Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?
Looking for something new to read, curious to hear what others are reading
87 comments
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 premise, and 300+ footnotes and references to scientific research, but I don't quite know if I'll be trying it out. The testimonials don't comport with my experiences, but they are somehow compelling. It is worth a read if you are looking for something different, and it definitely has some challenging thoughts to ponder. The main theory is that there is mammalian programming in your brain that releases oxytocin to make you feel good when you touch someone or engage in other bonding behavior. And there is a contrary effect that after orgasm your dopamine levels drop which causes people to get bored with their current partner and seek novel partners (to spread their gene further). The recommendation is to engage in intercourse, but avoid orgasm. And that it takes 2-3 weeks of avoiding orgasm to reset the neurochemistry in your brain, so that you get the blissful effects of oxytocin, without the dopamine depletion of orgasm.
...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 premise, and 300+ footnotes and references to scientific research, but I don't quite know if I'll be trying it out. The testimonials don't comport with my experiences, but they are somehow compelling. It is worth a read if you are looking for something different, and it definitely has some challenging thoughts to ponder. The main theory is that there is mammalian programming in your brain that releases oxytocin to make you feel good when you touch someone or engage in other bonding behavior. And there is a contrary effect that after orgasm your dopamine levels drop which causes people to get bored with their current partner and seek novel partners (to spread their gene further). The recommendation is to engage in intercourse, but avoid orgasm. And that it takes 2-3 weeks of avoiding orgasm to reset the neurochemistry in your brain, so that you get the blissful effects of oxytocin, without the dopamine depletion of orgasm.
Shape of Space is a really neat book.
"Flash Boys" by Michael Lewis
It's about High Frequency Trading (algorithmic trading) and how the market reacted; and what a few individuals did to solve the problem. It's a seriously addicting book.
It's about High Frequency Trading (algorithmic trading) and how the market reacted; and what a few individuals did to solve the problem. It's a seriously addicting book.
Flash Boys is a little strange. It's presented as David vs. Goliath, but "the little guy" is J. P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs.
Which is not to say there's nothing that could be done to improve our financial infrastructure, or no problems relating to anything deserving the HFT label - there's plenty of both.
Which is not to say there's nothing that could be done to improve our financial infrastructure, or no problems relating to anything deserving the HFT label - there's plenty of both.
If you like this book, check out 'Dark Pools'. It's even better.
I'm halfway through the last volume of Proust's In Search of Lost Time, and I admit I'm proud of it. I don't know what can be said in a small space about a novel so large and canonical, but I've deeply enjoyed it. An unexpected quirk of the novel is that though I've been heavily absorbed in it the whole way, and found it moving, funny, and in general a complete literary experience, I can't really recommend it to others without absurd sounding qualifiers, e.g., "As long as you can put up with hundreds of pages on end of detailed descriptions of things like churches, landscapes, flowers, parties, dinners, families, manners, morals, and the like, you'll find it immeasurably beautiful and immediately personally meaningful!" --where I'd of course have never previously taken that bait.
Translation or in French?
I hoped my French would be up to Proust, but sadly it wasn't, and I didn't want re-learning French to be an impediment to the enjoyment of the story. So I've read the Enright versions.
Ok. I know no French at all (il y a un poisson dans votre bibliotheque) but that novel is something I've been interested in trying. Maybe I'll give that a shot.
One summer in high school I decided to read In Search of Lost Time before school started up again.
I only made my way through Swann's Way (the first of seven books in the series), but I'm so glad I did. I think it was probably the toughest piece of literature I'd ever read, but one of the most rewarding by far.
I only made my way through Swann's Way (the first of seven books in the series), but I'm so glad I did. I think it was probably the toughest piece of literature I'd ever read, but one of the most rewarding by far.
I know exactly what you mean. The Combray part was hard to dig into, but full of enough psychological insight to make me want to continue. Then the long, brutal debasement of Swann, such an inspiring character, was intensely painful, sometimes enough to make me squirm in my seat, but with a conclusion so unexpected, peculiar, and profound, I was hooked.
Recently finished Robert Cialdini's Influence: Science and Practice, a great horrifying psychology book. Now I've started Iain Banks' Excession, giving his Culture universe another go. (Player of Games was good, but not great.)
