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Good Books for a Lousy Year

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Re: Good Books for a Lousy Year

#91

Post by selykg »

slampig wrote: post #72
happy_path wrote: post #3

When I see this kind of lists I always think of getting some of these books and reading them. However, I feel like reading books that have no relationship with my job (software engineer) is a waste. Do any feel the same? Is this a harmful mindset and should stop worrying about "wasting" my free time?

You should definitely rethink your priorities. You go to work to support the rest of your life. You don't live to work.

This is super important. I think a lot of people would understand this better if they experienced burn out.

I used to spend a lot of time working. Then over time that just started destroying me. I got let go from my job and while I had noticed this a bit, particularly on vacations, I had no idea how to "not work."

My stress level was through the roof and I had no outlets for anything.

2020 has been the year of me trying to create a life outside of work. Kind of a weird ass year to try it but despite 2020 being 2020, I've rediscovered my love of reading, really started learning music theory, and a bunch of smaller things.

I should be able to go into 2021 a lot better as a person and feel my life is "better" in a lot of ways that it was previously pretty poor. I still don't think my life is amazing or great or anything, but baby steps.

A big change in mindset to accomplish a lot of this is that my job exists to plan for the future (planning for retirement has been a big deal this year), it pays for me to have fun (enjoy the now), and it pays for me to pay my bills to live. My job is not my life, it's a means to an end. I show up, I do my job, and I leave at the end of the day and I don't think about work until I come back in the next morning.

Re: Good Books for a Lousy Year

#92

Post by Balgair »

redelbee wrote: post #64
apples_oranges wrote: post #15

I have read "Range" and was underwhelmed. I feel like the idea in it can be summarised in a 5-15 minute blog post. I also think that this year was probably not lousy for many people, me included, and I'm a bit tired of giving 2020 negative adjectives.

I also read Range and I too was a bit underwhelmed. I took it as a sign that I’ve read too much in this area already as much of the book was familiar. It would probably be a good introduction for those who haven’t read about the topic before. I keep telling people that 2020 is our chance to both address the lousy situation many are in, and to recognize what is truly important in our lives. The fact that many people d…

Book reports/reviews are a thing in their own. The thesis of a text is somewhat straightforward to summarize in articles and reports of that length.

Personally, I thought Range was a fantastic book. I agree that it was repetitive at times but that drum beating of the theme was welcome and showed the un/kind learning environment thesis in many areas of human learning.

I gave copies of the book out to my group at work in 2019 and everyone in the group loved it (so they told me!). My team members appreciated the other examples beyond the Woods-Federer example and my boss brings up those examples from time to time.

The central core idea of un/kind learning environments is a crucial one and has really helped me when I have to learn new things too. As my career is not generally in a kind learning environment, it has made me more confident to graze for new information far and wide, like here on HN (:

Re: Good Books for a Lousy Year

#93

Post by chad_strategic »

I'm not sure I'm would be comfortable reading books recommended by Bill Gates.

Maybe the books are good, but I would rather have them recommended from other sources, with a mix of other books. The last thing I would want to do is think like Bill Gates. I wouldn't read books recommend from Donald Trump either. I also question any books that algorithm put together for me.

The only good book list is probably a list of books that have been banned from libraries or the government wants you not to read. I think there are 451 of those books?

Full disclosure: I'm not a fan of windows.

Re: Good Books for a Lousy Year

#94

Post by Nathanael_M »

ckosidows wrote: post #86
Brajeshwar wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks. Pretty much all books gives you something or the other to learn. I started writing about the books I read, each year, since 2018. For this year, here are few, in no particular order that I feel happy and fulfilled reading them. I will be digging deeper and doing a retrospective, and write a blog post by early 2021. - Cant't hurt me by David Goggins. - Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport. - Ego is the Enemy by R…

Also just finished Can't Hurt Me. It's probably not for everyone. Goggins has a pretty unhealthy view of himself when he was 'fat' and his relationships with other people are kind of suspect. But it's an intense read and incredibly motivational. If you need a different perspective on exercising and pushing yourself to your limits this book is a must. Don't try to be David Goggins (you might die). But to read his stor…

I agree. I would still recommend the book to most people, but with a number of caveats. I think the most important takeaway from that book is the concept of embracing mental discomfort to strengthen yourself.

