
Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011 - kia
My choice this year is Burton Malkiel's "A Random Walk Down Wall Street"
======
Aramgutang
"The 4-Hour Body", by Tim Ferriss.

Because of that book, within 3 months I went from running completely out of
breath after 2 minutes of running, to finishing a half-marathon in 2 hours.
And during the prior 3 months, I had lost 15 kilos by following the "slow-carb
diet" described in the book.

Reading it seemed to flip a switch in my brain: before, I would think of my
body as something I had little control over, while after, I saw it as not only
something I had full control over, but as something I could hack. I've also
followed up on quite a few of the product recommendations in the book (e.g.
Inov-8 trainers, Aqua Sphere goggles, etc), and have yet to be disappointed.

That said, the book does come with a heavy dose of Tim's pointless boasting,
half-assed chapters (e.g. the polyphasic sleep or the baseball batting ones),
and far more conjecture than a book of that sort should have.

~~~
yummyfajitas
In a similar vein, I'd recommend Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe.

Before SS, my martial arts instructor always chided me: "Crazybear, don't
power through the disarm. There are lots of guys bigger than you. Get the
leverage right."

Now he tells newbies: "Don't power through the disarm, it won't work on a guy
like Crazybear. Get the leverage right."

It's a simple how-to guide to getting strong. Just follow the program he gives
and you become stronger - it's time tested and works well for pretty much
everyone. Be really careful with deadlifts, particularly if you have back
issues.

~~~
sp4rki
And in a similar vein, I'd recommend both Practical Programming and 5/3/1. The
first is great to get a more thorough understanding on what is learned on SS
and help's you understand how to modify your routines for maximum gains. 5/3/1
Has in my opinion been one of the best plans for the moment you stall on SS
and need something more advanced. This stuff builds not only your body, but
your strength and does heaps for your confidence which I believe is as
important.

------
bambax
I'd like to mention two books because I can't decide which is greatest
(they're very different):

\- The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande (often quoted here, and rightly so;
it's short and really really great)

\- How to Live, or A life of Montaigne by Sarah Bakewell (a fantastic take on
Montaigne's essays by a contemporary scholar with a refreshing take on
everything).

~~~
iambot
Yes! I've read "How to Live, or A life of Montaigne" and it _is_ brilliant,
partly due to Montaigne being brilliant I'd recommend Penguins Great Ideas
Book "On Friendship" by Montaigne. And seeing as you mention on of my
favorites to, I'll be sure to check out The Checklist Manifesto, thanks.

~~~
keeptrying
Care to share the gist if the book?

~~~
iambot
Penguin's Great Ideas series [1] is a collection of abridged (i think)
versions of popular/influential books, or essays by influential writers, the
"On Friendship" one by Montaigne is a few of his essays from his Essays [2]
Short essays brilliantly eloquent, accessible pragmatic philosophy.

[1]:
[http://www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/minisites/greatideas...](http://www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/minisites/greatideas/index_1.html#displayall)

[2]: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essays_%28Montaigne%29>

------
davidw
Let's see... in no particular order:

* Thinking, Fast and Slow: <http://amzn.to/sXQGSR> \- probably makes my list because I just finished it, and as he says "what you see is all there is" - we're biased towards things that come to mind easily. Actually, it _is_ a pretty good book even looking through all the others I've read.

* 1491: <http://amzn.to/uaR0yf> \- about the Americas prior to the arrival of "Cristoforo Colombo".

* Built to sell: <http://amzn.to/ukmyNP> \- how to create a business that is something that you can sell because it can exist without you. Not quite so relevant to startups working on a product, but some good concepts nonetheless. A good summary is probably just as good as reading the book, as the core concepts are fairly simple.

* Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World: <http://amzn.to/tVvltK> the history of the world as seen through languages.

* The Long Divergence: How Islamic Law Held Back the Middle East: <http://amzn.to/spQCF7> \- a look at how the legal systems of 'the west' and the middle east differed and the results those systems led to.

And of course, if you haven't read this one, I think it's a great read:

Start Small, Stay Small: <http://amzn.to/v2DHyx> \- a great guide full of
practical advice on "startups for the rest of us".

What I haven't read:

Lean Startups by Eric Ries. Does it contain much _practical_ advice? I get the
impression it's a bit on the 'strategic' side without giving you concrete
ideas about how to go about doing things.

The Steve Jobs biography. It looks to be so pervasive and widespread that I'm
wondering if I can absorb most of the good parts from other people who have
read it. I may get it anyway; we'll see.

FWIW, all links contain a referral code to help fuel my reading habit.

