I'm about to take a few weeks off, and I'd love to hear recommendations from HNers on books they've read recently and enjoyed. I'm open to anything, fiction or non-fiction -- and I'd be particularly interested in subjects other than programming or entrepreneurship.
<i>Palace Walk</i>, by Naguib Mahfouz<p>A family drama set in Cairo during and after World War I. It's a long book, but the going is easy. The variety of characters of different ages and temperaments, each with their own preoccupations in a turbulent time, provide a fascinating glimpse of what to me was an entirely unknown society and culture. It's the first book in a trilogy, so if you like it, there are more books waiting.<p><i>Never Let Me Go</i>, by Kazuo Ishiguro<p>Very sad. It ripped me up the first time I read it. Anybody who grew up feeling different and somehow deficient should read it.<p><i>Talking to Strange Men</i>, by Ruth Rendell<p>An easy and fast-paced kind-of-mystery by a well-known mystery writer. There are two stories related in a crucial but indirect way. Each story has mysteries and twists that could stand on their own for suspense, but they play second fiddle to the development of several interesting characters.<p><i>Persepolis</i> and <i>Persepolis 2</i>, by Marjane Satrapi<p>Graphic memoirs about growing up in Iran and Europe.
On a "what makes us tick" non-fiction bent:<p>1. Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (<a href="http://tinyurl.com/33kv6te" rel="nofollow">http://tinyurl.com/33kv6te</a>) - fascinating look at the author's theory of Flow, the state of total absorption that accompanies total concentration - so called "optimal experience". Anyone who programs knows this feeling. Really excellent book.<p>2. Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert (<a href="http://tinyurl.com/38lvdzc" rel="nofollow">http://tinyurl.com/38lvdzc</a>) - not the self-help book it sounds like, but an interesting look at why we're so bad at working out what will make us happy.<p>3. The Tiger that isn't by Andrew Dilnot (<a href="http://tinyurl.com/38hntqx" rel="nofollow">http://tinyurl.com/38hntqx</a>) - interesting guide to our instinctive interpretation of statistics and how the media manipulates it.<p>4. Bad Science by Ben Goldacre (<a href="http://tinyurl.com/3yk8woz" rel="nofollow">http://tinyurl.com/3yk8woz</a>) - at once amusing and horrifying look at various aspects of pseudoscience, especially as applied to healthcare.<p>Fiction:<p>1. Anything by Iain Banks, especially the sci-fi.<p>2. If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor (<a href="http://tinyurl.com/3496d34" rel="nofollow">http://tinyurl.com/3496d34</a>) - worth reading just for the language he uses.<p>3. American Gods by Neil Gaiman (<a href="http://tinyurl.com/3xyr65w" rel="nofollow">http://tinyurl.com/3xyr65w</a>) - great fantasy with a darkly humorous side.
Here are some nonfiction books that I've enjoyed.<p><i>How We Know What Isn't So: The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday Life</i> - Gilovich - a good book on the inability of the human mind to accept things as random.<p><i>Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High</i> - Patterson, et all - fluffy but nice short and solid book for better skills at listening and responding in conversation<p><i>Full Throttle: The Life & Fast Times of Racing Legend Curtis Turner</i> - Edlestein - Curtis Turner was an influential figure in the development of what became NASCAR. I enjoyed the book for his character and as insight into a pass time that I had not really understood.<p><i>Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day</i> - Reinhart - His latest book on quality home baking. This is definitely a do along with the book kind of read, but I found it to be easy to follow, appealing to detail, and satisfying in producing delicious bread.<p><i>Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails: From the Alamagoozlum to the Zombie 100 Rediscovered Recipes and the Stories Behind Them</i> - Haigh - If you're of age, this is an interesting background in cocktails and their evolution in America.<p>I forget whether it was on HN or not, but I've been enjoying this list of great magazine articles <a href="http://www.kk.org/cooltools/the-best-magazi.php" rel="nofollow">http://www.kk.org/cooltools/the-best-magazi.php</a> .
I'm reading The Joy of Clojure right now. I've never been able to get myself into lisp, but this book is doing a pretty damn good job.<p>I think technical books are best combined with fiction, because it's pleasant to keep switching between the two as you get bored. I just finished and highly recommend Fluke by Christopher Moore. Its synopsis does not do it justice: once you start reading it, it's impossible to put down.
