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Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?

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Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?

#381

Post by ohmatt »

ohmatt wrote: post #379

"The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" by Tom Wolfe (RIP). One of my all time favorite book, one of my all time favorite authors. "The World According to Garp" by John Irving. Again, one of my favorite authors, one of his best books, but I really recommend almost all of his books. "Starship Troopers" by Robert A. Heinlein. Just read this a couple weeks ago, highly recommended. "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson. Just an…

How could I forget "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer. Another amazing author, great book.

I also realize none of these are really HN-related content. I just assumed you were looking for any type of books, and this are some of my recent favorite leisure books.

Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?

#382

Post by ohmatt »

nobrains wrote: post #165

Ready Player One. Read it before seeing the movie. If you were born in late 70s or 80s, you will enjoy the references.

I also really enjoyed this book, despite being born in 89. But, at the same time, it felt like the book was just him writing out lists of references, and just saying what was happening. The author is not the best "writer". That being said, the book is good, and ridiculously addicting to read. I read the whole thing over two days and couldn't put it down.

Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?

#383

Post by vagab0nd »

mercutio2 wrote: post #58
pbnjay wrote: post #14

For sci-fi recs: I recently read The Three-body Problem by Cixin Liu (a trilogy) and thought it was really good. Also just started another sci-fi trilogy with A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge which has some really fun and interesting (if hand-wavy) ideas about deep space physics.

Wow! You managed to juxtapose my favorite and least favorite science fiction. I’ve never read anything bad by Vernor Vinge. I could not find a single thing to like about The Three Body Problem. I’ve heard it gets better after the first book, but I loathed the first book so thoroughly I wasn’t willing to try any more. What did you like about it? It seemed like there was practically zero plot, and the science bits seem…

Personally, the first book is my favorite out of the 3. I think if you know a bit of the history of the Cultural Revolution, you'd enjoy it more. The way he combined the plot with that part of the Chinese history is amazing.

Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?

#384

Post by joddystreet »

Bhagvad Gita (as it is) - A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Not just a spiritual book, more like the guiding principles that anyone, starting something new, could use.

The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation - Jon Gertner

Bell Labs, the RnD wing of AT&T-was the best laboratory for new ideas in the world. The book tells a story about the life and work of a small group of brilliant people - Mervin Kelly, Bill Shockley, Claude Shannon, John Pierce, and Bill Baker.

Peak - Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool You must have heard this a 1000 times - "you can do this", the book is about - "yes, and this is how"

The master algorithm - Pedro Domingos Book details out the philosophies of various schools of thought in AI - deep learning, bayesian, genetic, reasoning - in a very simple language.

What technology wants - Kevin Kelly Technology is a living organism and there are patterns to the technology evolution, not unlike the organic evolution.

Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?

#385

Post by nimithryn »

carapace wrote: post #332
cncrnd wrote: post #302

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I could never get into Taleb for some reason. Am I the only one who thinks his writing is extremely long winded?

When I was reading "Black Swan" I was prepared to believe he was a genius. Then I got to the part where he bags on the Uncertainty Principle and I realized he's just a clever fool with a good way with words. Nevertheless, it behooves us to try to remember that we are susceptible to the "Black Swan effect", the very real tendency to immediately forget that our sacred cows shit the bed.

I am not convinced he is right about how susceptible people are to the black swan effect: it seems like your average person overvalues tail probabilities, not undervalues (hence why people play the lottery and buy insurance). It's been a while since I read anything by him, but I remember not being convinced by how he dealt with the problem of induction either, which seemed to lean dangerously close to intellectual nihilism.

Edit: grammar

Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?

#386

Post by wellpast »

stochastic_monk wrote: post #377
wellpast wrote: post #307

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Had the same thought. On this note, Peterson's reading list [1] is worth pursuing, however I'd dovetail it with less serious books for the sake of levity -- his reading list, like himself, can be pretty serious + severe. [1] https://jordanbpeterson.com/books/book-list/

I came to read it by way of a fellow House of Leaves enthusiast’s recommendation. I don’t remotely care for Jordan Peterson.

But what do you think of his book list?

Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?

#387

Post by wellpast »

stochastic_monk wrote: post #340
moretai wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably a result of Jordan Peterson becoming famous. He mentions Campbell a lot.

Actually, I’ve had this book for years. I think Jordan Peterson is an exploitational personality who simply tells people what they want to hear. Then again, George Lucas is among those who like it, so it’s not necessarily an intellectually valuable cohort.

I’m not in any JP fan club or anything, but that’s a bizarre assessment. Jordan Peterson is as far from someone who “tells ppl what they want to hear” as you can get. Which is one reason among a few why he is so unlikeable.

Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?

#388

Post by divan »

killaken2000 wrote: post #147
saryant wrote: post #42

1) Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation by Edward Chancellor Everything from the tulip craze to the dotcom boom. 2) If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look On My Face? by Alan Alda Alan Alda of MASH fame teaches you how to build more empathy and improve your communication skills. 3) Bad Blood by James Carreyou Theranos. Enough said. 4) Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in…

+1 for bad blood as well. I don't think I've read a book faster. Every chapter was more unbelievable that the next.

I also couldn't stop reading it, and devoured it in one day. Amazing read.

Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?

#389

Post by Younes-lg »

psalminen wrote: post #351
plants wrote: post #319

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many of my lit-savvy friends have never heard of Borges - I had never caught wind of him until about a year or two ago. I was blown away when I read Labyrinths. His writing style strikes a really nice balance between analytical and artistic/philosophical. I found that I got the most out of his stories when I read them in their entirety and reflected upon for a while afterwards. I would HIGHLY recommend him to other t…

> read them in their entirety and reflected upon for a while afterwards. This. My HS Physics teacher introduced my to Labyrinths. Still the best book recommendation I've ever received. Giving time for each story to absorb is essential. I'd also like to add "The Lottery in Babylon" is an excellent story.

I'd also recommend his Mythos series

Thomas Abril Consultant en Paris Sportifs https://bookmaker-foot.weebly.com

Re: Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?

#390

Post by amorphous »

oxymoron wrote: post #221
rayalez wrote: post #123

Here are the best books I've read over the last few months: - Lost and Founder - the founder of Moz shares his advice and experience from building a 40M/year company. I found the things he says about building a startup extremely insightful and practically useful. Reading it feels like having a dinner with a friend who shares with you the things he has learned in a very honest, down to earth way. Highly recommend it.…

I recommend ”A short history of nearly everything” to everyone, regardless of background. It covers a range of scientific fields and their history. My favorite part is his description of biological taxonomy. I also rememver enjoying his chapter on the history of plate tectonics. ”Our mathematical universe” is a fun and interesting book, but probably more of interest to someone with an explicit interest in physics. I…

> I recommend ”A short history of nearly everything” to everyone, regardless of background

Yes, not forgetting to mention that Bill Bryson is such a fantastic writer who can not only make the complex simple but who is also fun to read. Love his travel memoirs as well.

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