_and_Margarita https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/117833.The_Master_and_Ma...
  • idlewords 7y ago
    This is a beautiful book. I recommend the Bergin/O'Connor translation.
  • chantelles 7y ago
    I am reading it now - and it is fantastic. And because I cannot read in Russian but am learning it I see how much I am missing: eg: the word for Turnstyle in Russian is the same in meaning as tourniquet - which figures prominently in the beginning of the book.
  • spectaclepiece 7y ago
    Laying at the side of the pool during my vacation in Turkey with a fresh smell of sunflower oil and the sound of an approaching tram.
  • Choque 7y ago
    Highly recommended! Especially the version OP linked (the Tiernan O'Connor/Burgin translation)
  • blue_devil 7y ago
    Great to see (classic) fiction suggested. Seems non-fiction usually gets the medal for "worthiness".
  • rdeboo 7y ago
    I started reading "The Master and Margarita" this year after seeing this title pop up on HN so often. I could not finish it, I found it rather boring. I'm curious, am I the only one? What does everyone find so great about this book?
• lunchladydoris 7y ago
  There are some excellent books on this list already. For something different, try Shoe Dog, by Phil Knight. It's a memoir from the founder of Nike. I just finished it and it was great.
• honzzz 7y ago
  Neurosis and human growth by Karen Horney Neverending story by Michael Ende It is interesting to read these two together - they are basically the same book, just expressed differently.
• idlewords 7y ago
  Primo Levi, The Periodic Table.
• d0ublespeak 7y ago
  The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells - super eye opening.
• murat124 7y ago
  The Revolt of The Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium by Martin Gurri. [1] https://www.amazon.com/Revolt-Public-Crisis-Authority-Millennium/dp/1732265143 https://www.amazon.com/Revolt-Public-Crisis-Authority-Millen...
• deboflo 7y ago
  Red Rising by Pierce Brown.
• htamas 7y ago
  The Kon-Tiki Expedition by Thor Heyerdahl
• pmlnr 7y ago
  Aldous Huxley - Breve New World
  • arien 7y ago
    I only started reading this one yesterday. I honestly know nothing of this book other than everybody always mentions it (along with 1984, Animal Farm and Farenheit 451). The first few pages made me raise a few eyebrows already, looking forward to finishing it.
• gordon_freeman 7y ago
  I would recommend Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Hays Translation) along with On the Shortness of Life by Seneca. These 2 books together will introduce you to the Stoic philosophy which I just found a couple of years ago and it has made my life much better.
  • natmaka 7y ago
    On this vein one may benefit from the Enchiridion of Epictetus.
  • 0kl 7y ago
    I have always been of the opinion that you ought to read the stoics in the order of: 1. Epictetus (foundational with the enchiridion) [trans Robert Dobbin] 2. Seneca’s letters (eloquent exhortations from one person to another) [trans Robin Campbell] 3. Aurelius’s meditations (powerful self-reflections not meant for publication) [trans Martin Hammond] I found that, going back, both Seneca or Epictetus were lesser reads than Aurelius, but I’m still glad I read them. [These are my preferred translations, but I did see this comment and just ordered the translation mentioned https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717216 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717216]
  • sanabriarenato 7y ago
    The obstacle is the way (https://www.amazon.com/Obstacle-Way-Timeless-Turning-Triumph/dp/1591846358 https://www.amazon.com/Obstacle-Way-Timeless-Turning-Triumph...) is also a good one on the Stoic philosophy, could serve as in introduction to Meditations
• sansnomme 7y ago
  On VCs, startups and philanthropy: Accelerando by Charles Stross
• doomlaser 7y ago
  Patrick Collison, co-founder of Stripe, keeps a cool reading list with tons of books, color coded by the impact they had on him. He's clearly a voracious reader on a wide range of topics. I happened to find it yesterday and found tons of books and authors to add to my Amazon wishlists: https://patrickcollison.com/bookshelf https://patrickcollison.com/bookshelf If you're interested in games / startup stories, I have to recommend Masters of Doom, about the early days of id. It's thrilling and exciting to read: https://www.amazon.com/Masters-Doom-Created-Transformed-Culture/dp/0812972155 https://www.amazon.com/Masters-Doom-Created-Transformed-Cult... - It's also in the news that USA has ordered a pilot for a TV adaptation. Here's hoping it's good!
  • bemmu 7y ago
    Sivers also has a list: https://sivers.org/book https://sivers.org/book
  • pimmen 7y ago
    Masters of Doom had a much bigger impact on me then I thought it would. Can really recommend it!
    • ElCapitanMarkla 7y ago
      I read that a year or two ago and find myself quite often thinking about it. It really is very good
    • anderspitman 7y ago
      One of very few books I've read twice and intend to read again in the future.
  • tossaway127 7y ago
    Keep in mind, he claims to have read about half the books on the list and it's not clear which half...
  • backslash_16 7y ago
    Masters of Doom is such a fun, good book. I ended up power reading a few summers ago. If you grew up playing Doom, and all the other shareware games like Hexen, Heretic, etc... reading about Id Software's start and history is more interesting than I ever thought it would be. Another book that drew me in was "Blood, Sweat, and Pixels". It's a collection of short-ish game creation stories packaged into a book. Really candid interviews and writing.
• Quiza12 7y ago
  The World According to Garp by John Irving. To me, it's the perfect tragi-comedy. Gotta have a bit of both.
• Fnoord 7y ago
  Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, SF from 1992. Goodreads entry here [1] [1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40651883-snow-crash https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40651883-snow-crash
  • laputan_machine 7y ago
    Recently finished this, I enjoyed it a lot but I admit it's not... quite what I expected with the heavy religious aspect of the book. Deliberately irreverent, almost tongue-in-cheek (Hiro Protaganist...). Neal Stephenson had an incredible eye wrt the capabilities limitations of software, especially if you view it through the lens of 1992
  • leethargo 7y ago
    Or his most recent novel "Fall, or Dodge in Hell".
• cannonedhamster 7y ago
  Books on interacting with people. How to Win Friends and Influence People. - Dale Carnegie Influence - Robert Cialdini Books on understanding how to push through adversity The Obstacle Is The Way - Ryan Holiday Man's Search For Meaning - Victor Frankly Books on process improvement The Phoenix Project The Four Hour Work Week - Tim Ferriss (ignore the outsourcing bit, listen to his podcast) Books on breaking out of your thought bubble. Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell Ishmael - David Quinn Books for understanding how sales works Ultimate Sales Machine - Chet Holmes Negotiate As If Your Life Depended on It - Chris Voss Any of these books are great starts. If the leadership big bites you there's way more I can suggest. Most of these are a mix of classics and new stuff. I've read them all and they want have their own style and provide their own insight. The trick is to find out what parts work with how you do and incorporate them into your flow. The learning process never ends.
  • dash2 7y ago
    I'll disagree with Viktor Frankl, not because I've read the book - but it is worth knowing the man was a questionable person and his ideas have some questions over them too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Frankl#Controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Frankl#Controversy
    • prepend 7y ago
      I read the book and find it extremely useful in finding meaning. I’m not sure what “questionable person” means. The Wikipedia article describes criticisms and I’m glad they are documented, but seem to come down to criticism of his philosophy by some peers.
    • cannonedhamster 7y ago
      There's valid criticisms that can be made of any book and any author. The question isn't whether the reader gets benefit or not in my eyes. We read books from Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, Marcus Aurelius, and all sorts of historical people who have advocated or committed actual atrocities. Many of our heroes are warriors with imperfect lives that history has white washed. General Patton for example was a brilliant general who knew what it took to win a war, but was harsh on his troops often to the point of cruel. General Sherman burned civilian cities to the ground and let slaves drown in his mission to end the civil war. Rev. Martin Luther King was a womanizer. To take the important lessons one can learn from a person who has failed in one way but succeeded to find the positive aspects of life and shared them is what allows for all human advancement. We don't succeed because we are without fault, but because we overcome that fault.
