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Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?

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Re: Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?

#71

Post by travmatt »

SirLJ wrote: post #39

I wish as a kid I had access to the following: "More Money Than God: Hedge Funds and the Making of a New Elite" https://www.amazon.com/More-Money-Than-God-Relations/dp/0143... Market Wizards, Updated: Interviews With Top Traders https://www.amazon.com/Market-Wizards-Updated-Interviews-Tra... The New Market Wizards: Conversations with America's Top Traders https://www.amazon.com/New-Market-Wizards-Conversations-Amer..…

I'd also add "Reminescences of a Stock Operator", which is older but very good.

Re: Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?

#72

Post by travmatt »

nscalf wrote: post #22

The Art of Learning by Joshua Waitzkin. I was definitely in the right place to take in the topic, but it was, more or less, a book on how you can be "good" without much effort, but to be great or the best, it takes a lot of hard work and time. This book helped me learn that lesson. On top of that, some of Tim Ferriss' stuff on accelerated learning. Learn how to learn first, then learn everything else.

I'd second Waitzkin, that was an amazing book.

Re: Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?

#73

Post by travmatt »

Safety1stClyde wrote: post #66
makeset wrote: post #52

Code Complete by Steve McConnell https://www.amazon.com/dp/0735619670

I bought this book based on the endless internet recommendations. After reading it, I was mystified, completely mystified, why people recommended it so strongly.

How experienced were you? It was really the first thing I read after beginner type tutorials, and helped me a great deal.

Re: Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?

#76

Post by joshschreuder »

pmoriarty wrote: post #23

I wish I'd read some good books on fitness and nutrition when I was younger. It could have saved me a whole host of health issues.

Starting Strength is an excellent book for getting started with lifting.

https://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-Basic-Barbell-Train...

Re: Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?

#77

Post by SirLJ »

travmatt wrote: post #71
SirLJ wrote: post #39

I wish as a kid I had access to the following: "More Money Than God: Hedge Funds and the Making of a New Elite" https://www.amazon.com/More-Money-Than-God-Relations/dp/0143... Market Wizards, Updated: Interviews With Top Traders https://www.amazon.com/Market-Wizards-Updated-Interviews-Tra... The New Market Wizards: Conversations with America's Top Traders https://www.amazon.com/New-Market-Wizards-Conversations-Amer..…

I'd also add "Reminescences of a Stock Operator", which is older but very good.

Yes, absolutely, I just read it earlier :-)

Re: Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?

#78

Post by pixelperfect »

zem wrote: post #18

i discovered 'the phantom tollbooth' in grad school (for some reason, it was pretty much unknown in india when i was growing up). i'm pretty sure kid me would have loved it even more than adult me did.

I remember telling my parents this was my favorite book when I was 10. I'm currently reading the Chinese translation since it matches my current Chinese reading level, and it's been quite enjoyable, even though a lot of English-specific word play is lost in translation.

Re: Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?

#79

Post by kesava »

_jgdh wrote: post #69

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. It gave me a good understanding of where we, as a species, came from. What did we do, why did we spread across the planet, how did we replace other hominids? What I really appreciated was his ability to explain some of the underpinnings of society like religion, nation states and currency with a relatively simple idea. Afterwards I felt like "damn that's so simple, I should have thought…

One doesn't have to be Indian to read the magnificent book by Guha.

Re: Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?

#80

Post by sthielen »

SirLJ wrote: post #41
tjalfi wrote: post #19

Autobiography/Memoirs: Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - Richard Feynman What Do You Care What Other People Think? - Richard Feynman Crime and Guilt: Stories - Ferdinand von Schirach Fiction: The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov Technical: Bulldog: A Compiler for VLIW Architectures - John Ellis

The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov - this is a great book, I am lucky my Mom gave it to me when I was a kid...

+1. An absolutely wonderful read. I've found myself constantly gifting copies. To anyone looking to purchase, the Alma Books[0] translation is the one I would recommend.

[0] - https://www.amazon.com/Master-Margarita-Mikhail-Bulgakov/dp/...

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