Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 62 posts

Re: Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?

#21

Post by ozcap »

tuna-piano wrote: post #11

Without a doubt "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage" by Alfred Lansing. Read it, read it now. It's the kind of book that you once you read, you'll never forget. 4.8 stars with 23k reviews on Amazon. Similar survival story vibes as books like "Into Thin Air" or "Into the Wild" but just on another level. It follows the story of a journey to Antarctica in 1914 that goes wrong and ends up with the ship trapped in…

Definitely adding this to my list. I was stationed in Antarctica for three months earlier this year and it really gave me a newfound respect for these early explorers. I can’t imagine navigating such an environment with only relatively basic equipment and the stars.

Re: Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?

#23

Post by nicbou »

etra0 wrote: post #12
khazhoux wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. Cue the “I only read 453 books this year, but here’s my top 50” comments

I am a terrible reader and I'm really ashamed of it. I don't know how people can read that many books, I think in my lifetime I've finished at most 4 books? and two of them were technical books. I think I suffer from aphantasia which may be related to the impossibility of getting hook to anything by reading. I've tried mangas as well and it's a bit easier, but still find hard to really enjoy. Of course, most of the b…

Try picking books just for fun, and reading in a pleasant setting. It makes a big difference.

Re: Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?

#27

Post by Brajeshwar »

This year, I decided to read more fiction, and I like it.[1] Here are some of the interesting non-fiction books I liked;

- Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller

- How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World by Steven Johnson

- The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa by Michael Kimmelman

- The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

- The TATAS: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation by Girish Kuber

1. https://brajeshwar.com/2024/books/

Re: Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?

#28

Post by wingworks »

The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins (the guy that started the FIRE movement.)

Great read, and not dry like many finance/investing books can be. Worth a read if you want to retire early, or even just retire normally.

If you happen to live in NZ, then Rich Enough by Mary Holm is a great read. (again about best way to manage your money, but focused on NZ)

Re: Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?

#29

Post by Brajeshwar »

vintageclothldn wrote: post #4
khazhoux wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. Cue the “I only read 453 books this year, but here’s my top 50” comments

It's the most wonderful time on the year..

And we haven’t even started putting up the Christmas lights.
Post reply on HN