Ask HN: Books you read in 2018? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?

#161

Post by pcprincipal » Wed, Dec 12, 2018, 4:06 PM UTC

Top 3 for the year for me below. All of these are completable in 2 or so hours and non-fiction. For me at least, this is notable since so many non-fiction reads take 400 pages to make a point that could be summarized in 150:

- Free Will, Sam Harris - one of my buddies strongly recommended this book after debating me on the subject for an hour plus. While some of the question of free will is semantics, Harris deeply changed my position on to what extent we determine our own actions. When someone can present an argument to you for an hour and a half uninterrupted, it also makes a difference - perhaps the best way to influence someone is to recommend a book.

- It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy At Work, DHH and Jason Fried - made me rethink the tradeoff between working harder and working smarter. This book strongly debates how most companies structure PTO, the work week, meetings and so much more and offers opinionated alternatives. Basecamp is clearly thinking independently from first principles here, and I really admire that.

- The Way to Love, Anthony de Mello - meditations on freeing yourself from attachment and your own programming. This book pairs really well with Free Will (I read them around the same time) because both offer unique perspectives on why we are the way we are and why change is possible (Free Will actually optimistically concludes change is possible without us being in control of our actions).

Shameless plugs - I blog on my favorite reads of the month at theconsider.com , which also is available as a monthly e-mail (https://theconsider.com/subscribe/).

Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?

#162

Post by TomaszKlosinski » Wed, Dec 12, 2018, 4:09 PM UTC

"Atomic Habits" by James Clear - best book on the psychology and practice of habit formation.

"Personal MBA" by Josh Kaufman - best introduction to business administration studies.

"Why Switzerland?" by Jonathan Steinberg - book on why Switzerland is the best European country.

Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?

#163

Post by sah2ed » Wed, Dec 12, 2018, 4:11 PM UTC

bun_at_work wrote: post #42

mosiuerbarso wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for your recommendation of Thomas Sowell. I've been looking for a good beginners guide to economics.

I just finished this one and I have to say it was eye opening and a great read. My one criticism is that sometimes he ignores oppositional arguments where I think he should address them. For example, he argues against market regulation in a number of cases, but doesn't admit that some market regulation is a good thing. However, I'm very glad I read it and think it's much more good than bad.

> My one criticism is that sometimes he ignores oppositional arguments where I think he should address them.

Yes, that's because Thomas Sowell skews libertarian as mentioned by another commenter elsewhere in the thread.

I think this Amazon review [0] and a few others did a decent job of mentally preparing me wrt Sowell's biases before I committed to reading his very well-written book. It's essentially a caveat that there are quite a range of economic views out there but Basic Economics only exposes you to the economic view which he considers worthy of his time.

Regardless, Sowell does an excellent job of clearly expounding on what constitutes economic thinking.

[0] https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R3RFDB6MCBI1BI/re...

Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?

#164

Post by billybatson » Wed, Dec 12, 2018, 4:11 PM UTC

A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley: Decent. I think this book would best be read in conjunction while working through a textbook. I will admit that it did do quite a bit to help relieve math anxiety, but the nature of the book is practicality.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: A reread. A bit depressing considering the state of the world today. I found myself wondering which reality would be preferable.

Letters to a Young Mathematician by Ian Stewart: Easy, but fruitful read. I've struggled a lot with math confidence, and this helped alleviate a lot of that.

How to Speak, How to Listen by Mortimer J. Adler: A lot of practical advice. My biggest takeaway was this: if it's worth talking about, even if the conversation sucks or the other person doesn't understand, any bit of advancement and understanding is worth the effort. Really helped me increase my patience when talking to people.

Quack This Way by David Foster Wallace and Bryan Garner: Super useful and practical discussion between two lovers of language. I keep a copy with me at all times.

The Autobiography of Gucci Mane: Just a fun read while on vacation. "If Gucci can do it, you can do it".

Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson: A nice if brutal read. It was my first foray in DJ. I felt Cormac McCarthyish vibes.

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy: A classic. The Judge.

Thinking About Mathematics by Stuart Shapiro: Highly recommended for anyone interested in the philosophical questions of mathematics. Shapiro writes clearly, concisely, and in a manner that is easy to read.

The Liars' Club by Mary Karr: Pretty great but brutal.

The Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace: I really enjoyed it. It's ode to Wittgenstein and it helped me cope with a lot of questions that I felt after studying LW.

The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: I think we've all been in Werther's shoes. Though I hope that nobody comes to the same conclusion he came to.

Manage Your Day-To-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, & Sharpen Your Creative Mind: A pretty great book. I find myself writing a book report on it to make sure I internalize a lot of the lessons. If you're having trouble doing creative work while working, read this.

Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?

#165

Post by sn41 » Wed, Dec 12, 2018, 4:11 PM UTC

Since no one has mentioned it so far, I recommend the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. This year, I finished (numbers in Discworld order, annotated by the series):

9. Eric [Rincewind]

10. Moving Pictures [Independent]

12. Witches Abroad [Witches]

18. Maskerade [Witches]

19. Feet of clay [The City Watch]

23. Carpe Jugulum [Witches]

32. A Hat Full of Sky [Tiffany Aching]

37. Unseen Academicals [Wizards]

38. I Shall Wear Midnight [Tiffany Aching]

Brilliant series, highly recommended. Whenever I feel down, I re-read one of the Witches series - I spot something I never noticed before - an immediate mood-booster!

Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?

#166

Post by selimthegrim » Wed, Dec 12, 2018, 4:12 PM UTC

beat wrote: post #155

Recommendations 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 frien…

I think Twitty has a YouTube channel on “Food of the Enslaved”

Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?

#167

Post by just_one_time_ » Wed, Dec 12, 2018, 4:12 PM UTC

I list and review books I "read" on my blog at http://www.AudiobookReviews.com.

I just converted it to an "open-blog" but no one has contributed yet.

Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?

#168

Post by TravisHeeter » Wed, Dec 12, 2018, 4:13 PM UTC

Dr. Sleep - a newer Steven King book that reads like the old ones. May be the best King book I ever read. A sequel to The Shining, taking place mainly during Dan's adulthood (Dan was the kid in The Shining), a nomadic group of RV-dwellers sustain themselves into unnaturally-long life by torturing kids with The Shining to death and eating as it oozes out of them in a gaseous state.

Honestly, I can't believe King wrote this after all the gaudy, self-indulgent garbage he produced after he stopped doing coke. I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be ghost-written.

Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?

#169

Post by scottdw » Wed, Dec 12, 2018, 4:15 PM UTC

sharmi wrote: post #58

This year, I discovered Agatha Christie. A few years back, when I was temporarily advised bed rest for a month, my sis loaned me a collection of Hercule Poirot short stories. I was always a Sherlock Holmes fan and really enjoyed the logical detective work. Hercule Poirot felt like just like a pretentious quirky old man, making denouements based on evidence that is flimsy and tenuous at best. This year, I came across…

Maybe not "better literature" but I always look forward to a new Rebus novel by Ian Rankin (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inspector%20Rebus).

Though, the best (IMHO) whodunnit of 2018 is Stuart Turton's "The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36337550-the-7-deaths-of...)

Re: Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?

#170

Post by selimthegrim » Wed, Dec 12, 2018, 4:17 PM UTC

SonicSoul wrote: post #72

I am not seeing anyone mention: Laws of Human Nature - Greene Spectacular. From self diagnosis of narcissist symptoms to how to work with crowds/tribes to amazing stories from history that exemplify certain traits. It’s a huge tome but not a word seems to be wasted!

Is this the same guy that did 48 laws of power?