In the midst of reading this, too. Horrifying is an understatement. I've thought of specific individuals who have abused some of the techniques in that book to great success.
"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.
"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.
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.
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.
Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software by Charles Petzold.
A great book that explains how computers actually work through number systems and the logic that acts on those systems. You start with the theory behind binary numbers and work your way through electrical circuits, logic gates, RAM, transistors, and the operating system as you build your fundamental knowledge of the inner workings of computers. It's pretty cool.
A great book that explains how computers actually work through number systems and the logic that acts on those systems. You start with the theory behind binary numbers and work your way through electrical circuits, logic gates, RAM, transistors, and the operating system as you build your fundamental knowledge of the inner workings of computers. It's pretty cool.
Finished that recently -- great book! His "Annotated Turing" is pretty great too, for machine heads.
3D Shape: Its Unique Place in Visual Perception by Zygmunt Pizlo. (I studied human gesture briefly in college so it caught my eye at a used book store. Pretty good cognitive science survey so far. Haven't gotten to the CS part yet, but I'm not knowledgeable in computer vision anyway so I couldn't really review it from that perspective.)
Quantum Computing and Quantum Information by Michael Nielsen and Isaac Chuang. (Beastly book. I actually find it to be a pretty well-written introduction so far, but I just barely have the background to plod through it.)
Hocus Pocus by Kurt Vonnegut. (S.O. loves Vonnegut, so I'm working my way through his collection. Great so far, though I don't always have the patience for goofy midwestern people humor, despite being a midwesterner myself.)
Alif the Unseen by G Willow Wilson. (Only a few pages in, but I have a weakness for fantasy-in-modern-day-setting novels and it came on a recommendation from a friend outside of the genre. On a similar note, I strongly recommend both of Nick Harkaway's novels, Angelmaker and Gone-Away World, which I recently reread.)
Quantum Computing and Quantum Information by Michael Nielsen and Isaac Chuang. (Beastly book. I actually find it to be a pretty well-written introduction so far, but I just barely have the background to plod through it.)
Hocus Pocus by Kurt Vonnegut. (S.O. loves Vonnegut, so I'm working my way through his collection. Great so far, though I don't always have the patience for goofy midwestern people humor, despite being a midwesterner myself.)
Alif the Unseen by G Willow Wilson. (Only a few pages in, but I have a weakness for fantasy-in-modern-day-setting novels and it came on a recommendation from a friend outside of the genre. On a similar note, I strongly recommend both of Nick Harkaway's novels, Angelmaker and Gone-Away World, which I recently reread.)
"Good Math: A Geek's Guide to the Beauty of Numbers, Logic, and Computation" by Mark C. Chu-Carroll
"Seven Databases in Seven Weeks: A Guide to Modern Databases and the NoSQL Movement" by Eric Redmond and Jim R. Wilson
"The Joy of Clojure, Second Edition" by Michael Fogus and Chris Houser
"Seven Databases in Seven Weeks: A Guide to Modern Databases and the NoSQL Movement" by Eric Redmond and Jim R. Wilson
"The Joy of Clojure, Second Edition" by Michael Fogus and Chris Houser
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horrowitz.
It's pretty good, though I personally find his view of business management to be dated and out of touch like his view of title inflation vs Facebook's title normalization. Still a good and insightful read.
It's pretty good, though I personally find his view of business management to be dated and out of touch like his view of title inflation vs Facebook's title normalization. Still a good and insightful read.
I just finished reading 1984. You should read it as a warning, not a manual.
Just finished reading Hugh Howey's "Dust". The Wool, Shift, and Dust series from Hugh Howey are great dystopic sci-fi. Picked up The Signal and the Noise from Nate Silver as my next book.
Consciousness Explained by Daniel Dennett. It's great, now I'm equipped to annoy my friends with arguments like 'dogs are not sentient but computers could be.'
Just finished Patrick Leigh Fermor's "A time of gifts" and I can't recommend it enough! One of the best English books that I have read. You will particularly like it if you're interested in European history (political, as well as art history), if you like traveling, if you're into foreign languages and if you don't mind using a dictionary once in a while. I'm really excited to start its sequel "Between the woods and the water".
