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I hilariously overestimate the number of books I can get through when I make these lists, but my current list for 2020 is as follows: Digital Minimalism: Choos
by pjmorris 7y ago
I hilariously overestimate the number of books I can get through when I make these lists, but my current list for 2020 is as follows:
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution
Book of Proof
Designing Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems
Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
We Make the Road by Walking: A Year-Long Quest for Spiritual Formation, Reorientation, and Activation
Soul Repair: Recovering from Moral Injury after War (for a friend)
Master and Commander
Educated
Without Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark
Stretch goal: The Power Broker, as a warm-up for Caro's LBJ series
The Bible (perpetual, I don't get through it every year, but I get through much of it, often)
EDIT: I also hilariously underestimate the number of books I want to read. Here's one more I think is vital for my 2020:
The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science
- techstrategist 7y agoDepending on your current habits, starting with Digital Minimalism will help get through the others in one year.
- dominotw 7y agocurious whats in that book. I feel like i already know what i am doing wrong re tech addiction but that i think is psychological issue with me. Not sue what a book can tell me.
- pjmorris 7y agoI think the same for me. What I've gotten from books r.e. psychological issues are perspective and tools. Perspective: sometimes a writer puts things in a way that illuminates or alters how I see my situation. Tools: sometimes a writer has an idea or a scheme that I can put to practical use. The pomodoro timer on my desk has been handy even without adopting every aspect of the method. That came from a blog rather than a book, but same idea (to me.)
- techstrategist 7y agoThe great thing about books is that they not only provide knowledge, but can provide some course of action. The book is both - an intro of "look how awesome you can be without the tech", a detox plan, and a plan to deliberately reintroduce helpful technology. I am as guilty as anyone in that I have partly read the book, implemented a few of the suggestions, but haven't fully embraced. I think the holidays will be a great time to finish reading it and start my 30 day declutter.
- pjmorris 7y agoYeah, I suspect success with the overall goal may come down to better digital discipline. Starting with commenting on HN threads :)
- nireyal 7y agoHave you read my book, Indistractable, @techstrategist? Would love to know what you think of it! I spent 5 years researching and writing a tech positive guide to the deeper psychology of distraction.
- tren 7y agoHey Nir, I just finished your book (loaned from the library). I feel like it has a lot of good information, however the people who are most likely to benefit from it are least likely to read it, or read anything at all for that matter. I'd already implemented most of your recommendations before reading it, and this year I feel like I've finally balanced tech consumption so that it's at a healthy level. It's allowed me to read over 20 books, pursue my hobbies in more depth and spend more time with my kid. Things that worked for me: - no tech in the bedroom, I leave my phone in the living room every night. - start a morning routine without tech every day, I meditate, do stretches and a light work out. - i try to read as much as possible in hard copy from the library. 3 week loans push me to finish things. I look forward to getting a notification that one of my reserves has arrived. If the library doesn't have a book it will inter library loan or purchase it for me most of the time. - all phone alerts turned off except for text msg/calls - only use FB messenger light if I'm going to use FB at all - plenty of time to do nothing. I don't think the human machine is meant to be on all the time
- techstrategist 7y agoI agree with these, although I do still struggle implementing them.
- nireyal 7y agoI love that you’ve become Indistractable! Congrats!! What did you think about the section on “how to raise Indistractable kids”?
- tren 7y agoI think it's good advice for a lot of people. You're a role model for them, if you're always checking your phone your distraction will rub off on them. I try to spend a couple of hours each day with my kid focusing 100% on what we're doing. I try to follow Derek Sivers advice as much as possible: https://sivers.org/pa https://sivers.org/pa
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- chiefalchemist 7y agoMy father had a stroke a couple years ago. Read "The Brain That Changes Itself" to get a feel for what might or might not be possible. Good stuff. Had practical insights for me as well. Definitely bump it up your priority list.
- james_s_tayler 7y agoThat book is freaky. In a really, really good way. I loved first chapter where the lady who can't balance has her brain rewired to map alternative signals as input into the balancing process. Also the chapter on pain. Fascinating.
- yboris 7y agoStart with Guns, Germs, and Steel and/or Digital Minimalism ;)
- habnds 7y agoA book to read immediately after Guns Germs and Steel is Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu. It's also useful to know that Diamond does not have a degree in Geography and many geographers aren't particularly on board with his ideas. I think of him the same way I do Malcom Gladwell, a good story teller but he does this by cherrypicking anecdotes more than by a robust assessment of reality.
- madhadron 7y agoI've gotten to the point where I just suggest people skip Guns, Germs, and Steel entirely. Diamond is a really excellent writer, but he cherry picks his material to support a thesis and ignores all the prior art that shows that people already tried his thesis a century ago and discarded it. Jump to 'The Power Broker' instead. Now that's an interesting read.
- habnds 7y agoNice, thanks. Do you have a go to piece of work that lays out where Diamond goes wrong? I've only ever heard it in off hand comments from people in human geography. I've read a couple of the LBJ books which are really amazing and plan on getting to power broker eventually.
- qmmmur 7y agohttps://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/historians_views#wiki_historians.27_views_of_jared_diamond.27s_.22guns.2C_germs.2C_and_steel.22 https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/historians_views...
- wnorris 7y agoAgree on this one. Why Nations Fail is a fabulous book. I recommend reading Guns, Germs, and Steel first if you are going to read both. Highly recommend both.
- goodmattg 7y agoThe description of Caro's books as "Harry Potter for adults" is accurate. Highly accessible, no preparation necessary
- the_watcher 7y agoI just wish there were a Kindle edition. Eventually I'l break down and buy it but I do so much of my reading on commutes that I strongly bias towards a digital copy.
- pjmorris 7y agoSame here. I've heard, and may implement, a suggestion; Buy a paperback copy, rip it into thirds, and carry the third that you're reading. Buy a hardback copy when you're finished. I've got the paperback copy, I'm not sure I've got the nerve.
- raymond_goo 7y agoI can highly recommend the Audible version.
- omosubi 7y agoI absolutely love the power broker - incredibly fascinating and so well researched. I can't praise it enough. You will love it
- henrik_w 7y ago"Designing Data-Intensive Applications" is excellent, but it took me a long time to get through (it really helped that we read it in the book club at work). I am very glad I read it though - there is so much good stuff in it. I wrote a summary of it (mostly so I would learn the contents better): https://henrikwarne.com/2019/07/27/book-review-designing-data-intensive-applications/ https://henrikwarne.com/2019/07/27/book-review-designing-dat...
- radiokicker 7y agoI’m on the third of the LBJ series after starting them a couple years ago. While they are long they really are absolutely fascinating and hold my attention far beyond what I would have thought.
- phxql 7y agoDesigning Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems is a really good book.
- wreath 7y agoI read Seeing Like A State exactly around this time last year, and boy did I enjoy it. It somehow went well while reading Nassim Taleb’s Skin In The Game. One was an application of the other.
- ckrusk 7y agoI am interested in what others think of Educated. I made it 3/4 of the way through and struggled to get that far. The stories seemed very repetitive.
- nireyal 7y agoMay I recommend reading Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life as a practical and pro tech guide for managing tech distraction