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Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?

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Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?

#171

Post by sebastialonso »

club_tropical wrote: post #31
Paul_S wrote: post #4

The Technological Society by Jacques Ellul. You will not see the world the same way. You can then read Industrial Society by Ted Kaczynski and understand his desperation.

I’ve read ISAIF; it is chock-full of good insights. He also wrote The System’s Neatest Trick, which, once seen, cannot be unseen. Will check out Ellul; thank you for the recommendation.

I've read the Trick and found it very derivate. Most interesting, but he's not discovering a new element either.

I'd wager that anyone with an average knowledge of history and a basic understanding of how social systems work, independently discovers "the trick" rather quickly and thankfully with much less cringy imaginery.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?

#172

Post by agomez314 »

curious16 wrote: post #152
agomez314 wrote: post #93

- Conquest: Cortes, Montezuma, and the Fall of Old Mexico by Hugh Thomas , because he brings history to life and the story of the Spanish and the Mexica is stranger than fiction, more subtle and terrible than you might think, and has many lessons on human behavior applicable to today. - Ecclesiastes by Qoheleth: In my opinion, superior to Marcus Aurelius' Meditations. "Go, eat your bread with enjoyment, and drink you…

What other CS books did you find amusing?

A New History of Modern Computing gave me a huge perspective on computers that I felt I lacked vs others who are older. Crafting Interpreters (Nystrom) makes compilers/interpreters not spooky and fun. Operating Systems: 3 Easy pieces and the xv6 OS manual are also great introductory books that got me interested in OS dev.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?

#173

Post by christophilus »

“Becoming Your Own Banker” by Nelson Nash was the most practically applicable book I read. The concept was totally foreign to me. I’m still thinking it through many months later, but am about to take my first concrete action / test run of the idea of “infinite banking” as a result of reading it.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?

#174

Post by ideonode »

pkrumins wrote: post #149

I didn’t read a single book. I deployed to production nearly 2000 times instead.

Not sure I personally understand the point you're making. Are reading and deploying to production activities that are mutually exclusive in your life?

Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?

#175

Post by ideonode »

curious16 wrote: post #47
diarrhea wrote: post #14

Code, 2nd edition, by Charles Petzold.

How does it compare to the 1st edition?

Actually, I read both the first and second editions this year. Was looking forward to the second edition, and preordered.

Sadly, it didn't quite live up to the impact of first book. Whilst it's mainly the same, there are a couple of areas where the pacing is a bit uneven. He has an overlong chapter on creating a clock. And his later chapters on programming in higher languages, with examples in javascript, are not as compelling as the earlier stuff.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?

#177

Post by agentultra »

I'd say Pastoral by Andre Alexis. This was the last book in the Quincunx cycle that I read -- five novels that share characters and settings but are not sequels; each story uses a different theme and style. This one is a pastoral of course. Others include Fifteen Dogs, an apologue; Ring, a romance; etc.

I had also read Ring this year and I was surprised that I had enjoyed it as much as I did. I've never been huge into romance novels. It has definitely left me more open minded.

Pastoral was my favorite for its sheer, stunning beauty and the tragic, bucolic little town and the people that lived in it. I was taken most of all by how effortlessly Alexis can dive deep from the scents and sounds of a scene into the emotional reasoning and memories of a character. The story has a pleasing cadence and tempo. The mystery of the relationships of the townsfolk and the challenges to the main characters' faith feel so real and believable. It's a wonderful escape.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?

#179

Post by diarrhea »

ideonode wrote: post #175
curious16 wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does it compare to the 1st edition?

Actually, I read both the first and second editions this year. Was looking forward to the second edition, and preordered. Sadly, it didn't quite live up to the impact of first book. Whilst it's mainly the same, there are a couple of areas where the pacing is a bit uneven. He has an overlong chapter on creating a clock. And his later chapters on programming in higher languages, with examples in javascript, are not as…

That was my observation as well (didn't read the 1st ed.). The middle third of the book is very dense and a lot of concepts will have to be kept in mind as the CPU is built up from plain transistors. It was all new to me, so challenging.

In the last third however, higher level concepts, languages etc. are introduced, and there's nothing new or even very interesting in that part for anyone with a year or more of regular coding experience.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?

#180

Post by greggyb »

'Psalm for the Wild Built' and 'Prayer for the Crown-Shy', both by Becky Chambers.

They are a pair of sci-fi novellas that explore the idea of finding purpose (and much more) through a series of adventures and conversations between a monk and a robot.

They are incredibly good thinky-feely books. I have ordered a copy of Psalm for at least a half dozen people in my life in the last month.

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