I really like the Sherlock Holmes stories.<p>They are a bit dated, but still good reads.<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Study-Scarlet-Sherlock-Holmes-Mystery/dp/1450596185/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280782968&sr=8-1" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Study-Scarlet-Sherlock-Holmes-Mystery/...</a>
Surely you are joking, Mr. Feynman.<p>D. MacKay: Sustainable energy - without the hot air.<p>N. Taleb: Fooled by randomness.<p>M. Karinthy: A journey round my skull.
I think Haruki Murakami (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haruki_murakami" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haruki_murakami</a>) is one of the most interesting and weird contemporary novelists alive today. On a similar Japanese tip, also check out anything by Kobo Abe, particularly The Woman in the Dunes and The Box Man.<p>If you're into sci-fi, as inevitably a lot of hackers are, Jeff Noon's Vurt and Pollen are both brilliant.
Things you can easily read on the beach:<p><i>A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again</i> by David Foster Wallace.<p><i>The Master and Margarita</i> by Mikhail Bulgakov.<p><i>Medium Raw</i> by Anthony Bourdain (but read <i>Kitchen Confidential</i> first if you haven't already).<p>Also recommend FiveBooks.com, which does interviews with various academics and "thinkers" each recommending 5 books on a particular subject. It's a bit slanted towards politics but has a fair bit of hard science as well.
If you like SciFi, I really recommend Ian M. Banks and his Culture Series.<p>Here is a link to the "first" in the series:
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consider_Phlebas" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consider_Phlebas</a><p>Basically to give you a flavour, imagine a utopian society where energy is basically free and run by super intelligent benevolent AIs. So basically the citizens have nothing to do but live a completely hedonistic life.<p>Whenever they encounter "primitive" societies, they try to make them more human and civilized. Basically the opposite of the "prime directive". The organization responsible for that is called Contact. Unfortunately, in order to make these societies more humane they sometimes have to resort to some dirty tricks (like assassinating evil dictators, instigating civil wars, etc etc). The organization responsible for that is called "Special Circumstances".<p>Another author I find great is Sheri Tepper.
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheri_S._Tepper" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheri_S._Tepper</a><p>SciFi with a feminist bent. Examples are Grass / and the Margarets.<p>If you want something more acid, anything by Victor Pelevin. Buddha's little finger is brilliant.
Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman<p>Also, as a good counterpoint (sort of)...<p>Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered by E.F. Schumacher<p>I personally don't think the whole book is that great, but the chapter, "Buddhist Economics", is really good and reprinted here: <a href="http://www.smallisbeautiful.org/buddhist_economics/english.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.smallisbeautiful.org/buddhist_economics/english.h...</a>
Recently finished <i>The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition</i> - An extraordinary true story and possibly the best book I've ever read.
A Game of Thrones by George R R Martin. Fiction. Fantasy, but not _too_ fantasy; it's almost the same as the world we live in. But Martin is a genius. His world is deep and it seems like he's lived there for years. His characters are fascinating and unique, to a level I've never seen before. His writing style is subtly distinct, enough that you don't notice it initially but you gradually pick up on small changes that he made and appreciate it more. Last, his plot writing is truly masterful. If you're familiar with it, this is sort of "The Wire" of fantasy books.
My favourite books read lately are Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky and Perrotta's Metaprogramming Ruby. If you haven't read Free by Chris Anderson, it's also highly recommended. It's just an article, but Anarconomy by the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies was a very interesting read (<a href="http://www.cifs.dk/doc/medlemsrapporter/MR0309UK.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.cifs.dk/doc/medlemsrapporter/MR0309UK.pdf</a>).<p>If you are willing to check out an audiobook, World War Z is truly an amazing book. Absolutely the best audiobook I have heard so far.<p>Enjoy your weeks off!
I just finished Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace.<p>It's a 1000-page kind of experimental fiction about entertainment/addiction.<p>It took me a while to read, but is something I'd recommend, anyway.
Two of my favourite summer books:<p><i>The Great Gatsby</i> by F. Scott Fitzgerald<p><i>Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture</i> by Douglas Coupland<p>Any friend of Gatsby is a friend of mine.
