Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?

#141

Post by ozychhi » Tue, Jul 02, 2019, 10:47 AM UTC

jor-el wrote: post #34

Thinking, fast and slow - by Daniel Kahneman It is a great book and talks about two systems in which we can divide the working of our brain. Kahneman also talks exposes the extraordinary capabilities—and also the faults and biases—of fast thinking, and reveals the pervasive influence of intuitive impressions on our thoughts and behavior. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11468377-thinking-fast-a...

If I had to choose one book to save from 451, I'd definitely choose this one. Also rereading it is very rewarding experience, I've read it at least 12 times.

Re: Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?

#142

Post by gbuk2013 » Tue, Jul 02, 2019, 10:48 AM UTC

Inner Engineering by Sadhguru. For me it was an unexpectedly transformational when I read it 6 months ago.

Unlike the stoicism books that teach you to condition yourself to be unaffected by external events, this is a method for taking charge of what goes on inside the body and (in my case) in the mind and emotions.

As an aside, if you haven’t tried audiobooks, I would recommend trying. I find that after a while day of staring at the screen I really don’t want to stare at anything else, so my book consumption dropped considerably. With audiobooks I was able to restore it somewhat (and it’s great for filling in lost time during driving).

Re: Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?

#143

Post by lawlorino » Tue, Jul 02, 2019, 10:49 AM UTC

sho wrote: post #57

I mainly read SF to relax (biased towards hard space opera) and have accumulated a "best of the best" list of my own: Leviathan Wakes - James S. A. Corey (TV show The Expanse is loosely based on this, but IMO doesn't even come close) Revelation Space - Alastair Reynolds Three Body Problem (all 3 books) - Liu Cixin Consider Phlebas - Iain M. Banks (your gateway drug into the Culture universe) Genuinely wish I could ex…

> Three Body Problem (all 3 books) - Liu Cixin

These are great and helped me re-discover my love of sci-fi from when I was a kid, they are often recommended in these HN book threads. I just ordered the other 3 books that you mentioned so thanks for the recommendations!

Re: Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?

#144

Post by pps » Tue, Jul 02, 2019, 10:50 AM UTC

leethargo wrote: post #138

pps wrote: post #40

If you don't sleep 8+ hours every night: Matthew Walker - Why We Sleep

Also, the Circardian Code by Satchin Panda. I have read both recently, and there is a lot of overlap, but the Circardian Code goes beyond sleep into nutrition and execise, as well.

Oh yes, definitely. Another one from these experts is Valter Longo with his book "The Longevity Diet". All three of them were interviewed by Rhonda Patrick https://www.youtube.com/user/FoundMyFitness/videos for people who like to watch/listen before reading. Matthew was also a guest in Joe Rogan Experience https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwaWilO_Pig

Re: Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?

#145

Post by drcongo » Tue, Jul 02, 2019, 10:55 AM UTC

The KLF - Chaos, magic and the band who burned a million pounds https://johnhiggs.com/books/the-klf/

Re: Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?

#146

Post by rdeboo » Tue, Jul 02, 2019, 10:55 AM UTC

jefim wrote: post #13

My to-go favorite for relaxed summer evenings is "The Master and Margarita" by Bulgakov. It is a literature masterpiece that magically adjusts to my current inner state. It can be both easy reading when I'm tired and just want to unwind, and thought provoking when I'm ready to be thoughtful. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/117833.The_Master_and_Ma...

I started reading "The Master and Margarita" this year after seeing this title pop up on HN so often. I could not finish it, I found it rather boring. I'm curious, am I the only one? What does everyone find so great about this book?

Re: Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?

#147

Post by 0kl » Tue, Jul 02, 2019, 10:55 AM UTC

gordon_freeman wrote: post #26

I would recommend Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Hays Translation) along with On the Shortness of Life by Seneca. These 2 books together will introduce you to the Stoic philosophy which I just found a couple of years ago and it has made my life much better.

I have always been of the opinion that you ought to read the stoics in the order of:

1. Epictetus (foundational with the enchiridion) [trans Robert Dobbin] 2. Seneca’s letters (eloquent exhortations from one person to another) [trans Robin Campbell] 3. Aurelius’s meditations (powerful self-reflections not meant for publication) [trans Martin Hammond]

I found that, going back, both Seneca or Epictetus were lesser reads than Aurelius, but I’m still glad I read them.

[These are my preferred translations, but I did see this comment and just ordered the translation mentioned https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717216]

Re: Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?

#148

Post by TimSchumann » Tue, Jul 02, 2019, 11:00 AM UTC

lawlorino wrote: post #143

sho wrote: post #57

I mainly read SF to relax (biased towards hard space opera) and have accumulated a "best of the best" list of my own: Leviathan Wakes - James S. A. Corey (TV show The Expanse is loosely based on this, but IMO doesn't even come close) Revelation Space - Alastair Reynolds Three Body Problem (all 3 books) - Liu Cixin Consider Phlebas - Iain M. Banks (your gateway drug into the Culture universe) Genuinely wish I could ex…

> Three Body Problem (all 3 books) - Liu Cixin These are great and helped me re-discover my love of sci-fi from when I was a kid, they are often recommended in these HN book threads. I just ordered the other 3 books that you mentioned so thanks for the recommendations!

I’ve read all of them. You won’t be disappointed.

I’d start Alistair Reynold’s stuff off with ‘House of Suns’ though. It’s a standalone, but it’s one of his best works IMO. Then go ahead and devour the ‘Revelation Space’ series.

Re: Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?

#149

Post by agotterer » Tue, Jul 02, 2019, 11:05 AM UTC

If you have the whole summer to read a book, check out The Power Broker by Robert Caro. It’s the story about the rise and fall of Robert Moses. His accumulation of power and how he basically built modern New York and his impact on the 20th century.

I’m in the middle of reading it, it’s very good. It’s long though. Something like 1400 pages or 66 hours of audio. So you'll need the summer to finish it!

Re: Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?

#150

Post by vmurthy » Tue, Jul 02, 2019, 11:14 AM UTC

If you like Science , I’d highly recommend “Our mathematical universe” by Max Tegmark. I’m halfway through it and find it fascinating. It is more about physics than mathematics. Think of it like “A brief history of time” advanced plus.