
YC's Winter Reading List - craigcannon
http://blog.ycombinator.com/ycs-winter-reading-list/
======
davidw
If you like "The Rent is Too Damn High" and really want to dig in, I've been
reading this:

Zoning Rules!: The Economics of Land Use Regulation -
[http://amzn.to/2gZQtqg](http://amzn.to/2gZQtqg)

It's pretty dry, but very thorough.

Some groups that are good for people who want to get into this stuff more:

* [http://www.strongtowns.org/](http://www.strongtowns.org/)

* [http://marketurbanism.com/](http://marketurbanism.com/)

It's an area where people can really make a difference: I've managed to chat
with a couple of city councilors and our state representative here in Bend,
and recently kicked off [https://bendyimby.com/](https://bendyimby.com/)

~~~
tbihl
Have you read Marohn's two books? I keep putting them off, but I haven't
gotten a recommendation yet.

~~~
davidw
No, I haven't. They look like "the blog's greatest hits" and I tend to be less
enthusiastic about books like that. I'm curious too, because they might be
good to recommend to people. Maybe I'll see if I can get the library to get
them.

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jmduke
In light of HN's (edit: temporary) ban on political content, I find it
interesting that so many of YC's favorite books relate to:

\- religion (Going Clear, Zealot, Finding God in the Waves)

\- war and oppressive policy (War in a Time of Peace, Silence Once Begun)

\- conservative lifestyle (Strangers in Their Own Land, Hillbilly Elegy)

The first two are explicitly prohibited topics of discussion on this site, and
the third is implicitly discouraged.

~~~
dang
> _In light of HN 's ban on political content_

Please don't forget to mention this is just for one week. The intention is not
"ban political content". It's to take a one-week breather from political
stories that tend to result in flamewars.

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michaelchisari
I'll second "A Guide To The Good Life", and would like to suggest "What's The
Matter With Kansas" by Thomas Frank as a companion piece to "Strangers In
Their Own Land."

~~~
_sentient
"Art of Living" (Epictetus) is another great introduction to stoicism. Highly
recommended.

~~~
CptJamesCook
Here is a great primer on stoicism:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/TheRedPill/comments/3a2bl4/stoicism...](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheRedPill/comments/3a2bl4/stoicism_101_a_primer_on_how_to_be/?st=iwdybs1v&sh=c5214988)

I love the practice of stoicism, but I cannot do the negative visualization.
It just gives me anxiety!

This is a great booklist. Thanks YC.

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geofft
I find it interesting that this list of books includes a scholarly look at a
man I believe to be God incarnate, written by a non-believer.

Does that not violate the temporary ban on "the conflicts around party,
ideology, nation, race, gender, class, and religion that get people hot and
turn into flamewars on the internet"?

I'm sure it's an interesting book, and I'm all for people reading it, but is
that really the sort of thing we should be discussing this week? Next week
would be totally fine.

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rcavezza
For a "Winter Reading List", there is a ton of titles. I'll be lucky if I get
to 5 books in the next few months. Can someone recommend a top 5 from this
list?

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hyperpape
Flagged, as there is clearly political content here that doesn't comport with
new Hacker News rules.

~~~
andars
"new Hacker News rules"

I think this should read: current weeklong experimental policy on Hacker News.

I also don't feel like this list of books justifies getting flagged, even
during this reprieve from political discussion. If loads of comments start
flaming, maybe then. But right now it is just a list of suggested books to
read.

~~~
geofft
That's specifically counter to the rules, though: it's a detox. We're supposed
to get better as a community by _avoiding these topics entirely_. Flaming was
already against the rules, and low-contribution (though non-flaming) comments
were already subject to downvote.

~~~
andars
Got it. I would have been happiest with this on the front page, but I just
happen to really like reading lists. No matter.