Fiction:<p>- Someone already mentioned Neil Gaiman's "American Gods", but it's so good, I'll mention it again :) Very well constructed and has its specific atmosphere...<p>- Anything by Iain Banks - "Walking on glass", "Wasp factory", "A song of stone" are definitely not light reading, but worth spending some time on them. His science-fiction is much simpler, but... didn't get me as excited as "Walking on glass".<p>Non-fiction:<p>- "Leading Lean Software Development - Results are not the point" (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Leading-Lean-Software-Development-Results/dp/0321620704" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Leading-Lean-Software-Development-Resu...</a>) is the best team / organisation / project leading book I've seen. I hate most of books like that with passion, but this one is different. I can't wait for the next story they introduce in every chapter. It touches many topics useful for anyone working with even one other person and you can read it like a good adventure book - it's got clear examples, interesting quotes and in-depth but not boring analysis.
I've been into Klosterman lately<p>Downtown Owl (novel)
Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs (essays on pop culture)
Eating the Dinosaur (more essays)<p>Other Novels:<p>Lolita - Nabokov
White Noise - Delillo
I recently went on a Ernest Hemingway bender after not having read much fiction in a while (sort of a gray area for these novels since a lot of it is based on Hemingway's experiences during the wars); I would highly recommend:<p>For whom the bell tolls & A farewell to arms<p>Out of those two, I liked <i>For Whom The Bell Tolls</i> a little bit better.
"Into Thin Air" (Krakauer)
Journalist/Mountaineer account of an Everest expedition gone wrong. Read it, ponder, but know that there is some controversy. Very interesting look into expedition dynamics.<p>"Mountains Beyond Mountains" (Kidder)
An account of Paul Farmer's work in Haiti, and later in other parts of the world. If you are interested in public health it is a great read, and may provide a fresh angle on recent Haiti <-> world politics.<p>"Three Cups of Tea" (Oliver, I think)
Greg Mortensen starts building schools in Pakistan / Afghanistan. Adventure ensues. There's some definite political bias here but it's worth a read.<p>Fun summer read: "World War Z".<p>Unrelated, I use Shelfari [<a href="http://www.shelfari.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.shelfari.com/</a>] to organize my books-to-read, if you need an organization tool.
For anyone interested in the human side of Nigerian "419" spam email, I recommend the funny novel "I Do Not Come to You by Chance" by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani.<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Do-Not-Come-You-Chance/dp/B002KHMZOA" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Do-Not-Come-You-Chance/dp/B002KHMZOA</a>
Here's my partial book list, if you look under "Favorites" you can use those as my suggestion :)<p><a href="http://books.google.com/books?uid=5646369799681106085" rel="nofollow">http://books.google.com/books?uid=5646369799681106085</a>
Some recents:<p><i>Surely You're Joking Mr Feynmann</i> is a good read.<p>As is Vonnegut's <i>Cat's Cradle</i><p>As is Hugh Laurie's <i>The Gun Seller</i><p>And I'm just getting into Orwell's <i>Keep The Aspidistra Flying</i> which is quite good too.
I just started "The Ultimate Sales Machine" - looks really, really promising. Author gives good general advice you might've already heard before (sell to current clients, have a good training program, consistency and processes), but he actually takes the time to write about how much "pigheaded discipline and determination" a given policy is going to take to implement. It's been a good read so far, very synergistic with E-Myth for those who like E-Myth.
* Go to <a href="http://www.thinkingforaliving.org/topics/shelf" rel="nofollow">http://www.thinkingforaliving.org/topics/shelf</a>, close your eyes, move your pointer around at random , buy the book the pointer rests on, scroll down; repeat five times. You can't go wrong.<p>* Points of View - A Tribute to Alan Kay -- the second hardcover edition just came out, and it's downloadable as PDF at <a href="http://vpri.org/pov/" rel="nofollow">http://vpri.org/pov/</a>.
I really enjoyed "Grumby" by Andy Kessler. It's about a fictional (very fictional) Silicon Valley startup. Light read and people here would probably enjoy it.
<i>How Buildings Learn</i> by Stewart Brand.<p>It's about how the foundation you build something on top of determines its adaptability to change/new usage patterns
A People's History of the United States (Zinn) [<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Peoples-History-United-States-Present/dp/0060838655/" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Peoples-History-United-States-Present/...</a>]<p>There's so much history that <i>isn't</i> taught in school (politically covered up) and Zinn presents many of these little-known history gems. Be warned, there is a light liberal swing.