• waitingkuo 7y ago
  I always think that learning probability can not only help you to gain more intuition when dealing with scientific relative subjects but also empower you to think the daily life things in a different way. I recommend Introduction of probability [1] since it's easy to study and provides great free video lectures [2]. [1] - https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Probability-Dimitri-P-Bertsekas/dp/188652940X https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Probability-Dimitri-P-Be... [2] - https://ocw.mit.edu/resources/res-6-012-introduction-to-probability-spring-2018/ https://ocw.mit.edu/resources/res-6-012-introduction-to-prob...
  • yash_8141 7y ago
    this. I almost completed first book just 2 months ago .Excellent book also do all the exercise.
  • sAbakumoff 7y ago
    yeah, statistics rocks! One area which I am fascinated about is Bayesian methods and here is the excellent book https://gumroad.com/l/empirical-bayes https://gumroad.com/l/empirical-bayes
    • kaushikt 7y ago
      What about the Bayesian has been fascinating? I have a very rough idea about it and i wanted to learn more. Is this book based out on Baseball statistics any good when i don't know anything about baseball?
      • sAbakumoff 7y ago
        it's just the fact that one simple formula drives everything and there is the infinite number of applications - from A/B testing to deriving poker play strategies against opponents based on the small number of observations. I don't think that lack of knowledge about baseball can prevent anyone from reading this book. The author explains everything by using very simple terms. But you need to have some knowledge of R programming language to run the code samples.
• void__ 7y ago
  If you like sci-fi, I would recommend Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. It really had some weird twists ! :)) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27833670-dark-matter https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27833670-dark-matter
• jor-el 7y ago
  Thinking, fast and slow - by Daniel Kahneman It is a great book and talks about two systems in which we can divide the working of our brain. Kahneman also talks exposes the extraordinary capabilities—and also the faults and biases—of fast thinking, and reveals the pervasive influence of intuitive impressions on our thoughts and behavior. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11468377-thinking-fast-and-slow https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11468377-thinking-fast-a...
  • cannonedhamster 7y ago
    This is a great book. It have me a lot to think about and sincerely improved my decision making skills.
  • chrisdirkis 7y ago
    It is worth noting that a lot of the psychological studies that this book references have failed to reproduce. I don't have a list on me (and haven't read the book!), but I know that there was more than one. Likely still worth reading, for at least forcing the reader to introspect on processes that will help them think better, and solve problems better.
  • smsm42 7y ago
    Note however: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow#Replication_crisis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow#Replic...
  • hannob 7y ago
    Others already wrote that lots of the studies this book is based on have been called into question, here's a summary: https://replicationindex.com/2017/02/02/reconstruction-of-a-train-wreck-how-priming-research-went-of-the-rails/ https://replicationindex.com/2017/02/02/reconstruction-of-a-... Please note also that Kahneman himself left a comment there stating: "I accept the basic conclusions of this blog."
    • Symmetry 7y ago
      Yeah. Kahneman himself didn't do to badly in the replication crisis but a lot of the research that was used in his book did. It would be great if he could release a new, shorter edition or something.
• bemmu 7y ago
  "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman" and "The Pleasure of Finding Things Out", also by Richard Feynman. He worked on the Manhattan Project among other things, writes in a very engaging way and shares a huge number of funny anecdotes. Yet he is also thought-provoking, for example introducing the idea of nanotechnology, explains why he is against pompous titles and posing, and how he struggled with staying creative. Besides funny stories and grand ideas, there's also a heartbreaking personal struggle. One of those books years after reading I find myself randomly thinking about sometimes.
  • TimSchumann 7y ago
    I listened to all of his books, and all of his lectures, on a car ride once. Everything was throughly enjoyable and I’d recommend it to anyone.
  • lelima 7y ago
    "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman" is really good, almost every week I remember some adventure, and I look locks a different way :)
  • Gairm 7y ago
    Richard Feynman inspired Ralph Leighton to get curious about Tannu Tuva, an area in central Asia. Which led Leighton to write, "Tuva or Bust!" about his travels there. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60349.Tuva_or_Bust https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60349.Tuva_or_Bust
• sjtindell 7y ago
  Neuromancer. Utterly cool sci-fi.
  • mlang23 7y ago
    Neuromancer and Snowcrash. For some reason, I always think of both at the same time. The story is kind of similar after all.
• pps 7y ago
  If you don't sleep 8+ hours every night: Matthew Walker - Why We Sleep
  • langitbiru 7y ago
    Hahaha, I know this book will show up soon or later. I haven't finished the book yet. But the book is very informative and easy enough to be read.
  • 013 7y ago
    Currently reading this at the minute. Extremely easy to read and informative.
  • leethargo 7y ago
    Also, the Circardian Code by Satchin Panda. I have read both recently, and there is a lot of overlap, but the Circardian Code goes beyond sleep into nutrition and execise, as well.
    • pps 7y ago
      Oh yes, definitely. Another one from these experts is Valter Longo with his book "The Longevity Diet". All three of them were interviewed by Rhonda Patrick https://www.youtube.com/user/FoundMyFitness/videos https://www.youtube.com/user/FoundMyFitness/videos for people who like to watch/listen before reading. Matthew was also a guest in Joe Rogan Experience https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwaWilO_Pig https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwaWilO_Pig
      • leethargo 7y ago
        I found only one point in which Satchin Panda and Matthew Walker were disagreeing: Satchin said that there were no (genetic) sleep types among humans (who prefer to get up and go to bed early, or late) referencing a paper in which a group of students went on a hiking and camping trip where they all synchronized to the same rhythm after a few days of exposure to all natural light. Matthew, on the other hand, says that there are definitely variations in sleep time preference in humans, with a genetic base and recommends to find out so that the ideal time windows for work and sleeps are chosen. Does not give a reference, sadly. Not sure what to make of it, really.
• usrme 7y ago
  "The Real Happy Pill" by Anders Hansen. In a nutshell: it goes through the myriad of ways that exercise is good for your brain, and the author does it in a way that is easy to grok and even easier to implement in your own life. To me it really drove home that I need to continue exercising for years to come and thanks to this book I'll be driving the concept home for people I care about as well.
• milansm 7y ago
  Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence [by Max Tegmark] > When they launched, Prometheus was slightly worse than them at programming AI systems, but made up for this by being vastly faster, spending the equivalent of thousands of person-years chugging away at the problem while they chugged a Red Bull. By 10 a.m., it had completed the first redesign of itself, v2.0, which was slightly better but still subhuman. By the time Prometheus 5.0 launched at 2 p.m., however, the Omegas were awestruck: it had blown their performance benchmarks out of the water, and the rate of progress seemed to be accelerating. By nightfall, they decided to deploy Prometheus 10.0 to start phase 2 of their plan: making money.
  • HNLurker2 7y ago
    I always found that book shallow. I only read it because of Elon Musk being mentioned
    • julian55 7y ago
      I found the name dropping (Elon Musk etc) rather tedious. The book wasn't as good as I expected it to be.
      • HNLurker2 7y ago
        Yes and that's the only reason I picked up the book. Because back in the day I was obsessed (2017-2018) with him and the book literal advice is getting a job not like musk but a special skill that automation can't replace
• nl 7y ago
  Shoe Dog, by Phil Knight (Nike). The best business book I've read in 5 years (maybe more). Really well written, too. The Undoing Project, Micheal Lewis. The story behind "Thinking Fast and Slow" but much easier to read.
• yjhoney 7y ago
  If you are open to the possibility to go against society's norms: 1. A brief history of humankind: This opens your mind to the possibility that maybe our society is not as good as you think. What if the foundation that our society is built on is wrong? 2. A guide to the good life: Perhaps your pursuit of success, comforts, and convenience is grounded on the wrong foundation. And as a result, a false sense of happiness. Then you might realize that core of your happiness starts with the people you love most (parents, kids, childhood friends, etc). From there, you can treasure friends (or coworkers or whatever) who support and appreciate your priorities and keep these people close to heart.
