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Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?

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Re: Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?

#42

Post by creativeone »

colson04 wrote: post #23

Fiction: tie between Of Human Bondage by W.Somerset Maugham or The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky Non-Fiction: Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond Business: Rework by Jason Fried - one of the best in a long time

I checked out Rework on Amazon and saw some really mixed reviews, now im not sure about getting it. What do you like about it, and do you suggest anything else?

Re: Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?

#44

Post by pasbesoin »

dirkgadsden wrote: post #15

Mastering Regular Expressions by Jeffrey Friedl, the first edition (a.k.a. "The Perl Edition", http://regex.info/ for more information about the book and its editions) It's my standard litmus test judging a programmer; if you haven't read or don't care to read a book on regular expressions, then I probably don't want to write code with you. It's also useful to remind people who think they're nerds because they own a…

I worked for a time in a Java (and some other stuff) shop, and I witnessed people spending hours and iterations on code that could easily have been substituted with some not too sophisticated pattern matching. Some of the "senior developers" seemed to find the topic totally novel.

I think things have changed somewhat in the last 5 - 7 years, but I can appreciate the parent's point.

Re: Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?

#45

Post by peregrine »

masterzora wrote: post #6

I'm sure there'll be plenty of sci-fi, fantasy, and tech- or entrepreneurship-related non-fiction books mentioned, so I'm specifically trying to approach from a different direction. The two I've seriously got to recommend are East of Eden and The Count of Monte Cristo. East of Eden is Steinbeck, of whom I'm usually not a fan, but it was phenomenal and definitely made me rethink my approach to life (it was high school…

I too love East of Eden, I'm curious though what change did it cause you to make?

Re: Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?

#46

Post by dbaugh »

frankiejr wrote: post #22

Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World http://www.amazon.com/Hard-Boiled-Wonderland-End-World-Inter...

this book is the yin to neuromancers yang. instead of predicting the net it predicts how networks change our thoughts. i can't recommend this enough.

Re: Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?

#49

Post by pitchups »

pitchups wrote: post #32
whackedspinach wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have this book sitting next to me, but I never read past the first chapter. Could you tell my why I should read it over the dozens of other books on my reading list? It just looks so dense.

Yes, it is dense, and difficult in parts - but take your time. It took me a long time and several attempts too - but was well worth it. I still go back and read sections again to get a better understanding of some of the concepts. It is very unique and original synthesis of many diverse topics weaved together - logic, computer science, genetics, philosophy, intelligence and consciousness - around a central idea. The…

Here are some more favorites (they may not qualify as the best books ever, but great books with original and useful ideas):

- Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson

- The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home by Dan Ariely

- Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath, Dan Heath

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