~~~
cstejerean
I recommend reading The Lean Startup. I found it full of good ideas. One
example: cohort analysis. You might already be familiar with all the concepts
and ideas in the book, but even then I think the various examples of real
companies doing some of these things will be inspiring.

~~~
davidw
[http://www.amazon.com/review/R3287ICLQ9STI3/ref=cm_cr_dp_cmt...](http://www.amazon.com/review/R3287ICLQ9STI3/ref=cm_cr_dp_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B004J4XGN6&nodeID=133140011)

The top rated review of The Lean Startup basically trashes it, saying it never
gets very specific, and is sort of a vehicle for Eric Ries to sell himself.

~~~
cstejerean
There's definitely some self promotion in the book, and at times it can be a
little repetitive. It's also fairly introductory and the information in it can
perhaps be found on various blogs, etc.

It's a good introduction however for anyone looking to move beyond a trial and
error approach to startups.

------
nyellin
It isn't a proper book, but Eliezer Yudkowsky's Harry Potter and the Methods
of Rationality was incredible. Don't judge it by the fact that it is a fanfic.

~~~
DevX101
How interesting will this be if i've never read the Harry Potter series? (i've
seen a couple of the movies)

~~~
Sukotto
I hesitated to start. Partly because I found the original Harry Potter kind of
boring/frustrating. And partly because it's fanfiction, a sort of writing I do
not normally enjoy.

Still, I found it enjoyable and worth my time. Even though I thought Harry's
portrayal was pretty uneven (swinging between "scientist/genius in an
irrational world" and "arrogant prick demigod").

I liked Drako's additional depth far better than Rowling's one dimensional
jerk.

<http://www.elsewhere.org/rationality/>

(rehash of my previous comment: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231266>
)

------
davidwparker
For me, I had a few that I really liked:

* The Art of Game Design by Jesse Schell. Probably one of the best books I've read, even for people who don't want to make games, it was really good.

* Business Model Generation by Osterwalder and Pigneur. One of the better business books I've read through. Also one of the most creative.

And I finally read:

* The C Programming Language by K&R. 'nuff said.

~~~
rsoto
Too bad this comment is too down, but The Art Of Game Design is a fantastic
book about design and user experience, even if you're not into games, there's
some interesting psychology to learn and to apply in whatever you're doing.

~~~
Terry_B
I've read a lot of the most well known game design books and its staggering
how good this book is. League of its own.

------
drewblaisdell
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman by Richard Feynman

It made me feel like I'm not thinking enough about everything around me.

------
jasondrowley
I'm going to be on the receiving end of a great deal of vitriol for saying The
Bible and the Koran, but sitting down and reading those two books—for the
first time in my 21-year existence—was a really interesting experience.

I'm not going to turn this into a personal essay. I realized—after reading
both books with a critical eye—that there are a lot of trumped-up claims made
about each books' contents that ultimately fail to bear themselves out. But
there's a great deal to learn from each, and I say this as a nontheist.

~~~
alinajaf
As someone who's made the transtion from muslim -> atheist, I was
disappointed, confused and terrified when I first read a translation of the
Koran. I'm genuinely curious as to what you've learned from it that's of any
use, apart from perhaps, a deeper understanding of the thought-process and
ethos of Islamic fundamentalists.