• peteforde 7y ago
  Perhaps the most important book I've ever read is Difficult Conversations, by Douglas Stone. It's possible that my life is 10-20% easier since I read it, with zero hyperbole. It's not a breezy quick read, but my favourite sci-fi is always likely to be Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson.
  • sho 7y ago
    Is Cryptonomicon even sci-fi? I mean, Stephenson is known for the genre, and certainly it will appeal to genre fans, but it's not actually set in the future... I totally second the recommendation, though.
    • arethuza 7y ago
      One of the characters is actually an immortal alchemist - though that might not be obvious just from Cryptonomicon.
      • Uhhrrr 7y ago
        Haha, in Stephenson's latest we find he is even more than that!
        • peteforde 7y ago
          Spoilers, people. ;) Cory Doctorow has often said that good sci-fi doesn't predict the future so much as anticipate the present. Let's not lose sight of the fact that Cryptonomicon came out in 1999. While there were early cryptocurrencies that all went nowhere, Stephenson was a good decade ahead of the BTC paper. It could also be argued that his particular focus on the obliteration of sensitive emails being kept on private servers was unnervingly prescient, too.
      • peteforde 7y ago
        Coincidentally, I recently got into an interesting argument with my father. He'd just seen Captain Marvel and got defensive when my friend referred to it as a superhero movie; he insisted that it was a science fiction movie. I probably shouldn't enjoy being empirically correct so much, but this dispute gave me the opportunity to demonstrate that he was, quite simply, wrong. Disregarding the movie, it's the attempt to identify sci-fi that is interesting. In the same way the judge couldn't define pornography "but knows it when I see it", there is not one standing definition. However, the greats who established the genre agreed on some important basics which hold water today. Cribbed from Wikipedia: Heinlein: "...realistic speculation about possible future events, based solidly on adequate knowledge of the real world, past and present, and on a thorough understanding of the nature and significance of the scientific method." Wells: "...a conscientious attempt to be faithful to already known facts (as of the date of writing) was the substrate on which the story was to be built, and if the story was also to contain a miracle, it ought at least not to contain a whole arsenal of them." Shippey: "...the basic building block and distinguishing feature of a science fiction novel is the presence of the novum... a discrete piece of information recognizable as not-true, but also as not-unlike-true, not-flatly- (and in the current state of knowledge) impossible." It's Wells' point that led to me leaving this comment. Don't get me wrong - I get genuinely excited every time REDACTED shows up in a Stephenson novel... but his immortality is, for me, uncomfortably close to a miracle. Now, sometimes this is preferable; hands up if you would prefer to not know the word Miti-chlorian.
• druvisc 7y ago
  1984
• m4n 7y ago
  Last year a friend showed me trailer of a game called The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, I found its story so fascinating that I ended up reading all of its 8 books in a single month. If you like reading fantasy, do not miss it.
  • mlang23 7y ago
    I just recently stumbled across the "The Wichter" series and found it interesting. I haven't read all of them yet though. They sort of remind me of "Wheel of time" but with a sort of different twist.
  • manojlds 7y ago
    I have been interested in reading, playing and watching Witcher series ever since I read about in Blood, Sweat, and Pixels (loved that book too)
  • Kuraj 7y ago
    Yes! Especially since the first two books are a collection of short stories that are super accessible and self-contained.
• ilaksh 7y ago
  Can't pick one sorry. Entertaining classic; Gibson: Virtual Light, Idoru Thinking ahead; Marshall Brain: The Second Intelligent Species Smart reply became reality but luckily it did not turn into SkyNet; W. Hertling: Avogadro Corp. Startup advice; Fitzpatrick: The Mom Test About "value"; Priceonomics: Everything is Bullshit Entertaining; Ramez Naam: Nexus
• bshimmin 7y ago
  War and Peace by Tolstoy (I like the Volokhonsky and Pevear translation, though I first read a different one that I also liked and now can't remember). If you read it casually, it'll take you most of the summer; if you race through it, you might be done in a few weeks. It's funny, it's tragic, it's moving, it's educational.
  • huevosabio 7y ago
    Strongly second this. However, it starts very slow, so, if you do read it, make sure to force yourself through the first handful of chapters.
  • british_india 7y ago
    Read the translation by Louise and Alymer Maude. They knew Tolstoy and translated all of his works. The Pevear translation is garbage.
• geden 7y ago
  The Mind Illuminated by Culadasa It’s like the missing manual for your mind.
• KaiserPro 7y ago
  I personally hate self improvement books/management, so here are some narrative books that I loved and got lost in 1) The tiger's wife - To me it has a brilliant full universe. Its comprised of a overarching narrative broken up with lots of short stories. 2) night watch/ making money / going postal - terry pratchett Fun stories with full characters. 3) THe pigeon tunnels - john le carre, Again composed of short stories, not overly spy-y just fascinating character studies, with a bit of history. 4) differently morphous - Yahtzee croshaw this one is a scifi comedy, 100% worth getting in audiobook form 5) rivers of london - ben aaronovich, policeman who was all set for a life of being a desk clerk accidentally becomes a wizard policemen. 6) harry potter, obviously :)
  • mlang23 7y ago
    I just read "A hat full of stars" yesterday evening. I can recommend all discworld books. But this one was especially moving. Now that I know that Terry was a advocate for assisted dying, I finally understand the alegory at the end of the book. Moved me to tears.
• sho 7y ago
  I mainly read SF to relax (biased towards hard space opera) and have accumulated a "best of the best" list of my own: Leviathan Wakes - James S. A. Corey (TV show The Expanse is loosely based on this, but IMO doesn't even come close) Revelation Space - Alastair Reynolds Three Body Problem (all 3 books) - Liu Cixin Consider Phlebas - Iain M. Banks (your gateway drug into the Culture universe) Genuinely wish I could experience all the above for the first time again. And looking forward to checking out some of the others mentioned here.
  • isaachawley 7y ago
    If you bounce off of Consider Phlebas, try Player of Games. I think it's an easier place to start the Culture novels.
    • TimSchumann 7y ago
      Agree with this. Consider Phlebas took me a few tries to get into, ‘Player of Games’ was just easy. Couple chapters into ‘Use of Weapons’ but haven’t been reading much lately due to life.
  • lawlorino 7y ago
    > Three Body Problem (all 3 books) - Liu Cixin These are great and helped me re-discover my love of sci-fi from when I was a kid, they are often recommended in these HN book threads. I just ordered the other 3 books that you mentioned so thanks for the recommendations!
    • TimSchumann 7y ago
      I’ve read all of them. You won’t be disappointed. I’d start Alistair Reynold’s stuff off with ‘House of Suns’ though. It’s a standalone, but it’s one of his best works IMO. Then go ahead and devour the ‘Revelation Space’ series.
      • sho 7y ago
        Huh, haven't actually read "House of Suns"! Guess I know what's next on my list, thanks!
• kreetx 7y ago
  I've really enjoyed Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Lila by Robert M. Pirsig. EDIT: Also, The Phoenix Project is very very good if you are into IT management: funny, and although a novel then the content will make you want to fix your company and perhaps even think bigger about your carrer. But this one won't last you a summer since if you read it that slow you'll forget what was going on. :)
  • ElCapitanMarkla 7y ago
    After reading recommendations everywhere I read Motorcycle Maintenance but I just didn’t get what all the fuss was about. I was completely bored all the way through and still have no idea what it is people see in it.
    • clarityPhone 7y ago
      I felt exactly the same way, and this as someone who spent their entire life surrounded by motorcycles. The philosophical insights just felt a bit... corny? And the rest was just plain boring.
