The Best Books I Read in 2013 • Hacker News Board

Re: The Best Books I Read in 2013

#31

Post by Renaud » Fri, Dec 13, 2013, 2:29 AM UTC

oskarth wrote: post #14

Jun8 wrote: post #6

"But I read mostly nonfiction because I always want to learn more about how the world works." Boy oh boy, if I had a quarter every time I heard that probably I could get a tall Starbucks latte. Many, many people are under the assumption that fiction is stuff that somebody made up and hence useless while non-fiction gives you information about the world; so if you're a busy person, read non-fiction (it's of, course de…

This is a very common viewpoint among technical people, sadly. Kind of like how humanists think math is about counting things. I'm not implying Gates is of that variety, but, you know, his kind, our kind. Not that there's much point in reading Shakespeare nowadays, anyway. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_cultures

Well, we can satisfy both our needs for geekiness and culture by watching Sir Patrick Stewart play Shakespeare: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZnaXDRwu84

Re: The Best Books I Read in 2013

#32

Post by rgrieselhuber » Fri, Dec 13, 2013, 2:32 AM UTC

mixmastamyk wrote: post #29

auctiontheory wrote: post #2

At least no Malcolm Gladwell. Bill Gates the voice of sanity - who woulda thunk it.

Why is this Gladwell character brought up so often? I'd never had known he exists if it wasn't for his detractors.

You're not missing anything.

Re: The Best Books I Read in 2013

#33

Post by imrehg » Fri, Dec 13, 2013, 2:40 AM UTC

The Beginning of Infinity - David Deutsch (enhanced my critical thinking)

The Wide Lens - Ron Adner (a more complete view for developing projects, foreseeing the inevitable problems beyond your immediate reach)

Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Haruki Murakami (just awesome)

Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson (tomorrow's world, written the day before yesterday)

And here's all the 40-something book I've read this year: https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/562634

Re: The Best Books I Read in 2013

#34

Post by contextual » Fri, Dec 13, 2013, 2:44 AM UTC

Currently reading Malcolm Gladwell's David and Goliath and it's easily one of my favorites of 2013. The introduction - Gladwell explains what actually happened in the epic biblical battle of the same name - is revelatory and an unforgettable piece of literature.

Malcolm Gladwell may be too popular to be 'cool', but he's a master storyteller. Haters gonna hate.

Re: The Best Books I Read in 2013

#35

Post by spenuke » Fri, Dec 13, 2013, 2:46 AM UTC

bqe wrote: post #20

oskarth wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a very common viewpoint among technical people, sadly. Kind of like how humanists think math is about counting things. I'm not implying Gates is of that variety, but, you know, his kind, our kind. Not that there's much point in reading Shakespeare nowadays, anyway. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_cultures

Why do you think there's no point in reading Shakespeare? I like many people, read Shakespeare in high school and disliked it. Reading it again as an adult is a completely different experience, and one I highly recommend. My favorite play is Titus Andronicus. How often do you have Anger, Rape, and Murder personified on stage, or forced cannibalism? The Quentin Tarantino of Shakespeare for sure.

One of the greatest joys I find is when something of an outrageous reputation actually lives up to that reputation. The Beatles, SICP, a couple examples. Shakespeare is perhaps the greatest example.

Some people have argued that nobody should read Shakespeare until after forty. I'm younger than that, but it's true that one of the greatest pleasures of reading great literature is recognition - RE-cognition - and you have to live some before you can recognize something in a piece of art.

Re: The Best Books I Read in 2013

#36

Post by dudurocha » Fri, Dec 13, 2013, 2:48 AM UTC

jmduke wrote: post #28

dudurocha wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tell me two books that'll teach me so much. Please.

I'd recommend Steinbeck's East of Eden and Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov .

thanks! I've been delaying the read of Brothers Karamazov. I'll look for the Steinbeck's.

Re: The Best Books I Read in 2013

#37

Post by dylanz » Fri, Dec 13, 2013, 2:50 AM UTC

I just took a road trip and looked at one of Bill Gates previous favorite books list, and picked "Tap Dancing to Work: Warren Buffett on Practically Everything, 1966-2012". I've always wanted to know more about Mr. Buffet, so I thought this would be a great choice.

I almost drove off the road listening to him talking about bonds vs stocks and percentages. It was interesting, but definitely not a road trip book.

That said, I finished Snow Crash on the trip, and it was a great book. I think I preferred Cryptonomicon a bit more, but some of the theories in Snow Crash were incredible, and way before their time. Hiro Protagonist and YT are also awesome characters.

Re: The Best Books I Read in 2013

#38

Post by spenuke » Fri, Dec 13, 2013, 2:51 AM UTC

mixmastamyk wrote: post #29

auctiontheory wrote: post #2

At least no Malcolm Gladwell. Bill Gates the voice of sanity - who woulda thunk it.

Why is this Gladwell character brought up so often? I'd never had known he exists if it wasn't for his detractors.

How many college-educated liberal folks with a non-engineering background do you know? It's all but impossible to avoid him in these circles.

(I say this as a philosophy degree-holding liberal pinko who is is exasperated by Gladwell. To be fair, I'm more exasperated with the culture of cherry-picking near-banalities wrapped in an engaging narrative that he and the TED folks have propagated rather than their work itself.)

Re: The Best Books I Read in 2013

#39

Post by vowelless » Fri, Dec 13, 2013, 2:58 AM UTC

swanson wrote: post #23

Well, I'm no Bill Gates, but here are the best books I read in 2013: * So Good They Can't Ignore You (Newport). If you've ever daydreamed about how much better your life would be if you were only working at that cool company, you should seriously read this book. By not focusing on just getting a cool job, but instead doing deliberate practice and being "so good they can't ignore you" you can increase aspects of any j…

I'm a huge fan of Cal Newport. I've been following his blog for years and I love his methodical approach towards deconstructing and demystifying various career related things.

Some books I read this year that stand out:

* Emperor of All Maladies (Mukherjee): Beautiful look into the most elusive disease of our generation. Mukherjee provides a biography of cancer.

* The Art of Learning (Waitzkin): I've been following Josh Waitzkin since I was a little kid. I fell in love with his Chessmaster series. Waitzkin was the inspiration for (and child actor in) Searching for Bobby Fischer. A chess prodigy and former IM, Waitzkin deconstructs his learning style and how it allowed him to become a leading Tai Chi martial artist.

* Humble Pie: Autobiography of Gordon Ramsay. I am a fan and found it pretty honest (although his cockiness leaks in a bit). It's a very quick read.

Re: The Best Books I Read in 2013

#40

Post by vowelless » Fri, Dec 13, 2013, 3:01 AM UTC

untitledly wrote: post #4

Top comment on the blog post. "Bill, you are really inspiring me to increase my concern for the critical issues of economy and technology. You are a gift to the world. thank u." Wow, Gates has really cleaned up his public perception.

Well, he is the Andrew Carnegie of our generation. I would say he has helped a very large number of people and been an inspiration to even more, especially outside of the US.