~~~
nyellin
Your reaction seems very strange. Can you explain why you had never read the
koran if you were muslim?

~~~
Jun8
Many non-arabic Muslims have not read the Koran, at least not most of it.
There are a couple of reasons for this:

Most importantly, translations of Koran are not equated to the real thing,
i.e. a Koran in English is _not_ the Koran, it's only a translation. This has
historically been a handicap for the "common people" to have access to the
book. This situation was also backed by the religious elite (although Islam
lacks a religious caste like Christianity, there are still hodjas, etc. who
are the ones who interpret the writings). Remember that the Enlightenment in
Europe was due in some part to the wide access to the Bible in the vernacular
languages, e.g. the King James' version.

Another reason is that, for devout Muslims, there are a set of rules that must
be obeyed to touch the Koran, one has to be clean. So (theoretically) you
can't just grab it, lean back on the couch and read it. In houses it is not
placed with other books on the shelf but usually in a separate cloth cover,
above all books. This reverence for it has the paradoxical effect of
curtailing access to its content.

~~~
alinajaf
All correct. I would also add that I (along with many other non-Arab muslims)
had read the Koran at a very young age in Arabic phonetically without
understanding what it means. As far as my parents (and our sunday school
teachers) were concerned, it was just as good. It wasn't until later that I
tracked down a translation.

~~~
Jun8
Excellent point, which I've forgot. My mom and her neighbors perform the
_hatim_ during religious festivals using exactly the method you describe,
without knowing one word of Arabic and without understanding anything. Reading
in the native tongue is just not done.

As far as access to the contents of the Koran, Islam truly has some medieval
qualities.

------
lawn
I can't really decide, but here are a few of my favorites.

* Song of Ice and Fire series. I never really liked fantasy but this series is wonderful. The TV-series (Game of Thrones) is okay but a far cry from the books.

* The Pragmatic Programmer. The best programming book I've seen. A must read for programmers I'd say.

* Introduction to Algorithms. Haven't really gone through it but so far it's been great.

~~~
kenver
I've seen the series and read the first book and thought it did a pretty good
job. What do you feel the TV show got wrong- not being argumentative btw, I'm
just interested!

~~~
ilconsigliere
My only major inaccuracy is re: Sansa Stark. I found her to be a well-
intentioned yet manipulated and confused child in the books. She just wants to
be a quintessential 'Lady' - courteous, artful, etc.

In the show they made her out to be... American. Rude, spoiled, etc. Other
than that I just wish they had the time and the audience to tell the FULL
story in all it's glory. Of course it's expected that the sub-plots have to be
trimmed of the minutiae, but the complexity and ambiguity is part of what
makes ASoIaF so amazing.

