Atlas Shrugged - finally got around to reading it after dozens of recommendations from good friends. Shocking how relevant and prophetic it is, especially with respect to the events of 2009.
Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?
11–20 of 140 posts
Re: Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?
#12Anyone read 'Crush It'? Gary Vee seems like a scamster to me, but it seems really popular in the wider tech community right now. I'd trust HN better than my Twitter contacts...
Re: Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?
#13Although actually released in late 2008, my favorite book for 2009 was Neal Stephenson's Anathem.
Re: Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?
#14Anyone read 'Crush It'? Gary Vee seems like a scamster to me, but it seems really popular in the wider tech community right now. I'd trust HN better than my Twitter contacts...
Yes and I thought it was great. It only takes a few hours to get through which is a big bonus. My co-worker was a big "anti-veynerchucker", thinking he was all talk with no real message. But he had a read of it on my Kindle and is now a complete convert. He ended up dragging me to a talk by Gary and starting his own video blog too.
Re: Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?
#15Finally got around to reading 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' Blew me away. So much better than the film adaptation.
Re: Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?
#16Game Theory At Work
http://www.amazon.com/Game-Theory-Work-Outmaneuver-Competiti...
PayPal Wars http://www.amazon.com/PayPal-Wars-Battles-Media-Planet/dp/09...
Stealing MySpace http://www.amazon.com/Stealing-MySpace-Control-Popular-Websi...
Predictably Irrational http://www.amazon.com/Predictably-Irrational-Hidden-Forces-D...
Re: Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?
#17The Machinery of Freedom (David Friedman) -- Great book on a potential anarcho-capitalist society and how we could push the US government in that direction.
The Game (Neil Strauss) -- See nopassrecover's response; he explained it well.
Little Brother (Cory Doctorow) -- A fantastic novel about freedom and technology.
Makers (Cory Doctorow) -- A great novel about people who create, whether technology or business models. Perhaps the best book I read this year.
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom (Cory Doctorow) -- The story of a man working in Disney World, which is now part of the Bitchun Society (a post-scarcity, post-death society). A story of love, betrayal, and death; how can you go wrong? Worth it for the concept of Whuffie (you'll need to read it to really get it) alone.
Diamond Age (Neal Stephenson) -- The evolution of a society towards post-scarcity, written around the story of a young girl's growth into an adult. Best post-cyberpunk book written thus far, IMO.
Re: Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?
#18I finally finished "Godel, Escher, Bach" in 2009, after starting and giving up on it a few times previously. A great book, but it does require a lot of time and some serious thinking with a pencil and pad to do some working out (or at least it did for me).
The best book I read in 2009 (and possibly ever!) was "Fooled By Randomness" - a fantastic book that I can't recommend enough. I also read the sequel, "Black Swans", that was interesting but not in the same league.
"Made to stick" was also a great book, with lots of great marketing advice that is simple to follow.
Re: Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?
#19Liar's Poker - Michael Lewis
http://www.amazon.com/Liars-Poker-Rising-Through-Wreckage/dp...
In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan http://www.amazon.com/Defense-Food-Eaters-Manifesto/dp/01431...
When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management - Roger Lowenstein http://www.amazon.com/When-Genius-Failed-Long-Term-Managemen...
Re: Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?
#20Harmony Silk Factory - Tash Aw Satanic Verses - Salman Rushdi Old Man and the Sea - Hemingway
have you read midnight's children? if so, how does satanic verses compare to that? i thought children was wonderful, but everything i've read since by rushdie has been a disappointment (often flat our boring). i often wonder if i give him another chance and take on satanic verses....