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Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012

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Re: Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012

#11

Post by stiff »

rdl wrote: post #9

I'm pretty happy with Nassim Taleb's _Antifragile_. http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-ebook... It's essentially the culmination of Fooled By Randomness and The Black Swan.

I found this the worst book from those three, time after time he describes an idea that sounds somewhat interesting and then every single concrete example he gives seems completely wrong, the more so the more real-world experience I have in a topic he describes. For example he goes on and on about how "random tinkering" beats science when it comes to engineering - I would love to see an engineer that would agree with him on this. What he says about evolution seems completely misguided.

Re: Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012

#12

Post by lpolovets »

I really liked Succeed by Halvorson, as well as Willpower by Baumeister and Tierney. The former covers research on setting goals, the latter covers research on being more disciplined. Both book are a great blend of interesting studies and practical advice.

Amazon links: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0452297710 and http://www.amazon.com/dp/0143122231

Thorough book notes: http://www.quora.com/Leo-Polovets/Exceptionally-long-book-no... and http://www.quora.com/Leo-Polovets/Exceptionally-long-book-no...

Re: Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012

#15

Post by tonywok »

Here's a few of my favorites I read this year:

1. Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain by David Eagleman

2. Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman

3. Developing a Universal Religion by David Hockey

4. Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer

Re: Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012

#16

Post by rdl »

stiff wrote: post #11
rdl wrote: post #9

I'm pretty happy with Nassim Taleb's _Antifragile_. http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-ebook... It's essentially the culmination of Fooled By Randomness and The Black Swan.

I found this the worst book from those three, time after time he describes an idea that sounds somewhat interesting and then every single concrete example he gives seems completely wrong, the more so the more real-world experience I have in a topic he describes. For example he goes on and on about how "random tinkering" beats science when it comes to engineering - I would love to see an engineer that would agree with…

I'm only about 1/6th of the way through (listening in the car). I did have some disagreement on the specific examples, but they seemed to just be badly chosen examples (since he only really understands finance and some liberal arts, not engineering). So he's a bad writer, but not in a way which directly detracts from his philosophical argument. (and yes, the evolution parts sounded whacko too, but I think he was quoting someone else's beliefs, and had an argument that even if the explanation was wrong, it would still be a valid conclusion due to another argument)

Re: Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012

#18

Post by stiff »

rdl wrote: post #16
stiff wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I found this the worst book from those three, time after time he describes an idea that sounds somewhat interesting and then every single concrete example he gives seems completely wrong, the more so the more real-world experience I have in a topic he describes. For example he goes on and on about how "random tinkering" beats science when it comes to engineering - I would love to see an engineer that would agree with…

I'm only about 1/6th of the way through (listening in the car). I did have some disagreement on the specific examples, but they seemed to just be badly chosen examples (since he only really understands finance and some liberal arts, not engineering). So he's a bad writer, but not in a way which directly detracts from his philosophical argument. (and yes, the evolution parts sounded whacko too, but I think he was quot…

Nice to hear your opinion, hearing some praise of the book I was wondering what similar-minded people think of it, I wish he just stayed closer to fields he is more familiar with, as you said.

Re: Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012

#19

Post by stevenj »

"Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson http://www.amazon.com/Steve-Jobs-Walter-Isaacson/dp/14516485...

"Liar's Poker" by Michael Lewis http://www.amazon.com/Liars-Poker-Michael-Lewis/dp/039333869...

"Reminiscences of a Stock Operator" by Edwin Lefevre http://www.amazon.com/Reminiscences-Stock-Operator-Commentar...

"The Big Miss: My Years Coaching Tiger Woods" by Hank Haney http://www.amazon.com/Big-Miss-Years-Coaching-Tiger/dp/03079...

"The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King: Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time" by Michael Craig http://www.amazon.com/Professor-Banker-Suicide-King-Richest/...

Re: Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012

#20

Post by yread »

Melville's Moby Dick, Crockford's Javascript: the good parts, Vonnegut's short stories, Defoe's Adventures and Piracies of captain Singleton (not about the design pattern), Amsterdam in the 70s. Not a single new release though.
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