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Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?

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Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?

#251

Post by EarthIsHome »

For those interested in humour, check out the novel Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher [0]. It had me laughing out loud and gasping many times at the sheer absurdity of the plot.

It is an epistolary novel composed of letters of recommendations by an English professor. It does a good job telling its story through a series of LORs.

Schumacher released a follow up novel this year, albeit written in conventional narrative style, that is also good. If you're coming from the first novel, the shift in narration may be jarring.

[0]: https://julieschumacher.com/writing/novels/dear-committee-me...

Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?

#252

Post by james_s_tayler »

wastedhours wrote: post #45
james_s_tayler wrote: post #22

Why Nations Fail (amazing!) Chimpanzee Politics (interesting) Corporate Confidential (paranoid, but worth a read) Developer Hegemony (red pill for developers!!!) Bargaining For Advantage (reasonable) Tempo: Timing, Tactics and Strategy in Narrative-Driven Decision Making (abstract as hell but rewarding) Thinking Fast and Slow (loved it) The Elephant In The Brain (seriously underrated) The Brain That Changes Itself (i…

> Developer Hegemony Thanks for giving me another Xmas gift idea - bought! The interesting thing for me about books like that is whether it inspires or makes you more down about the situation, what's that one like?

It's a fantastic read but it depends on the reader. I think it will leave some people thinking why oh why didn't I take the blue pill? Hahaha.

Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?

#254

Post by etrautmann »

soVeryTired wrote: post #179
madmax108 wrote: post #134

My recommendations from books I read this year: Bad Blood : Man, this book really does read like a Hollywood movie screenplay. The rise and fall of Theranos, documented through interviews with hundreds of ex-employees by the very author who came up with the first expose of Theranos. Truly shows the flaws in the "fake it before you make it" mindset and how we glorify "geniuses". Shoe Dog : Biography of the founder of…

The Three Body Problem had some flashy ideas (like controlling the CMBR, and building a computer the size of a proton), but I didn't really feel like it had much depth. It had none of the great social commentary that you often get in sci-fi, and I thought the characters were kind of two-dimensional. Overall it just didn't really do it for me.

I found it lacking in depth and interesting ideas of almost any flavor. I've heard that it's better in Chinese and something is lost in translation, but I found myself very disappointed after finishing it and not understanding the strong positive response.

Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?

#256

Post by james_s_tayler »

kenned3 wrote: post #209
james_s_tayler wrote: post #22

Why Nations Fail (amazing!) Chimpanzee Politics (interesting) Corporate Confidential (paranoid, but worth a read) Developer Hegemony (red pill for developers!!!) Bargaining For Advantage (reasonable) Tempo: Timing, Tactics and Strategy in Narrative-Driven Decision Making (abstract as hell but rewarding) Thinking Fast and Slow (loved it) The Elephant In The Brain (seriously underrated) The Brain That Changes Itself (i…

Read your list, we have a bunch of books in common Why Nations Fail (was an interesting read!) Thinking Fast and Slow (This was on a lot of trader desks and was a good read.) The Elephant In The Brain (this is the first audiobook i have ever listed to, agree, highly underrated.) Principles (many years ago, I worked at BW for around 4 years... It was required reading, but remains one of my top recommended books. I act…

I've got another one in my bookshelf I'm about to tackle next called "In Defense Of Troublemakers".

It's about how group dynamics also produce irrationality and why dissent is dangerous but necessary. I'd say you'd probably really enjoy it too.

Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?

#257

Post by ryanwaggoner »

Pamar wrote: post #159
bayindirh wrote: post #55

- Complete Hyperion Cantos (incl. Endymion series) - Bad Blood (Still churning through) Hyperion is a 2500 page behemoth and took most of my year, however most of the things written in the book are not sci-fi, and overall the book is very enlightening. Still digesting the stuff in my brain. Bad Blood is a fascinating read. I'm still in the first quarter, and with this density, the events are well simply amazing to pu…

LibraryThing reports 854 editions of books identified by "Bad Blood". Please add at least the author's name to make life easier for people who want to check your suggestions. (I am not picking out specifically you , I had similar problems with whoever suggested "Code" above, and I am sure more will be found in the rest of the thread...)

You're probably being downvoted because more than a dozen comments on this thread mention Bad Blood (including the author), which was a bestseller this year and has been widely described and discussed across popular media. It's pretty easy to guess that the person you're replying to probably meant that.

Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?

#258

Post by jonahx »

james_s_tayler wrote: post #248
jonahx wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes I know what it is, I was questioning the "brooo... " comment, which seemed so tonally inappropriate and weird in what otherwise seemed like a thoughtful list.

Cos I addressed that one to the author, not the audience. It's like I imagine he's standing right in front of me and what my visceral response would be to him. From one human to another I'm sorry we're capable of putting each other through that. That book is just unyieldingly bleak in the most gripping way. And he was such a good guy right til the very end.

I see, and I believe your intentions weren't bad. But as some constructive criticism I'd say the optics are not good.

The phrase "brooo" just feels tone-deaf and minimizing here. And unless you are the most charmingly clueless surfer dude on the planet, I don't think it works when the survivor is standing in front of you either.

Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?

#259

Post by kailden »

Older books, bought secondhand and enjoyed:

Batavia’s Graveyard - A brutal history of a shipwreck and subsequent mutiny that occurred off the coast of Australia in 1629 when Dutch traders were exploring a new route to the East Indies. Much better than expected from the cover.

Gates of Fire - Historical fiction that tells the story of the Spartan 300 and the battle of Thermopylae. Lived up to it’s high recommendation.

A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution: 1891-1924 - still working my way through this detailed tome, but enjoying the style of the author.

Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?

#260

Post by philers »

sharmi wrote: post #58

This year, I discovered Agatha Christie. A few years back, when I was temporarily advised bed rest for a month, my sis loaned me a collection of Hercule Poirot short stories. I was always a Sherlock Holmes fan and really enjoyed the logical detective work. Hercule Poirot felt like just like a pretentious quirky old man, making denouements based on evidence that is flimsy and tenuous at best. This year, I came across…

My two favourite detective series are:

- Bernie Gunther series by Philip Kerr (March Violets is the first) - Marcus Didius Falco series by Lindsey Davis (The Silver Pigs is the first)

They may be a little noirish for your tastes (more focused on character and society) but I loved the detailed historical settings and the level of depth to the detective characters. They're also both still propelled by a mystery / solving a crime.

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