Moby Dick. It's great so far, with wonderfully diverse, dense writing. For some reason I have trouble reading anything but the so-called "literary classics". Perhaps it's the fact that there are so many I could quite literally never read them all in my lifetime, so why waste time with anything else? I understand that's a somewhat flawed argument ("classics" are somewhat subjective), but I cannot bring myself to read much else.
Just finished Tower Lord, it's the sequel to Blood Song, by Anthony Ryan. Blood Song stands pretty strong all on its own, I'm not even sure if he ever planned for this to become a series. But book two (Tower Lord) makes it quite clear that this is now a Game of Thrones esq series.
Just started Old Mans War last night, haven't gotten far enough into it to form an opinion.
Just started Old Mans War last night, haven't gotten far enough into it to form an opinion.
Operating Manual For Spaceship Earth - R. Buckminster Fuller
It turns out Bucky was a lot more than the man who invented Bucky Balls, this book was written in 1971 and is still incredibly accurate.
As an aside, I have been logging the books I read over the past two years here: http://crismannoble.github.io/tabula/
It turns out Bucky was a lot more than the man who invented Bucky Balls, this book was written in 1971 and is still incredibly accurate.
As an aside, I have been logging the books I read over the past two years here: http://crismannoble.github.io/tabula/
Reading Lawrence of Arabia by Scott Anderson - So far I have got a vivid picture of the events leading up to World War I and how opportunistic the Standard Oil Company were. This is a long book. So, I plan to interleave my reading with either "The Map Thief" by Michael Blanding or "Diary of a nobody" by George Grossmith.
Vanished Kingdoms by Norman Davies. History of Europe from the perspective of "countries" that don't exist anymore. Covers medieval kingdoms (Tolosa, Strathclyde, Aragon); more recent countries (Poland-Lithuania, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha); up to very recent times (USSR). Very interesting perspective on history.
The Joy of Clojure. I highly recommend it.
Gweilo: Memories of a Hong Kong Childhood - Martin Booth
http://www.amazon.com/Gweilo-Memories-Hong-Kong-Childhood/dp...
http://www.amazon.com/Gweilo-Memories-Hong-Kong-Childhood/dp...
Currently re-reading "Escape From Reason" by Francis Schaeffer. Interesting as a history of western thought, even if you don't buy his conclusions. It's concise to the point of terseness, though - you're going to have to fill in some blanks that he doesn't.
Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture. Pretty basic - looking for a good read though and my reading list is running dry. Manning is releasing some good stuff on reactive development that I'd recommend - the Reactive Design Patterns material that is available is super good.
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.
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.
Where did you get a copy? Amazon says it isn't out until September?
yeah it'll definitely be on my list when it comes out - it would be awesome if you know where to get a copy now
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.
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.
If I can scrounge up the time, I'll write a review soon.
In terms of studying, I am half way in Case Study Research, Contextual design and Constructing Grounded Theory.
In terms of leisure, I just finished enders games, and fault in our stars, and I will begin physics of the impossible and the future of the mind
Blindsight, by Peter Watts. One of the better sci-fi novels I've read in awhile. Reminds me a lot of Arthur C. Clark in that it successfully strikes a really hard balance between scientific accuracy/feasibility and imaginative storytelling.
He's a fantastic author. You picked the right time to read that too, a sequel is coming out in August that continues the story. His Rifters series is well worth reading too.
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. I can honestly say it's not only impacted the way I think about habits, but it's impacted my actual habits as well, and for the better I might add! Leisure read turned life hack textbook :)
Currently reading Cibola Burn - the 4th in the Expanse series by James SA Corey. Very good hard-ish SF series.
I also just finished Creativity Inc., Ed Catmull's book about Pixar. Extremely valuable insights about running a creative organization.
I also just finished Creativity Inc., Ed Catmull's book about Pixar. Extremely valuable insights about running a creative organization.
William Vollmann's Rising Up & Rising Down is worth your time. If you're inclined towards philosophy of science or epistemology, I'd also recommend R Nozick's Invariances: The Structure of the Objective World.
Just started The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17660462
It's been pretty good so far.
It's been pretty good so far.
Plowing the Dark-Richard Powers
I have tried to finish this book three times, but I have had to start at the beginning each time. The plot is dense and I can't jump back in after ~150 pages and a month of not reading it.
