The Machinery of Life by David S. Goodsell - it's a short microbiology book with paintings and renders of molecules and molecular processes. It's easy to read and imagining biology is straightforward when you can just see the molecules. I heard about it from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40103590
Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?
81–90 of 156 posts
Re: Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?
#82Daemon series by Daniel Suarez: I can’t believe I slept on this book for so long. It would have altered my worldview fundamentally if I had read it at a younger age. Mind Hunter: Somehow even better than the show. A Brief History of Intelligence: Packed with so much knowledge about the evolution, mechanics, and different forms of intelligence. One of the best non-fiction books I have read in a long time.
At the times I've read the Daemon series, I also enjoyed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nexus_Trilogy by Ramez Naam shortly afterwards.
Re: Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?
#83My reads this year with my personal ratings: Greg Egan, Diaspora (7/10) Dan Simmons, Hyperion 1-4 (9/10) James S.A. Corey, Leviathan Wakes (6/10) Scott Alexander, Unsong (7/10) Qtmn, Ra (7/10) Qtmn, Fine Structure (6/10) Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary (6/10) Wildbow, Worm (8/10)
Worm mentioned wooooo
amazing how a niche webserial from 10 years ago is still being read and having an impact
also, the ride doesn't have to end, lots of Worm fanfictions out there, some of them are really good
Re: Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?
#84The Machinery of Life by David S. Goodsell - it's a short microbiology book with paintings and renders of molecules and molecular processes. It's easy to read and imagining biology is straightforward when you can just see the molecules. I heard about it from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40103590
^^ This book is the best
I heard about it from the same HN post
Re: Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?
#85If audiobooks count, so far enjoying the hell out of Project Hail Mary, I possibly got turned on to it by a mention on HN (I like The Martian movie, so I gave it a shot, and maybe decide to get that on audiobook too, now)
Re: Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?
#86Not sure if "the best", but one of the best was "A Psalm for the Wild-Built" by Becky Chambers. I was reading it out of curiosity for the solarpunk genre, it ended up helping me a bit on the self-acceptance side.
Other than that, "Il deserto dei Tartari" by Dino Buzzati (in english: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tartar_Steppe). Gave me some different point of view when thinking about time passing by. This was actually an audio-book, but I don't think there's any difference.
Re: Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?
#87Mathematica: A Secret World of Intuition and Curiosity- David Bessis
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200128457-mathematica?ac...
Excellent book on mathematical thinking in the true sense - what needs to happen in the mind's eye to really grapple with abstract mathematics. Definitely a eye (mind?) opener for someone who has some graduate level math education but couldn't gel with the crazier stuff.
Came across the book from this article which was on HN a little bit ago: https://www.quantamagazine.org/mathematical-thinking-isnt-wh...
Re: Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?
#88Michel Houellebecq, Annihilation . A clear-eyed and direct novel about the meaning and measure of individual human life in our modern age -- and yet it concedes nothing to modern literary or social fashions, but instead goes for universality and timelessness.
I thought it was about cancer.
That's part of it, and I would say a relatively small part -- something akin to a plot device. For the book is also about one's family, and one's labor, and about the dignity of individual man relative to the dignity of man's political society. (The latter comes off much the worse.) It is a remarkable book.
Re: Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?
#89The End of Race Politics by Coleman Hughes. Pretty good book. I used to be a bleeding heart liberal with pro social justice (read: pro affirmative action) sentiments, but he makes a compelling case against it. Also, it's very well written and fun to read
It's funny you mention this because in Europe every bleeding heart liberal claims to be color (race) blind.
Re: Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?
#90The End of Race Politics by Coleman Hughes. Pretty good book. I used to be a bleeding heart liberal with pro social justice (read: pro affirmative action) sentiments, but he makes a compelling case against it. Also, it's very well written and fun to read
The author of this book is against trans people being able to exist in this world. No thanks tbh. This isn’t identity politics. It’s just live and let live.
No he isn't, here's a recent tweet of his that explains his position:
"This also highlights the huge difference between the "LGB" and the "T''. The gay rights movement just asked society to leave them alone and let them get married. No impositions on my life. The trans movement demands that I adopt their new dialect (or I'm a bigot) and allow males to play in girls sports (or I'm a bigot). Big impositions."