~~~
overgryphon
Out of curiosity, what makes you define "american" as rude and spoiled?

~~~
ilconsigliere
Fair question. After initially seeing Sansa represented this way, I began to
ask myself "Why would they do this? What advantage does it serve?"

Using the common motive of "making the show appeal to a wider [American]
audience," it seemed to me that they wanted her character to hit closer to
home than a polished young lady would. Of course, my opinion is just a shallow
one - a thought in passing.

Thinking on it now you are probably right to question me on my association of
'rude and spoiled' with 'American,' but that was just my gut reaction. FWIW,
I'm an American with minimal knowledge of the demeanor teenage girls from
other societies, Western or otherwise.

------
cafard
Perhaps best, certainly most depressing (and 20 pages or so to go, but there's
time left yet): Bloodlands, by Timothy Snyder,
<http://www.powells.com/s?kw=bloodlands>

Very good, long: China Marches West: The Quing Conquest of Central Eurasia by
Peter C. Perdue, <http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780674057432-0>

Odd, interesting, relatively short: Principles of Human Knowledge and Three
Dialogues by George Berkeley,
<http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780674057432-0>

Techie: Effective Perl Programming by Joseph Hall,
<http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780321496942-0>

------
Sukotto
Particularly memorable books I read (or re-read) this year:

\- _Don't Make Me Think_ by Krug: [http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-
Usability/dp/032134...](http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-
Usability/dp/0321344758)

\- _Apartment Therapy_ by Gillingham-Ryan [http://www.amazon.com/Apartment-
Therapy-Eight-Step-Home-Cure...](http://www.amazon.com/Apartment-Therapy-
Eight-Step-Home-Cure/dp/0553383124)

\- _Presentation Zen_ by Gar [http://www.amazon.com/Presentation-Zen-Simple-
Design-Deliver...](http://www.amazon.com/Presentation-Zen-Simple-Design-
Delivery/dp/0321525655)

\- _Belisarius Saga_ by Flint and Drake
[http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/13-TheBalticWarCD/TheBalt...](http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/13-TheBalticWarCD/TheBalticWarCD/)

\- _Wise Man's Fear_ by Rothfuss [http://www.amazon.com/Wise-Mans-Fear-
Kingkiller-Chronicles/d...](http://www.amazon.com/Wise-Mans-Fear-Kingkiller-
Chronicles/dp/0756404738)

\- _Wizard of Oz_ by Baum [http://www.amazon.com/Wizard-Oz-Puffin-
Classics/dp/014132102...](http://www.amazon.com/Wizard-Oz-Puffin-
Classics/dp/0141321024)

~~~
pdenya
Wise Man's Fear was incredible. That's the only non-technical book I've read
multiple times in years.

------
jswinghammer
For me they were:

"An Austrian Perspective on the History of Economic Thought" by Murray
Rothbard

This was great because of the history lesson packed into a book that's mostly
about economics. I didn't realize how libertarian the economic thought of the
east was until I read this book. I also appreciated the focus on economics
before Adam Smith since I knew only about Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas's
contributions prior to reading the book. Rothbard's take-down of Marx was both
thorough and satisfying.

"City of God" by Augustine of Hippo

The history lesson here was helpful as was the perspective on how the church
should view the state though I should have invested more money in a better
version for Kindle. The version I had was filled with grammatical mistakes due
to the poor translation to the Kindle format.

------
diego
* Thinking Fast, Slow by Daniel Kahneman

* Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson

* Slack, by Tom DeMarco (also re-read Peopleware). Both of these books are fundamental to anyone developing software within an organization.

* Delivering Happiness, by Tony Hsieh. It's not fantastic but it's helpful if you are trying to build a business.

* Tribal Leadership - recommended by the above. Not great but interesting.

* Rework - short read, worth the time.

* Managing Humans by Rands - very entertaining, useful if you manage people.

Other stuff I read is not worth mentioning in a "best books" list.

------
retroafroman
Shop Class as Soulcraft - Matthew B. Crawford (2009) Non-fiction

This will resonate well with people who enjoy working with their hands. It
also has some pretty entertaining anecdotes from the author's personal life,
but it's not overly autobiographical. I personally found this one interesting
because I've had some similar experiences in life-working on (and driving) an
old Volkswagen as a first car, working in the trades, going to college,
getting a desk job, and now, thinking perhaps that a desk job isn't for me, as
he realized.