  • british_india 7y ago
    You have got to be kidding. I just finished Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and it was terrible.
  • Jtsummers 7y ago
    If you've read The Phoenix Project (or haven't yet) I also recommend The Goal. Also a novel, but I think it does a better job of explaining the Theory of Constraints. The Phoenix Project worked better (for me) after reading The Goal, it connects ToC to IT work, but I don't think worked as a good introduction on its own.
  • Gairm 7y ago
    Fun fact: Pirsig never once mentions which make and model of motorcycle he rides in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
• Brajeshwar 7y ago
  I recently decided to do all my presentations (work related) by drawing/sketching (No slides). People love the clarity and interactions. A really good friend and business partner suggested me Dan Roam and his books. I'm loving it. Check out his books https://www.danroam.com https://www.danroam.com
  • another-dave 7y ago
    This sounds really interesting — do you mean on a whiteboard in the meeting room or bringing pre-prepped material?
    • Brajeshwar 7y ago
      Yes on Whiteboards, I usually carry a bunch of whiteboard markers (many colors). In special cases, I include post-it notes. I also tend to sketch/scribble a lot during meetings. They usually end up being the meeting notes. People take pictures of them to relate back later.
• smsm42 7y ago
  Blindsight by Peter Watts Very strong hard sci-fi with mind-bending approach to the question of conscience. And vampires (not the Twilight kind, the scary kind). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48484.Blindsight https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48484.Blindsight Fair warning: it's kinda pessimistic on the future of humankind. If you like it, proceed to Echopraxia. More hard sci-fi, more vampires, even worse news for humankind.
  • bxjx 7y ago
    Some of the wildest sci fi I've ever read. So many mind stretching concepts are explored while still remaining a great story.
  • jaratec 7y ago
    I propose that Planet 9 (when/if is found) to be named "Big Ben"
  • CosmicShadow 7y ago
    Someone posted this on a previous book list and I read it and I'm so glad I did, now I've read Echopraxia, and I've bought all his other books and I'm on those as well, totally awesome. I still think about this series and the vampires and hive minds.
  • smsm42 7y ago
    s/conscience/consciousness/ though conscience is mentioned too...
  • komon 7y ago
    If you liked Blindsight, check out his Rifters trilogy beginning with Starfish. Hard Sci-Fi, bioengineering/hacking, deep sea adventure.
• kashyapc 7y ago
  A special book that I'm thoroughly enjoying right now: "Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts"[1]. Why? I'll let the abstract speak: "[...] The idea for the book, which is entirely new, is to invite the reader into intimate conversations with twelve of the most famous manuscripts in existence and to explore with the author what they tell us about nearly a thousand years of medieval history - and sometimes about the modern world too. Christopher de Hamel introduces us to kings, queens, saints, scribes, artists, librarians, thieves, dealers, collectors and the international community of manuscript scholars, showing us how he and his fellows piece together evidence to reach unexpected conclusions. He traces the elaborate journeys which these exceptionally precious artefacts have made through time and space, shows us how they have been copied, who has owned them or lusted after them (and how we can tell), how they have been embroiled in politics and scholarly disputes, how they have been regarded as objects of supreme beauty and luxury and as symbols of national identity. The book touches on religion, art, literature, music, science and the history of taste. "Part travel book, part detective story, part conversation with the reader, Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts conveys the fascination and excitement of encountering some of the greatest works of art in our culture which, in the originals, are to most people completely inaccessible. At the end, we have a slightly different perspective on history and how we come by knowledge. It is a most unusual book." - - - PS: Get the hardcover edition—absolutely worth it, especially given the subject matter; it's about 600 pages (don't let the page count discourage you) and is beautifully bound, with lots of educating pictures of internals of manuscripts, calligraphic masterpieces and much more. [1] https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/213/213069/meetings-with-remarkable-manuscripts/9780141977492.html https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/213/213069/meetings-with-rem...
• charleshan 7y ago
  A few people already recommended this already but I'll add some of my thoughts. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. It's a memoir by the founder of Nike. The book goes deep into his emotional rollercoaster, starting from nothing to eventually going IPO.
  • lelima 7y ago
    I read it this year, one of my favorites for sure.
• EliRivers 7y ago
  Anna Karenina.
• m0zg 7y ago
  If you haven't read it yet, read the Culture series by Iain Banks. It's not a "book" but a series of books, but once you start you won't be able to put it down. Just the thing after a long day of manual labor. You'll also understand where Elon Musk gets names for his barges. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Culture_(series) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Culture_(series)
• noufalibrahim 7y ago
  A recent book that I read which really helped my outlook on things business was "Money: The Unauthorized Biography" by Felix Martin. Perhaps my general lack of knowledge in the general area made me feel that the book was profound but it's a good read either way. If you prefer fiction, I highly recommend "A Canticle for Leibowitz" by Walter M. Miller Jr. One of my alltime favourite books.
• deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
• baal80spam 7y ago
  Lots of great mentions here, book-related HN threads are fantastic. As for my recommendation: - technical - "Mythical Man-Month", if you haven't read it yet, - "Dune" by Frank Herbert - I just love re-reading it in the summer!
• vixen99 7y ago
  'Licence to be Bad - How Economics Corrupted Us' by Jonathan Alred, a Cambridge economist, engagingly tells how a group of economic theorists changed our world' in terms of how wealth maximization became the new morality. Unputdownable!
• mlang23 7y ago
  It is already 6 years old. I had a great time reading it when a friend recommended it to me about 3 years ago: The Circle by Dave Eggers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Circle_(Eggers_novel) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Circle_(Eggers_novel) And do yourself a favour, never watch the movie version from 2017. The end has been butchered which ruins the whole message of the story.
  • james_s_tayler 7y ago
    Didn't realise it was a novel, but I second not watching the movie.
  • pedrogpimenta 7y ago
    Horrible, just horrible ending...
    • mlang23 7y ago
      I was actually wondering how expensive such a butchered ending might be these days. Turning a story around like this just smells of manipulation. I guess Google/FB weren't really happy with how the book ends...
• caenn 7y ago
  Mindstorms: Children, Computers, And Powerful Ideas https://www.amazon.com/Mindstorms-Children-Computers-Powerful-Ideas/dp/0465046746/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1470066484&sr=8-1&keywords=mindstorms+papert&linkCode=sl1&tag=resourcesforprog&linkId=15a6219a33ec8080a67b07fbf30a50bb https://www.amazon.com/Mindstorms-Children-Computers-Powerfu...
• djaychela 7y ago
  I'd have to recommend 'A deepness in the sky' and 'A fire upon the deep' by Vernor Vinge. Both really good science fiction books where your initial perception is slowly shown to be incorrect as more details appear about the characters, and with great storylines. Despite being thick tomes with small print, I got through both reasonably quickly as they were so addictive to read - 'just one more chapter', etc...
  • aerique 7y ago
    If we're recommending scifi I'd like to add Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward. Except he's now up to three books. It's hard scifi of a neutron star passing through the solar system and Earth scrambling to research it. At the same time life is developing on the neutron star.
    • chha 7y ago
      No limits on genres or types of books. There are so much wonderful stuff to read I've never heard of, so by imposing any kind of limits or suggesting genres I would limit people to suggest stuff I might already like, not stuff I might like but would never otherwise hear about.
    • alexgmcm 7y ago
      This book inspired the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Blink of an Eye"[1]. I haven't read the book but the Star Trek episode was awesome. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blink_of_an_Eye_(Star_Trek:_Voyager) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blink_of_an_Eye_(Star_Trek:_Vo...
  • INTPenis 7y ago
    I did not expect to see sci-fi here but I'd like to add anything in the Revelation Space universe by Alastair Reynolds. I just got done reading it for a 2nd time, and Elysium Fire for the 1st time and I'm in love with his style of writing and the universe he's created. I just want more information about all the things like Ultras, Rust belt, Glitter band, Belle epoque and so forth. In my opinion it's not as poetic as Dune but it's not action filled like The Expanse. The fascinating parts that make me keep reading are all the cultural and technical details he brings out between the story line.
• Culmat 7y ago
  "Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid" by Douglas R. Hofstadter A beautiful multidisciplinary dive into number theory, self-reference, consciousness art and much more. It's written in the spirit of Lewis Carroll. Really enjoying it right now
  • ozim 7y ago
    I am preparing to read it this summer. But this book is going to be big project to read and understand for me and I don't think I will make it in 2 months. If you can read it just like novel I totaly envy you. I started in December and got into like 20% of book or less and then I decided that I don't get that much out of book by casually reading it.
• Tinfoilhat666 7y ago
  Cory Doctorow: Little Brother. It shows what kind of dystopian surveillance world we might live in few years and how to fight back.
• fvztdk 7y ago
  Strange not to found it here yet: Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy What's better than to have a good laugh, even if already read it, is always a nice book. And if you finish it fast, you have the rest of the series ahead.
• vector_rotcev 7y ago
  Eisenhorn by Dan Abnett. It's actually a triology (Xenos, Malleus, Hereticus). It comes in omnibus format now but will not take a long time to get through. Not a difficut or life changing read - just a good time, with good characters, doing things you haven't read about before.
• kryptiskt 7y ago
  "The Rediscovery of Man" by Cordwainer Smith There's no other science fiction like this, he had a unique style. It's a collection with most of the SF he wrote, excepting the novel "Norstrilia".
• literary_zimbo 7y ago
  Passage by Connie Willis Passage follows the efforts of Joanna Lander, a research psychologist, to understand the phenomenon of near-death experiences by interviewing hospital patients after they are revived following clinical death.
• niklasmtj 7y ago
  Lost Connections by Johann Hari About the sources of depression and anxiety of the current society. Interesting book backed with a lot of studies.
• kkoncevicius 7y ago
  There is a book I've read at least 6 times: "The problems of philosophy" by Bertrand Russell. And for a completely different turn: "Revolt against the modern world" by Julius Evola. The first book in my mind is a great read no matter what place you are coming from. The second one is a bit esoteric and might be controversial from some people. But for me it offered a biggest shift in perspective out of all the books I've read so far.
• altro 7y ago
  the Baroque Cycle (three large novels, in fact) by Neal Stephenson
• chha 7y ago
  The list looks great so far, with lots of books and authors I would never otherwise hear about. A big thank you to everyone who has contributed so far. Please keep it coming, but try to stick to one book each. This isn't as much about keeping the list short, more to make you decide on one title which is more interesting than the others you've read.
• hiisukun 7y ago
  Carter beats the devil, by Glen David Gold. It is sort of a mystery-thriller fiction novel, set in a real-ish historical context of stage magicians, when technology is entering the scene. I found it very enjoyable, rarely read books in that kind of fictional setting, and have successfully recommended it to a number of friends and family. I can't recommend the author's other books though. It has nothing to do with CS. I should add that this is not a book you will see commonly recommended, since it isn't on many people's top 10-20 lists. However, I originally read it on a summer holiday from work - and I hope others will share in enjoying it too.
• zettacircl 7y ago
  I would say https://personalmba.com/ https://personalmba.com/
• stepvhen 7y ago
  If you only read one book, I suggest Don Quixote, the Grossman translation particularly, if only for the higher quality footnotes (compared to Lathrop's which is very well translated but poorly commented). The advantage here is DQ is really like four or five books of various types, and has a Yale Open Courseware series attached to it, so for any chapters you want to know more about, the resources are at hand. Through this book you can learn so, so much about literature. But also, watching Don Quixote and Sancho's friendship develop is heartwarming. It was a book written for entertainment first, and just happened to be saturated in intense philosophical and literary quality.
  • bookofjoe 7y ago
    I've started and failed to complete this book many times. Yet I've loved what I read. There are many who believe this is the greatest novel of all time.
• retepnap 7y ago
  If you haven't read it: Factfulness by Hans Rossling The book uncovers our misconceptions about what is going on in the world in terms of global population, health and prosperity. It provides you with a sharpened sense of where the world is going and what factors play a role in this development.
• jboynyc 7y ago
  FWIW, the best book I ever read at the beach was The Man Who Loved Children by Christina Stead. Enjoy your vacation!
• tmaly 7y ago
  I really enjoyed Never Split the Difference. The stories are good, and I still use the practical tips on negotiation and conversation all the time.
  • shuaib 7y ago
    +1 I am glad this is mentioned here, as I was about to. One of the most useful book I have read. Lots of practical advice.
• raguinb4u 7y ago
  Antifragile
• tempguy9999 7y ago
  An odd one here. 'Chimpanzee Material Culture'[0]. It's getting on a bit (pub 1992) so perhaps others can recommend a more updated study, but it's a sophisticated presentation of chimps, their culture, how they compare to human hunter-gatherers (and how difficult it can be to distinguish between crude stone tools used by one or other), how difficult it is to even phrase the right question when it comes to comparing chimps and humans, and a list of open issues. Anyone who wants to talk about limits of nonhuman should read this. And with a sense of humour too. Not too heavy, and I found it a genuine page-turner (rather unexpected that!) And as I mention humour I just reminded myself of 'The Innocent Anthropologist'[1] which is kind-of similar in a way but totally hilarious [1]. It's really funny, also very educational, and would make a very good complement to the first. I suppose to continue the theme of other cultures (which fascinate me because they teach me so much about my own culture and assumptions when I read how very different other societies can be), 'Aztec'[2]. It tracks the life of a (fictional) aztec and the destruction of his culture and people as the conquistadors arrive. The author does take some historical liberties; allow for that a little. I'll call it the best book I ever read, however it is dense so it either works for you or it doesn't. But if it works, it is amazing! [0] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chimpanzee-Material-Culture-Implications-Evolution/dp/0521423716 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chimpanzee-Material-Culture-Implica... [1] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Innocent-Anthropologist-Notes-Mud-Hut/dp/1906011508 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Innocent-Anthropologist-Notes-Mud-H... [2] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aztec-Gary-Jennings/dp/0765317508 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aztec-Gary-Jennings/dp/0765317508
• kdkdkch 7y ago
  Algorithms to live by - Brian Christian Takes you through the entire CS curriculum again but applies everything to personal real life situations.
• olau 7y ago
  Read an intro book on biology at university level. I think I read this one, but feel free to grab a newer one: https://www.amazon.com/Zoology-Robert-Dorit/dp/0030305047/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=zoology+Dorit+walker&qid=1562059433&s=books&sr=1-1 https://www.amazon.com/Zoology-Robert-Dorit/dp/0030305047/re... I used to read books on physics, but I think I learned an order of magnitude more about the world we live in from the above book, and it didn't require more than a high school level understanding of chemistry and biology. I read three more books on various topics in biology afterwards. Otherwise, if you are the sort of person who can stomach a theoretical book, Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed is really the kind of book that takes a while to get through, but you start seeing things differently afterwards. It discusses how large organizations can mean well and do evil.
• l8mr4 7y ago
  If you like Michael Lewis (the big short, moneyball, etc) try his favorite novel: The Confederacy of Dunces. The main character is an antihero. This can bother some people. The story about the book which is usually in the prelude is interesting and tragic. Really good fiction.
• kishansundar 7y ago
  The Code Book (The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography) By Simon Singh
• meigwilym 7y ago
  Someone recommended Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss here recently. I read it and found it invaluable. Packed full of quality advice and techniques that you can use out of the box. The real-life stories he had from his FBI negotiating days make it an easy read.
• markvdb 7y ago
  Dead souls, by Nikolai Gogol. Wikipedia article [0] and freely licensed ebook [1]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Souls https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Souls [1] http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1081 http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1081
• natmaka 7y ago
  The Breakdown of Nations by Leopold Kohr.
• deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
• keiferski 7y ago
  Beyond good and evil, Nietzsche. Probably his best work and one that will shake up your conception of morality.
• peheje 7y ago
  Hyperion
• gbuk2013 7y ago
  Inner Engineering by Sadhguru. For me it was an unexpectedly transformational when I read it 6 months ago. Unlike the stoicism books that teach you to condition yourself to be unaffected by external events, this is a method for taking charge of what goes on inside the body and (in my case) in the mind and emotions. As an aside, if you haven’t tried audiobooks, I would recommend trying. I find that after a while day of staring at the screen I really don’t want to stare at anything else, so my book consumption dropped considerably. With audiobooks I was able to restore it somewhat (and it’s great for filling in lost time during driving).
  • Dowwie 7y ago
    Could you share more about the personal transformation you experienced?
    • gbuk2013 7y ago
      Sure, if you really want to know. To put it into perspective: I live a life most people can only dream of - I have good looks, excellent physical condition and health, a loving family, a partner who adores me, a very comfortable income and circumstances, a job where I am made to feel valued, lots of experiences from travelling all around the world - everything that I can think of that would make one happy. And yet, for years I have suffered from an underlying unhappiness that would periodically surface into week-long periods of depression. This has been following me for at least 20 years. I have spent 15 years practising internal arts and they have helped me immensely - without doubt they are the foundation of a lot of the good things that I have listed above. But I still could not get at the root of my problem. But about 7 months ago something happened. The circumstances around it are too long and frankly too weird to discuss in place like HN, but it led me to re-discover Sadhguru's teachings (I had come across him about 7 years ago but, although I appreciated the wisdom, at the time it did not connect with me). After 6 months of practice I really feel that finally I got at that problem root and am having a good go at tugging it out and it is me who is doing it, not hoping for someone to come and magically fix it for me. I can't tell you how it feels. :) Of course it was not just the book - it was a result of all the work I put in before over the years, but it's as good a place to start as any as recommendation for others since, in my experience, the technology there is universally applicable.
• drcongo 7y ago
  The KLF - Chaos, magic and the band who burned a million pounds https://johnhiggs.com/books/the-klf/ https://johnhiggs.com/books/the-klf/
• agotterer 7y ago
  If you have the whole summer to read a book, check out The Power Broker by Robert Caro. It’s the story about the rise and fall of Robert Moses. His accumulation of power and how he basically built modern New York and his impact on the 20th century. I’m in the middle of reading it, it’s very good. It’s long though. Something like 1400 pages or 66 hours of audio. So you'll need the summer to finish it!
• vmurthy 7y ago
  If you like Science , I’d highly recommend “Our mathematical universe” by Max Tegmark. I’m halfway through it and find it fascinating. It is more about physics than mathematics. Think of it like “A brief history of time” advanced plus.
• deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
• packetpirate 7y ago
  Here are a few recommendations based on things I've read this year and last: - Infinite by Jeremy Robinson - The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (this series is a rabbit hole) - Scythe by Neal Shusterman - Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson - Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
• Symmetry 7y ago
  Limiting us to recommending one book is very cruel. I suppose if I have to recommend one it would be Consciousness and the Brain: Deciphering How the Brain Codes Our Thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene. This isn't a complete scientific explanation of consciousness. This is looking at questions like how do stimuli we're consciously aware of differ from subliminal stimuli? How does awareness relate to memory? How do the readings our instruments give relate to people's descriptions of their experiences?
• dade_ 7y ago
  Both are a major investment of time, but have paid off: VOLTAIRE’S BASTARDS: THE DICTATORSHIP OF REASON IN THE WEST http://www.johnralstonsaul.com/non-fiction-books/voltaires_bastards/ http://www.johnralstonsaul.com/non-fiction-books/voltaires_b... The Penguin History of the World https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/316944/the-penguin-history-of-the-world-by-j-m-roberts/9781846144431/ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/316944/the-penguin-...
  • icebraining 7y ago
    Haven't read the book, but his interview on Econtalk was interesting: http://www.econtalk.org/john-ralston-saul-on-reason-elites-and-voltaires-bastards/ http://www.econtalk.org/john-ralston-saul-on-reason-elites-a...
• Improvotter 7y ago
  Why everyone is recommending even more work for on your summer leave is beyond me. I'd personally recommend Ready Player One, perhaps use an audiobook (I love them). I personally listened to the one voiced by Wil Wheaton and it was fantastically done. Definitely recommended! It is a lot better than the movie in case you're wondering.
  • Dowwie 7y ago
    "Ready Player One" was a lot of fun and really fast-paced
    • track_me_now 7y ago
      with a sequel in the works!
  • nikk1 7y ago
    You have every right to enjoy this book. But for anyone who has read Ready Player One and absolutely hated it as much as I did, there is a hilarious podcast called 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back (from the guys of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Rifftrax) that mocks the book chapter-by-chapter.
    • Improvotter 7y ago
      Why did you finish the book? I just don't finish the books that I find a drag to read. I won't listen to the podcast, but everyone is free to have their own opinions.
      • nikk1 7y ago
        I promised a friend. It was a pretty short book as well so it was easy to blow through.
• berbec 7y ago
  "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" by Robert Heinlein. A wonderfully in depth look at a society that grew up in the harshest conditions, and their revolution against tyrannical oppression.
• shafyy 7y ago
  The History of the Future by Blake J. Harris. It's about the foundation and subsequent acquisition of Oculus by Facebook. He has done a lot of first-hand interviews with the involved parties. It reads like a movie script, and it's full of drama (e.g Palmer Luckey and FB) and full of little gems and information. Even if you're not intersted in VR, it's a great read.
• Dowwie 7y ago
  I am struggling to narrow down my selection. I want to read so many. I usually end up barely finishing just one. I am a slow reader who takes time to experience the journey. It will be a classic work of fiction.
• chadcmulligan 7y ago
  On my list for summer reading "NASA Saturn V 1967-1973 (Apollo 4 to Apollo 17 & Skylab) (Owners' Workshop Manual)" https://smile.amazon.com/dp/0857338285/?coliid=I3TBY9JPJSRS0Z&colid=3C01LUBLHY2ES&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it https://smile.amazon.com/dp/0857338285/?coliid=I3TBY9JPJSRS0...
• ivanhoe 7y ago
  Have no particular recommendation as that would very much depend on your own set of interests, but pick something relaxing and completely unrelated to your work/everyday life. Our brains need a vacation here and there, too.
• idiocratic 7y ago
  Shantaram is a great novel that is very easy to read regardless of the book length (it's very long). If you are even remotely interested in India and/or travelling it is a must.
• ljf 7y ago
  Regardless of your religious beliefs (I'm a very happy aethist) I found Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth hugely interesting. As a tool to understand the people of the time, the stories that grew and the 'person' behind the dominant religion of the Western World - there is no book that comes close. Don't expect to have fun chats with religious (Christian) friends after reading this though, as much of what you learn will differ from the bible that they were taught, or the uniqueness of Jesus as a prophet/zealot. Still - a book that I found a hugely interesting historical/religious read last summer, and one I recommend to my friends.
  • olah_1 7y ago
    I don't find Zealot any more damning than The DaVinci Code. Jean Danielou wrote a book about the Dead Sea Scrolls, Qumran, and the Essenes way back in the 80's that explains how it's all related and what it means for Christianity. I personally had a "not fun" chat with an atheist friend about Zealot because I pointed out how much silly conjecture and assumptions are underlying the book.
    • ljf 7y ago
      Like religion, it is heavily based on conjecture and assumption - but one that I heartily read and enjoyed. It is nice to get a different point of view and a challenge to the stories that I'd been told were 'true' as a child - eg Joseph returning to Bethlehem What specifically did you find silly, if you don't mind me asking? I'll look out for the Dead Sea Scrolls book, I listened to a hugely interesting series of lectures about them on Audible and was left wanting more, but hadn't found a good book yet.
