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Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?

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Re: Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?

#51
Reading now Factfulness by Hans Rosling and it's pretty great so far (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34890015-factfulness)

Other than that I believe Bad Blood by John Carreyrou is possibly the best of 2018 (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood) - mentioned in the other comment already

Re: Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?

#52
>(Read in 2018)

* Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/215758.Shake_Hands_with_...

Still reading it every few weeks and its hanging over my head to finally finish it. Not something you want to read, but a book like few i have read before.

Re: Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?

#53
post #37

Favorites that I read in 2018: * Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker ( https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34466963-why-we-sleep ) * Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel ( https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4806.Longitude ) * Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss (…

If you like “Why We Sleep” I recommend “The Sleep Solution” as a companion. Why We Sleep is heavy on interesting sleep science but light on practical tips for improving sleep (The Sleep Solution is the opposite...)

Re: Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?

#54

Favorites read in 2018: Dreaming in Code by Scott Rosenberg. This book is, so far, the closest I've come to finding a "spiritual successor" to The Soul of a New Machine by Kidder. If you liked The Soul of a New Machine , or if you like watching Halt and Catch Fire, you may well like Dreaming in Code . Inspired by Marty Cagan. Really solid overview of the essentials of product management. The Book of Why: The New Scie…

I presume this was heavily downvoted because of the Rand. While I'm not a fan of her either, that's unfair: 1. Dreaming in Code and The Book of Why are excellent (I haven't read the other two), and 2. Rand makes some points that some people need to learn, even if I don't buy her whole worldview.

Re: Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?

#56
Really enjoyed:

- 7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy - Hamilton Helmer

- American Wolf - Nate Blakeslee

- Atomic Habits - James Clear

- But What If We're Wrong - Chuck Klosterman

- Conspiracy - Ryan Holiday

- The Courage To Be Disliked - Ichiro Kishimi

- Elements of Fiction: Characters & Viewpoint - Orson Scott Card

- The Elephant In The Brain - Robin Hanson & Kevin Simler

- Good Strategy Bad Strategy - Richard Rumelt

- Gridiron Genius - Michael Lombardi

- The Longevity Diet - Valter Longo

- Open - Andre Agassi

- Warriors & Worriers - Joyce Benenson

- Why We Sleep - Matthew Walker

- World After Capital - Albert Wenger

Re: Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?

#57
post #37

Favorites that I read in 2018: * Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker ( https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34466963-why-we-sleep ) * Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel ( https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4806.Longitude ) * Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss (…

If you like “Why We Sleep” I recommend “The Sleep Solution” as a companion. Why We Sleep is heavy on interesting sleep science but light on practical tips for improving sleep (The Sleep Solution is the opposite...)

Thanks for the recommendation. I agree, I wish the author had gone a bit more into practical tips and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. I'll check out The Sleep Solution.

Re: Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?

#58

Favorites read in 2018: Dreaming in Code by Scott Rosenberg. This book is, so far, the closest I've come to finding a "spiritual successor" to The Soul of a New Machine by Kidder. If you liked The Soul of a New Machine , or if you like watching Halt and Catch Fire, you may well like Dreaming in Code . Inspired by Marty Cagan. Really solid overview of the essentials of product management. The Book of Why: The New Scie…

I presume this was heavily downvoted because of the Rand. While I'm not a fan of her either, that's unfair: 1. Dreaming in Code and The Book of Why are excellent (I haven't read the other two), and 2. Rand makes some points that some people need to learn, even if I don't buy her whole worldview.

My entire reason for reading Capitalism was because people hate on the world view so much, I felt obliged to at least try to understand why.

As I said in my other comment I got in a few good conversations on my commute about it too, it almost felt like a dead time debating society ;)

Re: Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?

#59
Drucker's Lost Art of Management [1] contains some amazing foundational material (as opposed to quick-fix 'techniques' you get in other leadership books) on how to build an effective organizational culture. It shows that for Drucker, the modern corporation is an integral part of civilizational fabric (just like family and other social institutions), and that it too should be governed by moral values and that those values are the glue that holds it together as a community.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Druckers-Lost-Art-Management-Organiza...

Re: Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?

#60

* Why We Sleep, by Matthew Walker * Masters of Doom, by David Kushner * What Doesn't Kill Us, by Scott Carney * Bad Blood, by John Carreyrou * The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondō * How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, by Scott Adams

> Masters of Doom

No likable "characters" in that one. Fun reading about the era though.

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