101–110 of 357 posts
Logicomix : https://www.logicomix.com/en/index.html
One idea from it really struck me: what kind of an individual spends years trying to prove that 1+1=2 (oversimplification of course). It takes a peculiar type of dedication, curiosity, and perhaps madness to go that deep.
I read 50 books this year. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/50-books-i-read-year-fahad-ud... One Minute Manager Talent is Overrated Originals Measure What Matters Crossing the Chasm Mindset The Startup Of You Remote - Office not Required So Good They Can't Ignore You The 8 Traits Successful People The Box The Defining Decade - Why Your Twenties Matter - Meg Jay The Power of Habit Cracking the Coding Interview The Googl…
He is one of my fav authors and this book is amazing. The story starts with a young farm boy named Arimnestos, Arimnestos is a historical figure who was the commander of the Plataean contingent during the Greco-Persian wars ~500BCE. The story is remarkable because it starts with him as a kid and you watch him grow up during this remarkable period in history. The author is incredible at developing the character and you feel like he is in the room every step of the way.
Not going to list all fo them, but the one that will have the most immediate impact on not just my life is: "Unconditional Parenting" by Alfie Kohn.
I've read numerous books by him in the education section and they deserve so much more attention! For example, did you know that the vast majority of studies done to show the benefits of homework failed to show benefits? If you like that -- read The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing.
Factfulness by Hans Rosling - amazing book, as recommended by Bill Gates, and I see why. Very timely and important given the current social climate. A must read for literally everyone.
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler - I've always been meaning to read some of the classic hardboiled detective novels, and what better place to start than with _the_ classic. Loved it. Very easy read. Looking forward to reading more of these.
Spanish Verb Tenses / Spanish Pronouns and Prepositions by Dorothy Richmond - I've been trying to learn Spanish and these are some of the best workbooks I've found.
Wool by Hugh Howey - A friend kept recommending this and it was so hard to put down once I started. It always kept me wanting more. It was a great journey, but at the very end things were becoming a little obvious, which is probably why I haven't gotten around to reading the other books in the series. But that definitely shouldn't keep anyone from reading it - it was a really great, fun read.
The Devil and Sherlock Holmes by David Grann - 12 amazing essays, each great in their own way. I didn't want to finish this only because I didn't want to no longer have a story to look forward to! I picked this up after reading his The Lost City of Z, which was also a great read if you like modern adventure stories.
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking - I love to reread this every so often. Maybe it's nostalgia?
How Linux Works by Brian Ward - I know Linux well enough, but certain things I never really understood and never bothered to look into. This book helped clarify some of the ways Linux works under-the-hood, and why, among other things. And it wasn't super dense - very approachable. Highly recommended to anyone who uses Linux but doesn't really think of themselves as a "Power User" or even "Intermediate".
Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep by David K. Randall - We know so little about sleep, and the research is constantly changing. Randall does a great job of distilling things for the layperson, though. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami - I was surprised how much I enjoyed this! What an amazing read. I typically don't enjoy this sort of book where everything seems to have some deeper meaning and it's very "out there" (for lack of a better description). But I couldn't be happier that this was recommended to me. I loved every page.
And I'll thrown in a dud:
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck by Mark Manson - I don't understand why people like this book so much, and I was a little annoyed at myself for reading it all the way through when I should have figured out a few pages in that I was wasting my time. A typical fluffy self-help book with no real substance, I thought. "Do Cool Sht" is another book in a similar vein that I had the foresight to bail on. I guess throwing a curse word in the title is the thing to do these days?
My highlights from this year: 1. "How to Measure Anything" (Douglas Hubbard) Presents a few simple techniques (confidence intervals, Monte Carlo simulations, regression analysis, Bayes, etc) to help with decision-making. E.g., should we build this feature or spend the same money on marketing? I put it alongside "Thinking, Fast and Slow" (Daniel Kahneman), "Superforecasting" (Philip Tetlock), "The Art of Thinking Clea…
And he describes a framework for how to calculate the value of measurement (e.g. how much is running an experiment that costs $1,000 worth -- will the information we gain be more valuable than the cost? etc).
How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler - I come back to this book constantly and I absolutely love it. Highly recommended. 5/5. Deep Work by Cal Newport - Could be summed up in a blog post. 3/5 (for the message; lower otherwise - maybe 2-2.5/5) Fanatical Prospecting by Jeb Blount - Could be summed up in a blog post, but I think he makes a point on cold calling - if you need to do it, suck it up and do it. And that a…
Promote yourself - meh “just become an influencer and pick a new job”
Extreme Ownership - good “navy seal war story -> leadership principle -> business application” x12
Rise - good “wow I have an easy life”
Drive - good “some people like doing stuff just because”
The Accounting Game - good “money explained to a kid to make you feel vetter about not understanding money”
Sapiens (Yuval Noah Harari, 2014 [English]) - A bit late to the party on this one. Mostly enjoyed it, especially the early ancient history stuff, but I felt it got a bit contrived in the middle - like the author was forcing it. Overall a good read though.
How to Invent Everything (Ryan North, 2018) - First book I've pre-ordered in a long time. A look at the history of civilization and technology through a comedic lens. Pretty funny and enjoyable.
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (Edmund Morris, 1979) - Randomly happened across this book while browsing a used bookstore for some stuff to read on a summer vacation. Loved it. It's big, but reads pretty quick for a biography. I've been a fan of TR since I first really learned about him in High School and I would recommend this for anyone interested in TR/The West/Americana.
Jaws (Peter Benchley, 1974) - Quite a bit darker than the movie.
Sharp Objects (Gillian Flynn, 2006) - I enjoyed Gone Girl (book and film) so I wanted to read this before the HBO series. To be honest...not my cup of tea. It was okay.
The Art of Racing in the Rain (Garth Stein, 2008) - Made me cry on an airplane. Thankfully my coworkers were on a different flight.
HBR's 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself
Primal Leadership, With a New Preface by the Authors: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence
Debugging Teams: Better Productivity through Collaboration
Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most
Kanban: Successful Evolutionary Change for Your Technology Business
The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation
HBR's Guide to Getting The Right Work Done
The Simple Path to Wealth: Your road map to financial independence and a rich, free life