• Tokiin 7y ago
  Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou The ride to the top and then rock bottom for Theranos is a wild one, and the author does a great job of not letting you put this book down once you start.
  • dandare 7y ago
    I would recommend this book to every young person just entering the workforce. Many companies are outright built on lies and many managers, C levels especially, are manipulative psychopaths. Don't sell your soul, don't lose your sanity, don't doubt your skills, even if a whole room of wealthy and venerable yesman point finger at you - there is a good chance it is not you who is crazy, it is them.
  • MattLeBlanc001 7y ago
    One of the best books I've read this year. Highly recommended, read like a well written hollywood movie.
  • avgDev 7y ago
    This is a book I recommend to everyone. I could not put it down. Also, I think it is essential to living in the current "fake it till you make it" culture. That books shows no matter how well educated you are, you are still human that can be swayed to do things you don't agree with to a certain extent, even when your gut is telling you "No, this is wrong".
• aneidon 7y ago
  I'm currently reading the Commonwealth Saga by Peter F. Hamilton, and would highly recommend it.
• shock 7y ago
  Robert Glover - No More Mr. Nice Guy. It's the best book I know on men's psychological health.
• jaco8 7y ago
  Something for the long holiday evenings: Robert C. Ruark - Something of Value Frisco Hitt - A Coffin Full of Dreams Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn - The First Circle
• AndrewStephens 7y ago
  Lots of disposable scifi in this thread. And there is nothing wrong with that so let me chime in with the hard stuff: The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin is one of the best scifi/fantasy (it is hard the classify) novels I have read in recent years. Fair warning, it gets pretty grim. I also enjoyed reading Ignition! by John D Clark. It is a dated (written in the 70s) but fascinating look at all the different chemicals tried to make rockets during the space race. Very interesting even if, like me, you only have a simple understanding of chemistry. There are some hair-raising (or hair razing) anecdotes. I keep a list of books I've liked to answer questions like this: https://sheep.horse/tagcloud.html#book https://sheep.horse/tagcloud.html#book
• playing_colours 7y ago
  I decided to try reading the classic literature this year. The books that stood the test of time. I started with Brothers Karamazov by F.Dostoyevsky Middlemarch by G.Eliot After that I plan to continue with East of Eden by J.Steinbeck Ulysses by J.Joyce They all have incredible characters, deep thoughts, delicious language. Sure, not an easy read after contemporary fiction, but I noticed that the more classic literature I read the better I understand and enjoy it. Also, I own Folio Society's copies of last three titles, and it's an an additional pleasure to hold, touch, and read physical books.
  • mlevental 7y ago
    >Ulysses by J.Joyce you will never be able to read that. i have a friend that did read it and it took him 10 years just to finish (not even understand!)
    • olah_1 7y ago
      This neat little web page might help: http://m.joyceproject.com/info/sources.html http://m.joyceproject.com/info/sources.html It allows you to click on things to understand their allusions/references.
    • playing_colours 7y ago
      Yeah, I thought about it as well : As many people suggest, I will start with his Dubliners and read Ulysses together with reading guides: http://www.ulyssesguide.com/ The New Bloomsday Book: A Guide Through Ulysses https://tinyurl.com/newbloomsday
  • Machado117 7y ago
    Good luck with Ulysses. I tried several times but I always find myself with no idea of what I just read after reading a few pages. Might try again one day. I read Brothers Karamazov some years ago and I find impressive how I still think about it regularly.
• holografix 7y ago
  I can’t recommend “Into thin air” by John Krakauer enough. A true story written with naked emotion by someone who experienced the life altering disaster on Everest. It’s all too relevant right now with another recent calamity on Everest. An excerpt from the opening words: “The Everest climb had rocked my life to its core, and it became desperately important for me to record the events in complete detail, unconstrained by a limited number of column inches. This book is the fruit of that compulsion... Several authors and editors I respect counseled me not to write the book as quickly as I did; they urged me to wait two or three years and put some distance between me and the expedition in order to gain some crucial perspective. Their advice was sound, but in the end I ignored it—mostly because what happened on the mountain was gnawing my guts out. I thought that writing the book might purge Everest from my life. It hasn’t, of course. Moreover, I agree that readers are often poorly served when an author writes as an act of catharsis, as I have done here. But I hoped something would be gained by spilling my soul in the calamity’s immediate aftermath, in the roil and torment of the moment. I wanted my account to have a raw, ruthless sort of honesty that seemed in danger of leaching away with the passage of time and the dissipation of anguish.“
  • Japhy_Ryder 7y ago
    He does have an incredible writing style ("voice"). Compelling read, admittedly I only finished half - thanks for the reminder.
• credit_guy 7y ago
  If you like SciFi, and you didn’t read The Martian yet, then now’s a good time. In my opinion this is by far the best SciFi book of all time. Hard SciFi, in the style of Arthur C Clarke, but packed with 10 times the “sci” of the Odyssey or Rama. If you already read this, go for Andy Weir’s second novel, Artemis. Not the level of The Martian, but still better than 99.9975% of all the SciFi books out there.
  • playing_colours 7y ago
    On the topic of Mars, may I suggest The Martian Chronicles by R.Bradbury. It's on the other end of the spectrum from hard SciFi - more like lyrical and poetic SciFi.
• pimmen 7y ago
  I have been spending a lot of time reading English language classics lately (I'm Swedish, so I only read two classics in my high school English class) so I will recommend one I recently read, Catch 22. I read it so that I knew what it was about before watching the Hulu show. Still haven't watched the Hulu show, but absolutely loved the book. It's funny, very dark and even though most people think they know all about it without reading it because they understand the term "catch 22", they are missing out on a very good story that will leave you in want of discussing it with someone else.
• abnvp 7y ago
  Incognito
• bananatron 7y ago
  "The Body Keeps the Score" taught me a ton about the psychology of trauma, as it relates to everyone. It really has some jaw-dropping stuff. https://www.amazon.com/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-Trauma/dp/0143127748/ https://www.amazon.com/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-Trauma/dp/01...
• RocketSyntax 7y ago
  Platform Revolution - explains why two sided marketplaces work.
• avtar 7y ago
  'The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion' by Christopher Germer https://chrisgermer.com/mindful-path-self-compassion/ https://chrisgermer.com/mindful-path-self-compassion/
• ptah 7y ago
  Anti-Fragile by Nassim Taleb
• nestorherre 7y ago
  The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho. Short fiction book with a marvelous message about following your dreams and believing in yourself.
• juergenkuebler 7y ago
  War and Peace from Leo Tolstoij is a book that you will have to read once in your lifetime.
• juergenkuebler 7y ago
  Or play clash Royale - it’s a lot of fun. Especially if you have a teenager and you can play in 2v2 mode ;-)
• bwb 7y ago
  Killer of Men - The best historical fiction I've read, you will love it :) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GVFY6BM/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GVFY6BM/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?...
• ddggdd 7y ago
  saw numerous pop psychology book recommendations and this one should be read first how emotions are made it is the new new thing, really thought-provoking, a lot of ideas are speculation, but if it true(I believe most are) we are seeing a new system to explain our current problems and create a new path to future believing is seeing also the audio book is fun, the voice lady seems capable of triggering a lot people.
• very_curious 7y ago
  The "Master & Commander" Series by Patrick O'Brian has been a great companion to me over the years and over many re-reads. For me it's not about the sea battles -which I don't find particularly interesting- but rather about the writing style, the character development, and the fun of ambling through life with Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin.
  • bookofjoe 7y ago
    This series was the only thing I could read (just barely) while mired in a 1.75-year-long depression in 2014-15.
