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Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?

21 points by colbyolson 17y ago

Hey guys, I am leaving for a weeklong vacation tomorrow and I am looking for a book to read while I am there. I asking for any recommendations of programming books that I can find. I just recently started learning python, so something related to that would be convenient, also I will not have access to a computer, so having to work along with the book would be out of the question. I'm trying to find a nice book to assist me in my digital travels into the programming world! I would appreciate any response. Thanks.

SwellJoe 17y ago
Try some fiction, instead. It's a vacation. I just finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy a couple of weeks ago. It's really good. That said, if you're going to read programming books, you might want narrative texts rather than "practical" books, since the practical ones require you to also have a computer, and work through the examples and such. Books like Programming Pearls, Beautiful Code, etc. tell stories about code, rather than just show you code (though there are probably moments in either book where the best course of action is to try applying what you've read about).
pmorici 17y ago
Are you sure you want to read a programming book on your vacation? Esp. if your day job involves computers it doesn't sound like a vacation at all. That said I find the best instructional material for Python is the tutorial included in the Python manual itself.
deutronium 17y ago
I really enjoyed reading this book a fair few years ago on holiday "Stealing the network: how to own a continent" (http://www.amazon.com/Stealing-Network-How-Own-Continent/dp/1931836051 http://www.amazon.com/Stealing-Network-How-Own-Continent/dp/...). Theres a few books in the series, they blend fiction with real security related attacks, its not strictly a programming book, they do delve into coding a few things if I remember correctly.
defunkt 17y ago
Grab The Little Schemer and a notebook. Do all exercises in the notebook with a pencil, without a computer. It'll make you a better Python programmer for sure.
- colbyolson 17y ago
  Forgive me for asking, but how could that book help me down the road? Scheme seems so obscure to me. I was at the bookstore and checked it out, and was mildly intimidated by it, although the illustrations were cute. I ended up purchasing Practical Programming. Thank you all for your recommendations, some I have saved into my reading list. PDF Sample: http://media.pragprog.com/titles/gwpy/toc.pdf http://media.pragprog.com/titles/gwpy/toc.pdf Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Programming-Introduction-Pragmatic-Programmers/dp/1934356271/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1250464190&sr=8-1 http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Programming-Introduction-Pra...
  - Scriptor 17y ago
    It's not really meant to just teach you scheme. Scheme by itself is incredibly minimalist and simple. The exercises are more logic/math-based puzzles. Here's a list of the exercises themselves: http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/matthias/BTLS/exercises.ps http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/matthias/BTLS/exercises.ps
  - herdrick 17y ago
    TLS will break your mind in the most delicious way. I can't recommend it enough. As for practicality, I think that the world is trending in directions that make becoming comfortable with recursion more important.
  - skwaddar 17y ago
    You made the wrong choice, TLS would have changed your world. Now you're slumming it.
rythie 17y ago
You could read Sarah Lacy's "Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good" (which was called "The Stories of Facebook, Youtube and Myspace" when I bought it in the U.K.) It's a light read (suitable for a holiday) and it will inspire you to build your startup when you get back.
dimarco 17y ago
Programming Pearls is nice to read while traveling. Doesn't really require a computer, essays are short.
weaksauce 17y ago
"Hackers and Painters" or "Founders at Work" are both good books if you haven't picked them up yet. Not language learning or directly programming but interesting none the less. A book more directly related to programing would be "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs" or "The Little Schemer." bring a notebook and do problems out of them like defunkt said and it will help in all your programming.
abecedarius 17y ago
Since it's a vacation, here's a novel with lots of interesting ideas about ubiquitous computing, augmented reality, etc.: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbows_End http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbows_End Fun with Python: http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Collective-Intelligence-Building-Applications/dp/0596529325 http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Collective-Intelligence-Bu...
caffeine 17y ago
Nobody's mentioned it here, yet: Godel Escher Bach
- dandrews 17y ago