I have tried to finish this book three times, but I have had to start at the beginning each time. The plot is dense and I can't jump back in after ~150 pages and a month of not reading it.
Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman
The Rails 4 Way, Obie Fernandez
Morning train ride: The Personal MBA.
Evening train ride: Problem Solving with Algorithms and Data Structures using Python.
Best read in a while: The Obstacle is the Way. Great intro to Stoicism, and only $4.00 on the kindle.
Evening train ride: Problem Solving with Algorithms and Data Structures using Python.
Best read in a while: The Obstacle is the Way. Great intro to Stoicism, and only $4.00 on the kindle.
Mobile Suit Gundam the origin and the new Bryan lee o'malley novel Seconds.
I'm mainly just reading for pleasure right now. But reading these 2 volumes makes me want more hardback comic books.
I'm mainly just reading for pleasure right now. But reading these 2 volumes makes me want more hardback comic books.
The Drunkards Walk by Leonard Mlodinow
For the uninitiated he is the coauthor of 2005 edition of A Briefer History of Time. As the title says this is about "how randomness rules our lives".
For the uninitiated he is the coauthor of 2005 edition of A Briefer History of Time. As the title says this is about "how randomness rules our lives".
"Idea Man" by Paul Allen
A historical autobiography of Mr. Allen (cofounder of Microsoft). The first half about Traf-O-Data, Basic and founding Microsoft is especially interesting.
A historical autobiography of Mr. Allen (cofounder of Microsoft). The first half about Traf-O-Data, Basic and founding Microsoft is especially interesting.
I am reading "An Introduction to Category Theory", "Haskell Data Analysis Cookbook", and I just finished the sci-fi book "Solaris."
Slowly making my way through The Timeless Way of Building by Christopher Alexander. Also reading Essentialism by Greg McKeown, and Influence by Robert Cialdini.
"Big Pharma", Ben Goldacre and a collection of F. Scott Fitzgerald short stories including the eponymous "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz".
In terms of studying, I'm revisiting Topics In Algebra and starting on SICP.
In terms of leisure, I'm starting on A Mote In God's Eye (Niven/Pournelle).
In terms of leisure, I'm starting on A Mote In God's Eye (Niven/Pournelle).
Code Complete. I am only halfway through the book, but the lessons I have learned have already helped me improve how I design and develop software.
Weird Life - The Search for Life That is Very, Very Different from Our Own
An easy introductory survey of the different types of life there are and may be.
An easy introductory survey of the different types of life there are and may be.
The Passionate Programmer.
I read it in college, and now that I'm reading it again with a full time job, it's amazing how much better it reads.
I read it in college, and now that I'm reading it again with a full time job, it's amazing how much better it reads.
Re-reading what I consider to be the best book on Stoic philosophy - Letters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium by Seneca
"America is in the Heart", by Carlos Bulosan, an excellent book on the early days of Filipino immigrant experience
"What they teach you at Harvard Business School"
A must if you are thinking of taking the plunge from development to doing an MBA
A must if you are thinking of taking the plunge from development to doing an MBA
Count Zero, by Gibson.
Just finished Neuromancer (for the first time! Bad geek! No cookie!), and plan to read Mona Lisa Overdrive next.
Just finished Neuromancer (for the first time! Bad geek! No cookie!), and plan to read Mona Lisa Overdrive next.
The Regulatory Genome: Gene Regulatory Networks In Development And Evolution, by Eric Davidson
awesome read.
awesome read.
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.
Telluriya by Vladimir Sorokin.
Very interesting, especially with current development in Ukraine.
Very interesting, especially with current development in Ukraine.
Mastering Web Application Development in AngularJs
Little Book on CoffeeScript
Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold and the rest of the Vorkosigan Saga
The Rhesus Chart...the latest Laundry novel by Charles Stross.
Replay: Ken Grimwood (Second time reading is even better)
1984 by George Orwell, very relevant in current times.
Moby Dick - Herman Melville
A Gamut of Games - Sid Sackson
Good Math - Mark Chu-Carroll
A Gamut of Games - Sid Sackson
Good Math - Mark Chu-Carroll
Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic
”Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”
My Venice and Other Essays by Donna Leon
Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela!
Bruce Chatwin's The Songlines
On Intelligence - Jeff Hawkins
Fountainhead
how about mathematical universe
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The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley