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Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?

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Re: Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?

#83
post #51

Reading two books, We by Yevgeny Zamyatin and The Devil's Cup by Stewart Lee Allen.

"The Devil's Cup" is great! He also has "In the Devil's garden", which is quite good as well. It presents the history of food in terms of the seven deadly sins.

It's a great book, I think I'm on 5th or 6th reread now.

Re: Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?

#84
"Zebras don't get ulcers" by Robert Sapolsky [ http://amzn.to/1kFszdH ] Great book on stress, it's evolutionary role and how it's screwing us up now, in the modern environment that's quite different from our evolutionary past.

"Brain Rules" by John Medina [http://amzn.to/UCgCPG] John, a molecular biologist, looks at things such as health and cognitive development and performance of kids and adults from an evolutionary perspective. He highlights problems with our approaches to work and study, how these are at odds with the way our brains evolved to work and what we can do about it. Great collection of actionable advice backed up by current research. See more at http://brainrules.net/

"The world until yesterday" by Jared Diamond http://amzn.to/1AAJjNL Great book on how "traditional" societies handle trade, war and interpersonal conflicts. Lots of thing to consider taking on board in "modern" societies - such as restorative justice.

"The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking" by Oliver Burkeman http://amzn.to/1rITiKX Great overview of pitfalls that "positive thinking" approach brings and how one can start employing alternative ways of attaining happiness.

Re: Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?

#85
post #68

The Shape of Space: How to Visualize Surfaces and Three-Dimensional Manifolds by Jeffrey R. Weeks ...this one has been a good read so far, but it is quite mind bending, I only read like a half chapter at a time slowly, and then I have to spend some time contemplating. Cupid's Poisoned Arrow: From Habit to Harmony in Sexual Relationships by Marnia Robinson ...I just finished this one, and it has quite the interesting…

Shape of Space is a really neat book.

Re: Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?

#86
post #13

I just finished Zero to One. It's the most thought provoking book I've ever read on entrepreneurship and some of Peter Theil's stories are jaw-dropping. It's the first book that has had me thinking I'm actually a pretty conventional thinker and not nearly ambitious enough.

Does it have much content beyond the CS183 class notes on Blake Masters' web site? I saw a pre-release copy on sale on abebooks but wanted to wait for the reviews.

Yes, it's an entire book. It has a better organized superset of the material from the lectures. Many things missing from the lectures are in the book and many things explained briefly in the lectures are explained in detail in the book.

If I can scrounge up the time, I'll write a review soon.

Re: Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?

#87
Grimoires: A History of Magical Books Which is about the rise of Christian conversion and the loss (destruction) of or condemnation of older natural pagan healing practices and the manuals or compilations which held that knowledge... burning of books through the millenia which took with it history and culture. From antiquity/pre-history to medieval ages to the Spanish Inquisition to modern times, I've learned so much and I'm not even half-way finished. Usually this sort of thing is extremely hokey and superstitious, except this book is 20% citations, sources and bibliography, further reading suggestions, and historical references. It focuses on the actual history of magic (be it Kabalistic or Enochian) instead of trying to legitimize it. In fact, it quite debunks "magic".

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (Edward FitzGerald's translation) After much study and reading multiple translations of this book, I'm currently reading one quatrain each day and committing it to memory. I so far cannot help but think about each throughout the day, often reciting the day's rhyme in an applicable situation (that no doubt will arise) much to the delight and enlightenment of others.

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