I've been following the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan (RIP) which is one of the most famous fantasy series of the past 50 years, and all of Peter F. Hamilton's novels, which can only be described as epic space operas. Both authors are worth reading, but be forewarned that getting through the (currently) 12 books in WoT will take quite a bit of your time.
"East of Eden" or anything Steinbeck. The art of storytelling is vastly underestimated in the startup world. If you know how to tell a good story, writing blog posts, doing marketing copywriting etc ... suddenly becomes much easier. Reading world-class fiction teaches you this skill. For a slightly geekier read: "The Glass Bead Game" by Hermann Hesse.
Just finished reading "Small Pieces Loosely Joined" (<a href="http://www.smallpieces.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.smallpieces.com/</a>) which is a wonderful read on why we care about the Web.<p>The author's previous work called "The Cluetrain Manifesto" (<a href="http://www.cluetrain.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.cluetrain.com/</a> ) is also a nice read
Not in any particular order, but I'd highly recommend these interesting books:<p>How to run a Thriving Business - Ralph Warner (the founder of Nolo book)<p>The Death of Ivan Ilyich - Leo Tolstoy (I read this based on a recommendation by a fellow HNer)<p>Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions - Dan Ariely.<p>The Winner-Take-All Society - Robert H. Frank, et all.<p>Gun, Germs, and Steel - Jared Diamond.
To get things started, this HN thread from a few months ago has some good suggestions: <a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226736" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226736</a><p>As does Derek Sivers' book list: <a href="http://sivers.org/book" rel="nofollow">http://sivers.org/book</a>
logicomix - a graphical novel about bertrand russell, logic and the history of computation.<p>diary of a very bad year: interviews with an anonymous hedge fund manager/the big short: inside the doomsday machine - two books about the financial crisis.
The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better<p>It charts a connection between the income gap and everything from crime to illness and under-education. Got it two weeks ago. Blew me away. Easy to read too.
<i>When Genius failed</i>, a story related to (and mentioned in) <i>Fooled by Randomness</i>.<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Genius_Failed" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Genius_Failed</a>
Read Shantaram if you haven't.
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shantaram-Novel-Gregory-David-Roberts/dp/0312330529" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Shantaram-Novel-Gregory-David-Roberts/...</a>
Recent favorites of mine:<p>Anathem - Neal Stephenson<p>A People's Tragedy: Russian Revolution, 1891-1924 - Orlando Figes<p>The Big Short - Michael Lewis
Some books I've read this summer, which I can recommend:<p>- The Facebook Effect -- well-written insider's account of the history of Facebook and its ambitions.
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connecting/dp/1439102112" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connect...</a><p>- The Quantum Enigma -- an accessible digest of quantum mechanics and its philosophical consequences.
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Enigma-Physics-Encounters-Consciousness/dp/019534250X/" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Enigma-Physics-Encounters-Cons...</a><p>- Flesh & Machines -- a lightweight history of robotics and some wacky speculations by MIT's Rodney Brooks.
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Machines-Robots-Will-Change/dp/0375420797" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Machines-Robots-Will-Change/dp/0...</a><p>- The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution of Personalized Medecine -- a well-backed account of what is or will be possible in medicine thanks to a better understanding of the genome and increase use of DNA sequencing for prevention, diagnostic, and treatment.
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Language-Life-Revolution-Personalized-Medicine/dp/0061733180/" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Language-Life-Revolution-Personalized-...</a><p>- ... by David Sedaris -- Funny short stories. Perhaps The Santaland Diaries for something light but really amusing, and When You Are Engulfed in Flames for something darker and more well-known. Also, if you like short stories, I heartily recommend Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules, a varied collection of short stories selected by Sedaris.
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/David-Sedaris/e/B000AQ3YUW/" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/David-Sedaris/e/B000AQ3YUW/</a>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0349119759" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0349119759</a>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/When-You-Are-Engulfed-Flames/dp/0316154687/" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/When-You-Are-Engulfed-Flames/dp/031615...</a>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Children-Playing-Before-Statue-Hercules/dp/074327394X/" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Children-Playing-Before-Statue-Hercule...</a><p>- Dreams of My Father -- Barack Obama writes candidly and beautifully about his childhood and early adulthood; it's not a political book, and it's worth reading for the writing alone.
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/1400082773/" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/...</a><p>- Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty: a chatty history of mathematics, and its perception.
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Loss-Certainty-Galaxy-Books/dp/0195030850" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Loss-Certainty-Galaxy-Book...</a>