  Also consider Hofstadter's "Metamagical Themas", a collection of his Scientific American essays. A broad range of topics, lots of stuff to think about, and something on my shelf that I return to just for the pleasure. Good stuff.
abesapien 17y ago
Code Complete 2nd edition is a good and interesting book about programming in general. I also recommend these two because they are much lighter reads, and maybe better for a vacation: "The Passionate Programmer" and also "Masterminds of Programming: Conversations with the Creators of Major Programming Languages". Another thing you could do is find some great piece of software by a well know Python hacker and read his code lol. You could put that code in some readable format on your Kindle, PDA, or Smartphone.
TheElder 17y ago
C# in Depth: What you need to master C# 2 and 3 by Jon Skeet http://www.amazon.com/Depth-What-you-need-master/dp/1933988363 http://www.amazon.com/Depth-What-you-need-master/dp/19339883...
- kstenson 17y ago
  I can't champion this book enough, if you're doing C# stuff then this book is a must have.
dshah 17y ago
I'll suggest The Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt and Thomas. Basic stuff, but lives up to the title of being "pragmatic". If you're going to write commercial software for a living, it's useful stuff to know (or be reminded of).
josephruscio 17y ago
Beautiful Code: Leading Programmers Explain How They Think (Theory in Practice) is not an instructional programming book per se, but more along the lines of what I would consider "vacation reading". Each of the chapters is a self-contained entity, authored by a different luminary, so you can read them in whatever order suits your fancy.
tim_church 17y ago
Here are some similar threads on recommended books for hackers: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135185 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135185 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=348019 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=348019 If you would rather relax with some fiction, try Little Brother by Cory Doctorow.
huhtenberg 17y ago
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Men_in_a_Boat http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Men_in_a_Boat :)
jerf 17y ago
I would recommend a classic that you haven't read that isn't directly about a specific programming language, since it would seem to me that the virtue of reading a book about a specific language when you aren't in front of a computer is dubious. (Note I didn't say it had no virtue, I just find it dubious. YMWV.) Already mentioned is Code Complete and The Pragmatic Programmer. I'd add The Mythical Man Month, still a classic, but note that's a relatively short book and may not last long enough. (A depressing read in some ways; decades have passed and what's in the book is arguably common wisdom, yet I still encounter the errors outlined in that book every year.) Godel, Escher, Bach (mentioned by caffeine) is a love it or hate it book; check out a couple of summaries and see what you think. Personally, I don't recommend the SICP unless you're actually working through the exercises to some extent, and without a computer it's too easy to think you understand it when you don't. If you have already read all those, well, I'd suggest replying and saying so. :)
vibhavs 17y ago
I suggest Beautiful Architecture from O'Reilly. http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596517984/ http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596517984/ http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Architecture-Leading-Thinkers-Software/dp/059651798X http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Architecture-Leading-Thinker... It's similar to Beautiful Code (also mentioned here) with various chapters on different, independent topics: e.g. Facebook's data-centric architecture, Xen hypervisor, etc.
JunkDNA 17y ago
I find that reading fiction on vacation really stimulates my programming brain. There's a lot to be said for letting your mind roam free for a bit. I believe PG talks about the value of letting your mind roam in one of his essays (or possibly Hackers and Painters). In particular, I've found Neal Stephenson's books to be great for this purpose. If you haven't read Cryptonomicon, Snow Crash, or Diamond Age, I would suggest reading one of them. It will satisfy your need for some "geek" content on vacation, without being all business.
- cschep 17y ago
  I was going to suggest "Snow Crash" as well, so I'll just second it. Very cool book.
jleung 17y ago
For a programmer on vacation, I wouldn't recommend a technical book. Go for something that will exercise the right side of your brain, the parts that don't get as much work day-to-day. Your left-brain is what you're trying to rest and refresh; that's why you're on vacation after all. I'd go for something on the far end of the spectrum; some forgotten modern classic that won't let your left-brain to kick in, like Return of the Native. If you absolutely must have something technical, the aforementioned Neal Stephenson books are great, as are William Gibson books. The Little Schemer is a good book to go through while you're NOT on vacation.