Learning to work with intention and not just when I feel "focused" or "energized" has been hard work for me and something that this last year has really forced. His book was very helpful to me in framing mentally uncomfortable things as "workouts" and opportunities to grow.

It's a great book if you apply that concept to things like family, marriage, work, LIFE, and not just increasing your suffering personal record.

Re: Good Books for a Lousy Year

#95

Post by woile »

Brajeshwar wrote: post #20

Every year, I add Gates' recommended books to my reading list. This year, 2020, when the Pandemic hit and our prospective Investor walked off, leaving me with a team I cannot support; I turn to extra reading for support. In early 2020, when I realized I read over 50+ books in 2019, I had decided to read slower, and more picky to digest the books better. Unfortunately, I ended up reading lot more this year. By GoodRea…

Holly molly!! That's impressive. I've managed to read 11, I'm a bit disappointed I didn't make it to 12 (1 per month). What other activities do you do during a normal day?

Re: Good Books for a Lousy Year

#96

Post by cambalache »

hairofadog wrote: post #83

Not exactly on topic, but in case anyone is interested, the most reliable source I know for fiction recommendations is the Tournament of Books: https://themorningnews.org/tob/

Seeing that website and its picks it reminded me of the acerbic comment of a Swedish academic:

"Permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy Horace Engdahl told the Associated Press that US writers were "too sensitive to trends in their own mass culture", which he said dragged down the quality of their work. "The US is too isolated, too insular. They don't translate enough and don't really participate in the big dialogue of literature," Engdahl said. "That ignorance is restraining."

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/oct/01/us.literature....

Re: Good Books for a Lousy Year

#97

Post by cambalache »

apples_oranges wrote: post #15

I have read "Range" and was underwhelmed. I feel like the idea in it can be summarised in a 5-15 minute blog post. I also think that this year was probably not lousy for many people, me included, and I'm a bit tired of giving 2020 negative adjectives.

I havent read it, but reading Gate's blurb, calling Roger Federer (A guy who has dedicated all his life to one specific sport) a generalist told me everything I wanted to know about the book, a Malcom-Gladwellian work.

Re: Good Books for a Lousy Year

#98

Post by Dirlewanger »

cambalache wrote: post #97
apples_oranges wrote: post #15

I have read "Range" and was underwhelmed. I feel like the idea in it can be summarised in a 5-15 minute blog post. I also think that this year was probably not lousy for many people, me included, and I'm a bit tired of giving 2020 negative adjectives.

I havent read it, but reading Gate's blurb, calling Roger Federer (A guy who has dedicated all his life to one specific sport) a generalist told me everything I wanted to know about the book, a Malcom-Gladwellian work.

Pop science with inundated with $50 words to sound more impressive than it really is.

Re: Good Books for a Lousy Year

#99

Post by humanlion87 »

apples_oranges wrote: post #15

I have read "Range" and was underwhelmed. I feel like the idea in it can be summarised in a 5-15 minute blog post. I also think that this year was probably not lousy for many people, me included, and I'm a bit tired of giving 2020 negative adjectives.

I completely agree regarding your thoughts on "Range". I think quite a number of books dealing with same/similar subject areas can be shortened. But for some reason "Range" felt too long even by those standards. I felt like the author had nothing much to say in the second half and just keep going on for no reason.

Re: Good Books for a Lousy Year

#100

Post by Trasmatta »

Brajeshwar wrote: post #20

Every year, I add Gates' recommended books to my reading list. This year, 2020, when the Pandemic hit and our prospective Investor walked off, leaving me with a team I cannot support; I turn to extra reading for support. In early 2020, when I realized I read over 50+ books in 2019, I had decided to read slower, and more picky to digest the books better. Unfortunately, I ended up reading lot more this year. By GoodRea…

> When I'm anxious, I either read or play chess

That's interesting, I'm the complete opposite, I find it almost impossible to read while anxious.

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