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Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why

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Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why

#131

Post by thisrod »

gchucky wrote: post #27

Neal Stephenson's "Anathem". Seriously one of the best novels I've ever read. He's an excellent writer, and after about the first fifty pages I couldn't put it down.

Anathem gets my vote.

It's a mystery, with things left for the reader to figure out. These things include where and when it's set, and what genre it's written in. A brilliantly apt form for a novel about science, which makes it hard to describe without spoiling it.

The author has his usual fun. Historical inspriation: monasteries in the dark ages. Martial artists: far too cool for their own good. Tensor calculations performed as interpretive dance: it had to be done. The plight of hackers and scientists in a violent, greedy world strikes as true as ever.

Stephenson's neologisms are a bonus. The principle "'X would be nice' does not imply X" needs a name, though I don't expect "Diax's rake" to stick. Also useful is "Lorite", for a scholar who specialises in refuting claims of novelty.

Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why

#132

Post by arethuza »

thisrod wrote: post #131
gchucky wrote: post #27

Neal Stephenson's "Anathem". Seriously one of the best novels I've ever read. He's an excellent writer, and after about the first fifty pages I couldn't put it down.

Anathem gets my vote. It's a mystery, with things left for the reader to figure out. These things include where and when it's set, and what genre it's written in. A brilliantly apt form for a novel about science, which makes it hard to describe without spoiling it. The author has his usual fun. Historical inspriation: monasteries in the dark ages. Martial artists: far too cool for their own good. Tensor calculations…

Anathem was one of the rare novels that when I read enough to get into it I was utterly delighted that there was so much of the book still to read.

I've even bought some of the music tracks by David Stutz:

http://synthesist.net/music/anathem/

Profits from this go to the Long Now Foundation - which is very appropriate given then themes in the book.

Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why

#133

Post by arethuza »

dmoney wrote: post #42
joe6pack wrote: post #19

"Daemon" and "Freedom" by Daniel Saurez. Very enjoyable reads, and chock full of not-too-distant futurism. They display an enormous amount of thinking about how social networks and the massively increased availability of data about our lives are changing the ways we interact with each other. Sprinkle in mysteries that play out in both reality and MMORPGs, lots of interesting devices, and a terrifying peek at what a t…

I liked Daemon. A rogue AI story that doesn't depend on strong AI. This talk by him was interesting (which was how I found out about the book): http://fora.tv/2008/08/08/Daniel_Suarez_Daemon_Bot-Mediated_...

Daemon and Freedom are very good. The only problem I had (at it is pretty minor) is that for an AI that keeps asserting that it is just a canned set of production rules (i.e. wait until happens then do ) it seems to possess a remarkable degree of general intelligence.

Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why

#135

Post by jscore »

panarky wrote: post #108

_Shantaram_ by Greg Roberts Violent criminal escapes from prison in Australia, travels to Mumbai on a forged passport, learns Hindi and Marathi, lives for years in a slum, fights with the mujahideen in Afghanistan, becomes a gangster, learns about life, love and honor in the process. Not only is it a great story, but it's about a self-made man surviving by hacking languages, cultures and business. I read it as an all…

My best book as well, the quotes (by Karla and others) are just amazing.

Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why

#136

Post by euccastro »

portman wrote: post #26

"Where Good Ideas Come From" by Steven Johnson I'm fairly stubborn, so it takes a lot for me to change my ways. This book has changed my daily work routine. Johnson outlines 7 environments that have historically produced the most innovative ideas. It's easy to apply the lessons to your typical working day. Best book I've read in probably 5 years. 4-minute Teaser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NugRZGDbPFU TED Talk: h…

Could you share some of the specific changes you made to your daily routine as a result of your exposure to this book?

Also, have you read Csikszentmihalyi's Creativity?

Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why

#137

Post by danielford »

"Why Don't Students Like School?" by Daniel Willingham. It's primarily aimed at educators; if that's not your career path you'll find it less useful. So much of education consists of untested fads that it was a relief to see a social scientist go through the evidence of what works and what doesn't. Among other things, Willingham completely demolishes learning styles.

It's easily the best book on teaching I've ever read, and it will have a strong influence on how I structure my classes in the coming semester.

Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why

#140

Post by rdl »

SSI Open Water Diver. Not because the book is particularly (or at all) well written, but because it was my entry into an amazing hobby -- SCUBA diving. It's an enjoyable activity on its own, and the training model for SCUBA is actually a good way to teach a lot of things to consumers (a VC friend who just picked up diving too believes this as well).

For actual book as book, probably "First In; How Seven CIA Officers Opened the War on Terror in Afghanistan" by Gary Schroen. They basically went in with $30mm or so and an old helicopter, 2 SF ODAs, and accomplished most of the good accomplished to date in Afghanistan within 2 months.

For fiction, I'd love to say Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, but it's just too fucking long. He needs an editor; I'm on book 3. For unexpectedly awesome, Suarez's Daemon and Freedom.

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