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Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?

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Re: Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?

#71

Post by andrewcooke »

Hayek's Challenge by Caldwell - http://www.amazon.com/Hayeks-Challenge-Intellectual-Biograph...

I wrote a review on Amazon that you can read there for more details, but in short: this book describes the themes that interested Hayek, their historical context, and how attitudes to them evolved.

I consider myself "left wing" and Hayek is no great hero of mine (when I read the book I was barely aware of him - I think he is more famous in the USA than Europe), but that doesn't stop this being one of my favourite books. The range covered is huge, the historical background of the times is fascinating, and Hayek is a much more complex thinker than you might imagine from the way he is treated in current popular culture.

Vaguely related, "Machine Dreams" by Mirowski is another absorbing, thought-provoking book on the history of Economics (simplifying hugely - the influence of the cold war on the rise of "free market economics"). The style can be a little frustrating, but it's worth the effort. http://www.amazon.com/Machine-Dreams-Economics-Becomes-Scien...

Re: Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?

#72

Post by FraaJad »

kristiandupont wrote: post #64
wooby wrote: post #4

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

I am reading that right now, as recommended by I don't know how many people and I have to say that while it started out interesting, I find it increasingly more boring with every page. Which annoys me because it seems that everybody else gets something out of this book that I am simply not.

you are trying too hard. finish the book first. Go back and read sections that pricked your interest or you found absurd (or whatever).

Re: Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?

#73

Post by NEPatriot »

The War of Art - Stephen Pressfield - how to overcome yourself

Gates of Fire - same as above, the story of the stand at Thermopylae

Agincourt & 3 part series Archer's tale - Bernard Cornwell - accounts of medievil warfare

StrengthsFinder 2.0 - Tom Rath - take a test and discover your strengths/things you love to do, focus on on doing those

Re: Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?

#74

Post by cromulent »

My favourite read of the last few years was The Tyrannicide Brief.

I moved house 15000 km recently and this was one of the few books that came along (the others are in storage). Most of the other ones are mentioned in other comments.

From the New Yorker review:

In 1649, after Oliver Cromwell and his army had taken King Charles I prisoner, they had to decide what to do with him. The easiest option, according to a contemporary, was assassination, "for which there were hands ready enough to be employed." Instead, a lawyer named John Cooke was given the brief to prosecute him. (Other lawyers left town to dodge the job.) At the time, there was no language for what Charles was charged with: as king, he was the law, so prosecuting him seemed a logical absurdity. Robertson, a lawyer involved in the prosecutions of Augusto Pinochet and Saddam Hussein, credits Cooke with helping to make those proceedings possible; he "made tyranny a crime." But Cooke himself was executed after the monarchy was restored. His heart and genitals were fed to stray dogs, and his head, at King Charles II's direction, was displayed at the entrance to Westminster Hall.

Re: Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?

#75

Post by alex_c »

I recently enjoyed "The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art". As the title promises, it's a great look into the economics of contemporary art - what forces determine the ridiculous prices you hear about.

http://www.amazon.com/Million-Stuffed-Shark-Economics-Contem...

Re: Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?

#76

Post by blue1 »

ckopec wrote: post #47

I just finished 'A song of ice and fire' series by George R.R. Martin and it's an amazing read.

"finished" the part published so far, that is. Many are doubting that Martin will be able to finish it, given his pace and the huge scope of the story. But I second the recommendation, read it anyway!

Re: Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?

#77

Post by enduser »

King Warrior Magician Lover, by Robert Moore and Douglas Gilette. It is a deeply insightful book about the path to a mature masculine psyche written by a highly respected Jungian psychologist (Moore) and a mythologist and counselor (Gilette).

I recently finished reading this book and their four subsequent volumes, each of which goes into great detail about the four archetypes. Reading them has given me much stimulus for thought and personal growth.

http://www.amazon.com/King-Warrior-Magician-Lover-Rediscover...

Re: Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?

#79

Post by aarongough »

berntb wrote: post #36
aarongough wrote: post #15

I'm a big fan of Sci-Fi because I feel it makes people think about what they want the future to be, as well as avoiding the re-hashing of historical and current events that many fiction books set in the present do. With that in mind a list of great books to read: The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson Gridlinked - Neal Asher Neuromancer - William Gibson The Reality Dysfunction - Peter F. Hamil…

I also liked most of those. I'm just reading Blindsight, wonderful. The only one I hated was "Market forces" by Morgan. It felt like reading "The Pilgrim's Progress", but with Chomsky as Jesus -- a little bit too heavy handed in political propaganda. For that kind of stuff done in a fascinating way, check Ken MacLeod's "The Stone Canal" and following. (Asher got a little too much of Space Opera for me, in the end.) F…

Strongly agree on Greg Egan. "Schild's Ladder" is one of the best 'hard' SF novels I've ever read!

I can see how you'd feel that way about Market Forces. Personally what I liked most in that book was the way the main character developed/changed over the course of the story. That being said I would consider it on the 'lighter' end of the SF spectrum, but I still think it's an interesting exploration of a society taken to the extreme.

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