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Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011

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Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011

#151

It isn't a proper book, but Eliezer Yudkowsky's Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality was incredible. Don't judge it by the fact that it is a fanfic.

How interesting will this be if i've never read the Harry Potter series? (i've seen a couple of the movies)

Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011

#152

Born to run by Christopher McDougall Read it in the beginning of this year when I was starting to run, very inspiring. And look, I'm still running!

+1, that is an amazing book. even if one is not a runner, it is still worth reading the book. The author goes to great lengths to track the tarahumara, and to organize the race, in a dangerous region.

Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011

#153
post #33

The Civilization Of The Renaissance In Italy by Jacob Burckhardt: http://www.amazon.com/Civilization-Renaissance-Italy-2/dp/B0... Pioneering Swiss art historian Jacob Burckhardt saw the Italian Renaissance as no less than the beginning of the modern world. In this hugely influential work he argues that the Renaissance’s creativity, competitiveness, dynasties, great city-states and even its vicious rulers sowed the se…

Excellent book. With a bit of looking around you can find a volume of his letters, and also a book called "Judgments on History and Historians."

Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011

#154
For me, I had a few that I really liked:

* The Art of Game Design by Jesse Schell. Probably one of the best books I've read, even for people who don't want to make games, it was really good.

* Business Model Generation by Osterwalder and Pigneur. One of the better business books I've read through. Also one of the most creative.

And I finally read:

* The C Programming Language by K&R. 'nuff said.

Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011

#155
"Incognito - The Secret Lives of the Brain" (http://amzn.com/0307377334) blew me away. Very interesting read on the current understanding of how the brain/consciousness work and the implications of these models on free will, etc.

I've now given it as a present no less than 4 times and counting.

Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011

#156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who's made the transtion from muslim -> atheist, I was disappointed, confused and terrified when I first read a translation of the Koran. I'm genuinely curious as to what you've learned from it that's of any use, apart from perhaps, a deeper understanding of the thought-process and ethos of Islamic fundamentalists.

Your reaction seems very strange. Can you explain why you had never read the koran if you were muslim?

Now, to be fair, most Christians haven't read the Bible.

Re: Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011

#157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who's made the transtion from muslim -> atheist, I was disappointed, confused and terrified when I first read a translation of the Koran. I'm genuinely curious as to what you've learned from it that's of any use, apart from perhaps, a deeper understanding of the thought-process and ethos of Islamic fundamentalists.

Your reaction seems very strange. Can you explain why you had never read the koran if you were muslim?

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