------
pencilcode
Code by Charles Petzold. It's made me think about computers in another light.
AND to be amazed at how simple things (input/output, on/off) can add up to
really big and complex systems.

~~~
yock
I got this for Christmas and have eagerly consumed the first few chapters.
Who'd have thought that the history of information encoding would be so
intriguing?

------
sathishmanohar
I started listening to audio books very recently, so some of these books might
be old to you.

* Predictably Irrational - How Humans behave and why.

* 4 hour work week - About how to earn money to live not live to earn money

* Made to stick - How to convey ideas in a way others will remember

* Lean Startup - How to build products using continuous innovation

* Guerrilla Marketing - Basic Marketing principles in 30 days

* Rework - Myth Buster for Internet/Tech companies

* Outsider Edge - Condensed History and reasoning for success of self-made billionaires

* Linus Torvalds - Just for Fun - About Linus Torvalds

Ebooks ( haven't finished reading yet, but they are great so far )

* Getting thing Done - Management principle for knowledge workers by David Allen

* Agile Development - Building Rails apps using agile methodology

I can't believe I've finished 8 books in 2011, long live audio books.

------
lkozma
Best books I read in 2011:

* "Salonica, City of Ghosts" by M.Mazower. Tells the history of Thessaloniki, informative, entertaining, at times nostalgic.

* "The Cauchy-Schwarz Master Class" by J.M.Steele. A guided tour of mathematical inequalities. Very entertaining and readable (for a math book) and extremely well written.

* "Indiscrete Thoughts" by G-C.Rota. Irreverent anecdotes about mathematicians.

* "Black Swan" by N.N.Taleb. Maybe overhyped and at times annoying and pompous, but extremely insightful nevertheless.

~~~
sdoering
Black Swan and Fooled by Randomness are both great reads from N.N. Taleb. Imho
both are must reads.

~~~
drumdance
I'm reading Fooled by Randomness and really like it. The Black Swan I couldn't
finish because it kind of rambled. Not sure if he had a better editor for
Fooled by Randomness or what.

~~~
sdoering
Fooled by randomness seemed to me a little bit less rambling as well and a
little bit more straight to the point. But I liked the more essayistic style
of Black Swan as well (well, I studied literature, so i think I am just used
to these kinds of writing).

------
chriseidhof
Status Anxiety - Alain de Botton

It's about how we have come to live in a meritocracy, where your status
depends on what you have achieved. Very insightful and readable work by the
contemporary philosopher/writer.

~~~
david927
I don't think de Button mentions anywhere that status is based on merit (which
is good because the correlation depends on many factors and is tenuous, at
best), or what you have achieved.

He's saying that your therapist might ask about your parents and family, but
won't probably ask about the nameless people you run into every day -- your
neighbors, the people in line at the store, etc. -- but these people also play
a large role in terms of your self-esteem and ultimately your happiness
because you are constantly defining yourself in terms of those around you. You
will be happier living in a place where you make 10% more than the average,
than where you make 10% less, no matter what that amount is.

~~~
chriseidhof
You're right, thanks!

------
mcphilip
_Prime Obsession_ : <http://amzn.com/0309085497> \- a great introduction to
the Riemann hypothesis with chapters alternating between the history and
impact of the claim, and a dive into the mathematics behind the claim. I have
a mediocre background in math (i.e. up through Calculus III in college) but I
had no trouble following the chapters explaining the maths behind the
hypothesis.

 _The Undiscovered Self_ : <http://amzn.com/0451217322> \- A distillation of
much of Carl Jung's lifetime of research in psychology into a short book. The
blurb on the book jacket sums it up best: 'In his classic, provocative work,
Dr. Carl Jung-one of psychiatry's greatest minds-argues that the future
depends on our ability to resist society's mass movements. Only by
understanding our unconscious inner nature-"the undiscovered self"-can we gain
the self-knowledge that is antithetical to ideological fanaticism.'

------
Cardinal
It has to be Java Concurrency in Practice. Even though it has Java in its name
I think every programmer should read this.

Other books I absolutely loved are Effective Java 2 and Programming Interviews
Exposed. I'm waiting for Amazon to ship me the second edition of the latter.

Hackers and Painters is a classic I default to whenever I'm looking for
inspiration.

------
metachris
I thoroughly enjoyed Iain M. Banks 'Culture' novels [1] (sci-fi), in
particular 'Surface Detail', 'Matter' and 'The Player of Games'.

[1] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Culture>

------
erikpukinskis
"The Dispossessed" by Ursula K. Le Guin. It really challenged many of my
beliefs about the underpinnings of society. Quite relevant in the year of
Occupy Wall Street as well. Feminist Science Fiction for the win.