• british_india 7y ago
  "Cadillac Desert" by Craig Reisner. Story of fresh water. Utterly fascinating. Set me off on an odyssey reading other books on the crisis of fresh water supplies around the earth. "Time Enough For Love" by Robert Heinlein. Story of a man who lives 2000 years. Changed my life and what I focus on.
• jolmg 7y ago
  Random book with no justification: Our Oriental Heritage: The Story of Civilization, Volume 1 by Will Durant It's in the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.61276/page/n15 https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.61276/page/n15 The Story of Civilization is an 11-volume set of books[1], by the way. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_Civilization https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_Civilization
  • lordgrenville 7y ago
    I got through the entire set on audiobook. It's a fantastic history of Western civilisation. We might accent some things slightly differently nowadays, but overall it's held up really well.
    • jolmg 7y ago
      I read a bit of the first one years ago, but didn't get very far since I was busy with other stuff. I'm still busy with other stuff. I haven't been able to prioritize such career-unrelated leisure reading in years. Maybe in one or two years I'll give it another go.
• bookofjoe 7y ago
  The Porpoise — Mark Haddon
• justin66 7y ago
  The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal.
• huevosabio 7y ago
  I _really_ liked the series of A Song of Ice and Fire (the books on which Game of Thrones is based). Martin does a great job at building a fantasy world while keeping humans true to their human nature. The combination of morally ambiguous characters that follow their own motivations with the fog-of-war (in the sense of making decisions with incomplete information) sets the motion for a really intriguing plot. In addition, although not a book, I would strongly recommend the podcast Hardcore History. In particular, the series on WWI (Blueprint for Armageddon) is the best audio content I've ever heard, and it is long enough to be considered an audio book (~23 hours of content broken into 6 chapters).
• itcheeze 7y ago
  Boyd: The Fighter Pilot who Changed the Art of War I'm about 2/3's of the way through and its a great read about the guy who revolutionized fighter pilot tactics and made a number of other big contributions.
• BinaryResult 7y ago
  The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous. Amazing insight on the past and future of money.
  • BinaryResult 7y ago
    I also highly recommend The Rational Male by Rollo Tomassi. A must read for all men.
• PeterWhittaker 7y ago
  Darwin's Dangerous Idea, by Daniel Dennett, one of the two most important (IMHO, of course) books I've read (Thinking, Fast and Slow is the other, already recommended, below. Dennett is a practical philosopher of science; the book is a detailed analysis and extension of the idea of "designer-free design", evolution by incremental random change. Among other things, he thoroughly presents the implications of Darwinian evolution, discusses the concept of "design space" and how some evolutions preclude whole swaths of that space, then speculates carefully on how the idea could pertain to other fields, e.g., the evolution of physical law (assuming that each "big bang" resulted in a universe with slightly different physics.
  • jacknews 7y ago
    "how some evolutions preclude whole swaths of that space" If I remember correctly, Kevin Kelly's "Out of Control" introduced me to this idea, of a kind of but not quite meta-evolution: https://kk.org/mt-files/outofcontrol/ch14-a.html https://kk.org/mt-files/outofcontrol/ch14-a.html
• PeterWhittaker 7y ago
  "What is Real" by Adam Becker. He presents the sociology of why the Copenhagen interpretation persisted for so long, despite strong opposition early on and refutations of Von Neumann's work on why it had to be true. Once into the modern world, he provides an overview of current interpretations and their experimental support. Becker's book is, I think, the best lay person's explanation of the problems QM was invented to solve, the Copenhagen Interpretation itself, and several of the more modern interpretations. Great, mind bending read.
• joshux 7y ago
  Beginning of Infinity
  • kitx 7y ago
    An excellent book. David Deutsch is a talented writer and this is one of those books that shifts the way you look at the world.
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• kr4 7y ago
  Kundalini — An Untold Story by Om Swami https://www.amazon.com/Kundalini-Untold-Story-Himalayan/dp/0994002793 https://www.amazon.com/Kundalini-Untold-Story-Himalayan/dp/0... If you fancy about metaphysical and mystical stuff, If you think there's more to a living being than blood and tissues, and if you want to keen on not just entertaining but possibly learn to experience the truth (if any)s behind the claims of superhuman faculties, then read this book. >>> Kundalini is your polar opposite within you. When it awakens, you realize how immensely powerful you already are. You experience how there is a whole universe within you. It is your feminine energy if you are a man and your masculine energy if you are a woman. It is your passage, your path to eternal fulfillment within you. >>> Awakening of the kundalini is realization of your pure abstract intelligence, the type that is not conditioned by your fears, emotions and worries. It is your pristine nature. When you are able to tap into this latent source of energy, you truly become the master of your universe. You can manifest whatever you wish in your life because your scale of consciousness is no longer limited to your body alone; it envelops the whole universe.
• b3b0p 7y ago
  Probably not able to completed during a single 3 months unless you do it full time, but I picked up a copy of SICP [0] and started reading through and working through every-single-problem. I got stuck so far on one problem in the first chapter toward the end at the moment. I will say, Scheme is fun! The problems can be challenging, short, and very rewarding. However, maybe I'm not very smart and feel like I might have a very hard time with it. I'm not that great at math I don't think, nor do I consider myself genius like. Did people who go through this book do every single problem and figure it out themselves? There are a lot more problems then I expected. They are also, so far, some to be quite challenging and math heavy. It does really feel like it helps get my brain thinking differently about a lot of problems and I love it! But it also feels like I might start grinding a lot and burn out on it. Any tips or help or suggestions how to get through it successfully, get a good amount of education out of, and continue to be excited to keep moving forward? [0] https://www.amazon.com/dp/0262510871 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0262510871 I know it's free online, but I wanted a physical edition.
• koots 7y ago
  The holy Quran You can read or listen http://quran.ksu.edu.sa/m.php?l=en#aya=19_1 http://quran.ksu.edu.sa/m.php?l=en#aya=19_1
• deleted 7y ago
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• Erika23 7y ago
  I highly recommend Isaac Miller’s book, Just Get Up And Manifest Inner Genius. His real life example of a teenager overcoming extremely overwhelming obstacles as he fought his way out of a life drugs, crime, and poverty by becoming an entrepreneur at 17 is very inspiring. I love his 27 Month Plan for discovering your gifts and dreams. His Limelight Spot Effect theory is genius and The Octagon Way chapter is just brilliant. You can click on the link below to preorder a copy of his book. I was privileged to read an advanced reader copy of his book because I gave him an endorsement quote. His book’s release date is August 31th but you can preorder a copy. I enjoy his motivational podcast episodes as well. http://www.koehlerbooks.com/book/just-get-up-and-manifest-your-inner-genius/ http://www.koehlerbooks.com/book/just-get-up-and-manifest-yo... https://youtu.be/NSoc8_BRM74 https://youtu.be/NSoc8_BRM74 (Podcast) www.isaacsmiller.com (you can go to his website and preorder a copy of his book from his website or from the publisher’s website. I hope this information was helpful.
• chrisgd 7y ago
  Jurassic Park
• 52-hertz_whale 7y ago
  The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday.
• austincheney 7y ago
  Principles by Ray Dalio
• w4tson 7y ago
  Non Violent Communication I found it as a recommendation on HN sometime ago and I would recommend it to software people especially as we can be an argumentative bunch. It helped me with relationships at home and at work
• RaceWon 7y ago
  The Godfather -Mario Puzo The Running Man -Richard Bachman (A Stephen King pen name) Never Split The Difference -Chris Voss "The Godfather" is a classic that features my 2nd favorite evil genius Don Corleone (Hannibal Lecter being the 1st). Great character development and a fine tale to boot. "The Running Man" isn't Kings best, but there's something about it, well that book and "The Long Walk"--also by Bachman, that makes it an entertaining read. "Never Split the Difference" is the best negotiating book I've ever read and, I have negotiated deals for a living at various times in my career.