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Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?

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Re: Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?

#181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like you’re diving head first into web development? Or taking it to the next level? Careful not to burn yourself out, that is a long list of technical books, that have nothing to do with the books you’ve read and enjoyed in the past that are from other genres.

Long story short, I am an entrepreneur who sold a company and am transitioning into maximizing my engineering knowledge before diving back into entrepreneurship. I've spent a considerable amount of time studying top performers and learned how to manage stress levels effectively. I do exercise, meditation, yoga, stretching, forest bathing, mindfulness, journaling, and other activities that battle against burnout. I am…

I'd say if the goal is to maximize engineering knowledge, less might be more. Especially if you don't plan to apply it on a day to day basis as an engineer.

For example, I'm currently reading Clean Architecture by Martin that is on your list. While the words on the pages are not hard to understand and it doesn't rely on any advanced computer science/engineering concepts, actually comprehending the posed principles, their implications, how to reason about them and how to pull them off well in a real world scenario is absolutely non-trivial.

I have met many people in tech that devoured douzends of books and conference talks, hundreds of podcast, blog posts, articles and that were an endless source of catchy quotes found in them. But they weren't able to actually apply all this "knowledge" to anything beyond the most basic. And in cases where these people where in leadership/management positions this often had negative impact on the project/product.

To finish with a catchy quote from Clean Architecture:

"The more haste, the less speed."

Re: Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?

#182

Next up on my list is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I was given it as a gift from a friend and have seen it recommend here on HN

I'm not one to reread books, but I have read that one three times. My father recommended it to me when I was young and I have treasured it ever since. Be sure to read the author's Afterward, which is available online.

Re: Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?

#183
A lot of what I read in 2020 will involve just finishing titles I started in 2019 (or before). So my "To read in 2020" list already has a lot of stuff on it.

But to name ones that I very specifically want to read/finish sooner than later... hmm... there are a number of books that fall more into the realms of history / anthropology / etc., that I have been meaning to read. Books like Guns, Germs, and Steel, and Sapiens - things of that nature. One of those that I'm already on, but probably won't finish before Jan 1, is Human Universals by Donald Brown.

I also want to get through some books on writing/reading mathematical proofs. Mathematical Reasoning: Writing and Proof by Ted Sundstrom, or The Book of Proof by Richard Hammack.

Another one I hope to get through is Designing Data-Intensive Applications.

Re: Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?

#184
post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it so disappointing that people are reading Nietzsche ... why not read practical philosophy like Practical Ethics by Peter Singer? I strongly recommend any of Peter Singer's writings. https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Ethics-Peter-Singer/dp/0521...

You're not helping your recommendation by starting it with a condemnation. What makes you think I want to read this book at all? Or that I'm reading Nietzsche for practical ethical advice? I have no idea who would do such a thing.

Much of philosophy is concerned with "how are we to live"?

I am consistently puzzled what people seek when they read Nietzsche, or what of value they take away from his writings.

Re: Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?

#185
post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A book to read immediately after Guns Germs and Steel is Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu. It's also useful to know that Diamond does not have a degree in Geography and many geographers aren't particularly on board with his ideas. I think of him the same way I do Malcom Gladwell, a good story teller but he does this by cherrypicking anecdotes more than by a robust assessment of reality.

I've gotten to the point where I just suggest people skip Guns, Germs, and Steel entirely. Diamond is a really excellent writer, but he cherry picks his material to support a thesis and ignores all the prior art that shows that people already tried his thesis a century ago and discarded it. Jump to 'The Power Broker' instead. Now that's an interesting read.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/historians_views...

Re: Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?

#186

I hilariously overestimate the number of books I can get through when I make these lists, but my current list for 2020 is as follows: Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution Book of Proof Designing Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems Seeing Like a State: How Certa…

The description of Caro's books as "Harry Potter for adults" is accurate. Highly accessible, no preparation necessary

I just wish there were a Kindle edition. Eventually I'l break down and buy it but I do so much of my reading on commutes that I strongly bias towards a digital copy.

Re: Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?

#189

I read about 25 books this year, here are the top 10 I look forward to reading in 2020, many of them informed by my favorites of 2019: Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari - I read Sapiens this year and really enjoyed it. I just started this today one so I may finish that before the end of the year. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - I like books that make me think and from what I've heard, this will definitely d…

As a contrast to 'The Language Instinct' I would highly recommend 'Don't Sleep There are Snakes' by linguist Daniel Everett, which follows his time living with a remote tribe in the Amazon and learning their language.

A very nice introduction of the idea of recursion in linguistics, and a rebuttal of the old dogma that there is in fact such a thing as a language instinct.

Re: Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?

#190
post #126

Leisure Stuff: Boom Town: The Fantastical Saga Of Oklahoma City, It's Chaotic Founding... by Sam Anderson Midnight In Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham Dune by Frank Herbert The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu (tried it this year and stopped, want to give it another go) Stories of Your Life and Others - Ted Chiang (just finished Exhalation and I think it's great) An Ursula K. Le Guin novel, have not picked one out yet A…

If you haven’t read it already, I highly suggest Sam Smith’s “The Jordan Rules”. It’s really fascinating to see the tension that’s present behind-the-scenes even on a team that is super successful on the court.

That was one of the others I was considering for that spot!
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