- Homo Deus (and Sapiens, of course)
- Enlightenment Now
- Superintelligence (SUPER dense, but thorough overview on the topic if AI)
Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?
151–160 of 357 posts
Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?
#152-The Broken Earth Trilogy: wow! Really fun to read and it packed an emotional sociopolitical message into an entertaining story with great characters.
-2312: interesting world, meh story.
-Artemis: fun, good read.
-Remembrance of Earth's Past Trilogy: Awesome science, mind blowing ending!
Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?
#153Bad Blood
Why We Sleep
12 lessons for the 21st Century
The Coddling of the America Mind
Englightment Now
How to Change Your Mind
Rise and Kill First
Leonardo da Vinci
Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?
#154Earlier quoted context omitted.
Cool to see an economics book on your list. I think it's a highly underrated subject among the tech community. I started to lightly teach myself economics this year. It was a real sobering experience learning how incredibly stupid I was towards economics and how complex it is. But even after just learning a little, it's amazing to see how that ignorance is a fear mongering tool in the media.
I agree with you 100%. There is a lot I didn't understand which is surprisingly obvious to me now.
Right? It's really eye-opening when a few basic concepts are explained. My only qualm so far in that field is the ideology aspect towards economic theories. I don't think Keynesian, classical, supply-side, etc should be considered as "theories", but more as "tools" to address certain economic situations. More I read about them, the more I think they are all, more or less, equally valid, depending on the situation or end goal. It's like, there's no one perfect battle strategy. It all depends on the situation. But it seems the greater part of politics and society just wants "One way that works all the time".
Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?
#155Recommendations from my reading this year:
Factfulness, by Hans Rosling. #1 with a bullet! This is the best, most useful book I've read in many years, and totally changed how I think about my thinking, and how other people (especially smart people) think. This is a must-read for anyone who thinks they're engaged and well-informed.
The Cooking Gene, by Michael Twitty. This was recommended to me by a very smart friend as the best book she read in 2017. It's behind only Factfulness for me. Ostensibly a history of African-American cooking in the South, it's a sprawling yet deeply personal work of history, genealogy, multiculturalism, and of course food. A masterpiece, full of knowledge, wisdom, and heart.
Prisoners of Geography, by Tim Marshall. An overview of political geography, and how the physical structure of land and water affects the cultures living there, their opportunities, and their place in the world. It caused a total rethink about why Europe and the US have been so successful, and why Africa and South America have suffered. A worthy companion to the classic Guns, Germs, and Steel.
Let's Go (So We Can Get Back), by Jeff Tweedy. An autobiography by the Wilco frontman, talking about a lot of stuff I find intensely interesting - depression, being a bandleader, and being a parent and husband.
Binti, by Nnedi Okorafor. An outstanding science fiction novella from an entirely different perspective - an African future.
The Ethics of Ambiguity, by Simone de Beauvoir. A mid-century philosophy classic, tackling ethics from an existentialist perspective. Dense and difficult, but also highly entertaining and brilliant. Highly recommended if you read philosophy regularly (if you don't, start with something a little lighter!).
Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?
#156I read a couple of books this year. However, these two are the best among them.
12 Rules For Life by Jordan Peterson : A great book that can help you deal with the chaos life throws at you.
Principles by Ray Dalio : Another great book that offers practical advice on how to improve one's life and work through reflection and iteration.
Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?
#157- The Prince (get's a bad press, thought provoking) - Apex [Nexus 3] (prose is meh, inevitable life goes this way) - Factfulness (Awesome, most important book I read this year) - Prisoners of Geography (why nations act the way they do) - Crux [Nexus 2] (prose is meh, inevitable life goes this way) - Debt: the first 5000 years (slog to get through but interesting) - Nexus [Nexus 1] (prose is meh, inevitable life goes…
Neuromancer is always at the top of scifi lists but I found it to be astonishingly strange and dull. I'm surprised I was even able to finish the read.
Really? I found Neuromancer to be incredibly exciting when I read it, almost breathlessly so. The first time I read it (back in the 80s), I read through the Sense/Net run to retrieve the Dixie Flatline cartridge in a single sitting, and my adrenaline was pumping.
I re-read it last year, and it still works for me.
Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?
#158My recommendations from books I read this year: Bad Blood : Man, this book really does read like a Hollywood movie screenplay. The rise and fall of Theranos, documented through interviews with hundreds of ex-employees by the very author who came up with the first expose of Theranos. Truly shows the flaws in the "fake it before you make it" mindset and how we glorify "geniuses". Shoe Dog : Biography of the founder of…
Shoe Dog was great
Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?
#159- Complete Hyperion Cantos (incl. Endymion series) - Bad Blood (Still churning through) Hyperion is a 2500 page behemoth and took most of my year, however most of the things written in the book are not sci-fi, and overall the book is very enlightening. Still digesting the stuff in my brain. Bad Blood is a fascinating read. I'm still in the first quarter, and with this density, the events are well simply amazing to pu…
LibraryThing reports 854 editions of books identified by "Bad Blood". Please add at least the author's name to make life easier for people who want to check your suggestions.
(I am not picking out specifically you, I had similar problems with whoever suggested "Code" above, and I am sure more will be found in the rest of the thread...)
Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?
#160Couple out of the box ones:
Lost Languages - Andrew Robinson. Starts with the deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphs, Mayan hieroglyphs, and "Minoan" Linear B, then goes into detail about many still undeciphered writing systems. Existing examples, what's been studied and tried, the personalities of people involved, etc. Fascinating stuff. One of the few examples of the "Isthmian script" or epi-Olmec script[0] (a precursor to the Mayan writing system) is owned by the Smithsonian Natural History museum, and while I think they usually keep it in storage, it coincidentally was on display this summer and I took a trip to go see it after reading the book.
Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts - Christopher de Hamel. 12 different medieval manuscripts the author goes to visit. Describes their history, where they are now and what it's like to see them, contains many detailed reproductions of pages, etc. Not at all dry; the author writes well and adds bits of humor, while still getting across all the necessary details.