------
juanre
Kahneman's "Thinking, Fast and Slow". It's a great account of things we know
about how the mind works, with amazing insights.

~~~
david927
It's been on my list after watching this great lecture:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjVQJdIrDJ0>

I plan to follow it with _Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of
Remembering Everything_.

~~~
juanre
Moonwalking with Einstein is a good read. I found it worth the time I spent on
it. But it's on an altogether different league.

------
alinajaf
I had a fantastic reading year, too much to choose from:

"Cosmos" - Carl Sagan

"Hyperion" + "Fall of Hyperion" - Dan Simmons

"Red Mars" - Kim Stanley Robinson

"The Prince" - Niccolo Machiavelli

~~~
dbalatero
+1 for "Hyperion" + "Fall of Hyperion" – both are amazing books that I just
finished.

Also, "Glasshouse" by Charles Stross was pretty rad too.

------
abhaga
"To Kill a Mocking Bird", "Logicomix" in English.

A play called "Andha Yug" (The Age of Darkness) in Hindi. English translation
is also available for those interested.
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0198065221/>

~~~
babebridou
I just finished Logicomix (got it as a Christmas gift), in French though. It's
a great read for anyone looking for a refreshing take on the history of
mathematics in the early 20th century.

~~~
koopajah
I really did find it boring and had a hard time going till the end despite my
fondness for mathematics history. Nothing was really interesting in it, only
simple facts adn I was a bit disappointed after seeing it on a "must read"
list from a math professor for its students.

------
soitgoes
Always on the lookout for a good read. Thanks for posting the question.
Through HN I discovered:

"A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy"

Which I enjoyed very much.

~~~
bleakgadfly
I can strongly recommend this book!

------
pplante
Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World

A scary tale about the collapse of the various markets across the globe. I
constantly had to keep checking to see if the book was from the fiction
section. The stories are so far out there it seemed unreal.

~~~
patrickk
Second this. I'm a huge Michael Lewis fan. If you enjoyed this, I would
recommend reading (in the following order):

\- _Liar's Poker_. Lewis' account of how the bond market really got huge in
the 80's. The book that put him on the map. He was a bond salesman in Solomon
Brothers investment bank, a really interesting read with many larger than life
characters. An insider account on how companies and financial institutions
gorged themselves in debt.

\- _The Big Short_. In a way this is like a "sequel" to Liar's Poker (weird to
say for non-fiction I know), as the 20 year "story arc" from the grow of junk
bonds, to the massive deleveraging due to the subprime mortgage collapse is
examined. He also follows the stories of those canny enough to stack up
massive bets in anticipation of the collapse.

Finance is a boring topic generally, but Lewis focuses on the characters and
is a superb storyteller. He has a real knack for being able to explain these
complex, earth-shattering events in a way that those of us without PhD's in
quantitative finance can understand.

~~~
pplante
Thanks for the recommendations. Those are free to read on my Kindle with
amazon prime membership, definitely will be reading them now!

~~~
patrickk
You're welcome. Lewis also writes for Vanity Fair, where in fact some of the
material for _Boomerang_ and his other works originated. You might be
interested in these also.

[http://www.vanityfair.com/search?query=michael+lewis&sor...](http://www.vanityfair.com/search?query=michael+lewis&sort=score+desc)

------
wyclif
_The Civilization Of The Renaissance In Italy_ by Jacob Burckhardt:

[http://www.amazon.com/Civilization-Renaissance-
Italy-2/dp/B0...](http://www.amazon.com/Civilization-Renaissance-
Italy-2/dp/B002CQ9OS4/)

Pioneering Swiss art historian Jacob Burckhardt saw the Italian Renaissance as
no less than the beginning of the modern world. In this hugely influential
work he argues that the Renaissance’s creativity, competitiveness, dynasties,
great city-states and even its vicious rulers sowed the seeds of a new era.
Great book for entrepreneurs, scientists, thinkers, inventors, coders,
radicals, and visionaries.

