Ask HN: Good non-fiction books without filler?

#1

Post by branislav » Tue, Sep 04, 2018, 4:56 PM UTC

As probably many of you, I notice my attention span being diminished by the usage of internet and social media.

I set a goal for myself to focus on reading more books and long-form articles, but I'm finding it harder to find those which don't spend a lot of words on filler. (as discussed in https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17803873)

What are some books/authors which are straight to the point and the reader doesn't have to wade through pages of personal stories to illustrate a simple point?

Re: Ask HN: Good non-fiction books without filler?

#2

Post by tankmohit11 » Tue, Sep 04, 2018, 5:25 PM UTC

Read The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. It is available for free online. It's straight to the point. Each line of this book can be used as a quote.

Other books I found without filler is 48 laws of power. It is a also a good read.

Re: Ask HN: Good non-fiction books without filler?

#3

Post by amadeuspagel » Tue, Sep 04, 2018, 5:37 PM UTC

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins

Re: Ask HN: Good non-fiction books without filler?

#4

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Sep 04, 2018, 6:19 PM UTC

tankmohit11 wrote: post #2

Read The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. It is available for free online. It's straight to the point. Each line of this book can be used as a quote. Other books I found without filler is 48 laws of power. It is a also a good read.

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Good non-fiction books without filler?

#5

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Sep 04, 2018, 6:22 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Good non-fiction books without filler?

#6

Post by mpax » Tue, Sep 04, 2018, 7:46 PM UTC

A Brief History of Time, by Hawking

Re: Ask HN: Good non-fiction books without filler?

#7

Post by mpax » Tue, Sep 04, 2018, 7:47 PM UTC

tankmohit11 wrote: post #2

Read The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. It is available for free online. It's straight to the point. Each line of this book can be used as a quote. Other books I found without filler is 48 laws of power. It is a also a good read.

Laws of power is nice but what always bothered me about it is that there doesn’t seem to be a system to the laws, it merely sums up a bunch of them without investigating underlaying foundations.

Re: Ask HN: Good non-fiction books without filler?

#8

Post by jamestimmins » Tue, Sep 04, 2018, 8:03 PM UTC

The Master Switch by Tim Wu. Absolutely phenomenal, and only more impressive because he covers > 100 years in communications tech in < 400 pages.

Re: Ask HN: Good non-fiction books without filler?

#9

Post by unmole » Wed, Sep 05, 2018, 12:46 AM UTC

tankmohit11 wrote: post #2

Read The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. It is available for free online. It's straight to the point. Each line of this book can be used as a quote. Other books I found without filler is 48 laws of power. It is a also a good read.

I would actually suggest buying the Hays translation of Meditations instead of reading the free versions. The language in every other version is overly verbose and archaic.

Re: Ask HN: Good non-fiction books without filler?

#10

Post by colangelod » Wed, Sep 05, 2018, 2:37 AM UTC

The Victorian Internet By Tom Standage, solid read on the history and progression of communication tech up through the dropping of the transatlantic cable. To the point with lots of history I did not know before reading it.

Forever Young by John W. Young; haven't quite finished it yet but its great so far. He is perhaps one of the most prolific astronauts to have served at NASA and has lots of great stories.

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions By Edwin A. Abbott; Its short but its a solid read (especially considering its age) great thought piece on multidimensional space.