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Some Favorite Non-Technical Books (2018)

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Re: Some Favorite Non-Technical Books (2018)

#21

Post by kmlx »

wow, what a walk down memory lane.

this is a very, very good list. read most of these books in high school. Destoievski is still one of my favourite authors, and i still have dreams of Eco's 1300s abbey.

i would also mention Kafka, and any of the SciFi greats (Asimov, Clarke, P.K. Dick etc). Re-read a lot of these this past year.

and i would also mention Marcus Aurelius "Meditations", a book written 2000 years ago by one of the greatest thinkers of his time.

there are so many good book written throughout history it's absolutely crazy. the only problem i see is the monumental amount of crappy books that have been launching recently and becoming instant hits. combined with a "does this take longer than a 10 minute youtube video" attitude.

otherwise, if you have a modicum amount of patience, any of those books will prove to be an unforgettable experience.

Re: Some Favorite Non-Technical Books (2018)

#22

Post by euske »

Can I just list my favorite non-technical books here?

Richard Feynman, What Do You Care What Other People Think? - Probably no additional description needed. It's a kind of sequel of Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! but has a more personal touch.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - Night Flight. A somewhat romanticized tale about the early era of air mail delivery. The story about the personal sacrifice for public good.

Tove Jansson - Moominvalley in November. It's disguised as a kid's story, but from what I read the book is about loss and absence of loved ones. Funny, soothing and surprisingly profound.

Re: Some Favorite Non-Technical Books (2018)

#23

Post by WilTimSon »

He has some excellent books in there with classics and cult favorites but I have to specifically give the highest recommendation to John Steinbeck's dilogy of Cannery Row/Sweet Thursday.

It's a very humanistic book that covers stories of poor characters in a humorous way without mocking them or acting as if they're beneath others somehow. The atmosphere of the books is inviting and warm and they're both good stories to read in the cold of the upcoming winter. They're often overlooked in favor of Steinbeck's popular titles like Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden but I'd say these two are essentials as well.

Re: Some Favorite Non-Technical Books (2018)

#24

Post by watwut »

newsbinator wrote: post #20
urs2102 wrote: post #11

One of my favorite classes with Bjarne from college was Bjarne telling us the story of a ten year-old who wrote him asking if it was too late to start programming and what he should learn so he can work as a programmer (to get started so he could be one of the best in the world at something in the field). Bjarne says he responded by telling the kid to stop worrying about work or what he wanted to work as, and to spen…

I'd bet that the nervous 10-year-old promptly ignored Bjarne's advice and went on to ask others what to cram.

And maybe 10-years old would be right. Not because of becoming best in the world, but because there would be zero harm to his development, really.

Re: Some Favorite Non-Technical Books (2018)

#26

Post by watwut »

lonesword wrote: post #14

>This "use" of literature and history is reflected in my choice of reading: There is very little "heavy" reading listed here. And then he lists Dostoevsky and Homer. Those doesn't count as heavy reading? What counts as heavy reading? Ulysses/Paradise lost? My "oh hell yeah!" moment was when i saw Lord of the Rings in the list :p

> And then he lists Dostoevsky and Homer. Those doesn't count as heavy reading? What counts as heavy reading? Ulysses/Paradise lost?

Dostoevsky is not difficult to read. If you like depressive psychological drama, it is quite enjoyable. Homer difficulty depends heavily on translation. It can be stiff and boring or basically just fun (but again, you gotta like the relationships non-actiony aspect of it).

Yeah, Ulysses is definitely hard to read.

Re: Some Favorite Non-Technical Books (2018)

#27

Post by playing_colours »

ImaCake wrote: post #3
mpiedrav wrote: post #2

«I (Bjarne Stroustrup) have also been asked where I find the time to read non-technical books. Actually, it is not a question of finding the time. Reading non-technical stuff is essential. Without it, I'd go nuts and lose my sense of proportion. As a practical matter, I read for about an hour almost every evening before going to bed -- trying to go straight from technical work to sleep is usually not a good idea.»

> trying to go straight from technical work to sleep is usually not a good idea I did this with an assignment last night and ended up dreaming about linear algebra. I did not sleep well!

Ahaha, I remember when I studied database systems and concepts once I had a vivid dream that I was inside a database or even like a database myself, and I saw visually how indexes were working - sort of 3D dynamic representation of pictures in the book I read.

Re: Some Favorite Non-Technical Books (2018)

#28

Post by playing_colours »

lonesword wrote: post #14

>This "use" of literature and history is reflected in my choice of reading: There is very little "heavy" reading listed here. And then he lists Dostoevsky and Homer. Those doesn't count as heavy reading? What counts as heavy reading? Ulysses/Paradise lost? My "oh hell yeah!" moment was when i saw Lord of the Rings in the list :p

Dostoevsky is dark and deep, but it may feel an easer entertaining read - say, Brothers Karamazov. Crime and Punishment was harder for me. Tolstoy is more difficult to read due to epic long sentences.

Ulysses and Paradise Lost are in their own category.

Re: Some Favorite Non-Technical Books (2018)

#29

Post by hikarudo »

pkaye wrote: post #4
mpiedrav wrote: post #2

«I (Bjarne Stroustrup) have also been asked where I find the time to read non-technical books. Actually, it is not a question of finding the time. Reading non-technical stuff is essential. Without it, I'd go nuts and lose my sense of proportion. As a practical matter, I read for about an hour almost every evening before going to bed -- trying to go straight from technical work to sleep is usually not a good idea.»

I find technical books are a great way for me go to sleep. Just read a few pages and... boom... i'm ready to go to sleep!

The problem with using technical books to go to sleep is that you will start feeling sleepy when reading technical books during the day as well.
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