~~~
cafard
Excellent book. With a bit of looking around you can find a volume of his
letters, and also a book called "Judgments on History and Historians."

------
wr1472
I've read a lot of books this year, some have already been mentioned (eg.
Gawande, Gombrich). I've been devouring the Game of Thrones books since
summer, and as no one has mentioned it yet, I'll point it out.

------
codypo
On the fiction side, I absolutely loved Shogun by Clavell. I didn't know what
to expect, and I found an epic that was captivating in many ways. I also
started Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. I realize I'm about 10 years behind
everyone else, and I've found it most deserving of all of the hubbub.

With respect to nonfiction, I enjoyed Schroeder's recent biography of Warren
Buffett, entitled the Snowball. It was much less of a hagiography than much of
what you read on him. He's a fascinating, complex man.

~~~
brown9-2
Not sure if you will see this but have you read any of Clavell's followups to
Shogun yet? I recently read Shogun as well and really loved it, but haven't
had the courage to tackle the other books in the series - as they sound so
different (and take place hundreds of years later).

------
AngryParsley
It's not tech-related, but my favorite book this year was Nothing to Envy:
Ordinary Lives in North Korea. The book is a collection of stories from North
Korean defectors, combined with some history and background info. It's a quick
but satisfying read.

------
donw
I was so incredibly tempted to put 'Twilight' down and wait for the lynch mob,
but then realized that the Reddit color scheme is different.

This year was solely devoted to pleasure reading.

Neal Stephenson's REAMDE was quite good, although I imagine everybody on HN
has read it, as Neal is practically a Valley institution.

The original 'Starship Troopers' by Ray Bradbury was also a good read, and
easy to miss if you're into more modern science fiction.

~~~
drac
Did you mean Robert Heinlein? <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starship_Troopers>

~~~
donw
Damnit, yes, thanks. I now feel a bit stupid. I dug through a mixed stack of
Bradbury, Heinlein, and Niven earlier in the year, so who-wrote-what is a bit
mixed up in my brain.

------
Nick_C
_Anathem_ \- Neal Stephenson. Recommended here last year, it blew my mind in a
similar way to _Name of the Rose_ but with a sci-fi theme.

 _Dr Zhivago_ \- Boris Pasternak. If you have not read any of the Russians,
give this a go. Initially it is not easy, like all Russian literature, but the
wonderfully poetic images and lyricism keep drawing you back. Easily my
favourite for the year.

------
rahulrg
I enjoyed James Gleick's The Information. Wonderful book from one of the best
science writers around.

~~~
jfager
Seconded. The last few chapters were unsatisfying to me, but overall a really
fun read that does a good job of tying together a bunch of different threads
of science around information theory.

------
nonrecursive
"Bridge of Birds" by Barry Hughart was great. It's a hilarious "detective"
novel set in a fictional ancient China. One of the two main characters is an
80 year old sage with a drinking problem and the ability to con almost
anybody. The pace never slows and it always has you wondering what'll happen
next.

Technically, I'd say "Land of Lisp" has been the most fun and the most
rewarding.

------
tlammens
Born to run by Christopher McDougall

Read it in the beginning of this year when I was starting to run, very
inspiring. And look, I'm still running!

~~~
vijayr
+1, that is an amazing book. even if one is not a runner, it is still worth
reading the book. The author goes to great lengths to track the tarahumara,
and to organize the race, in a dangerous region.

------
bherms
Not tech related, but I loved Devil in the White City by Larson and Zen and
the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Pirsig.

Also, I reread Rework about 3 times this year. Always a good and quick read.

~~~
eliben
Ah, but _Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Pirsig_ is very much
tech related!

~~~
dsr_
For those who want a clue: the book is largely concerned with two things: how
to get unstuck, and how to recognize quality.

------
bogdand
Victor Hugo ~ Les Misérables

~~~
eliben
An amazing book. Read it twice already, and the 3rd time isn't too far away I
think.

------
lvillani
\- "Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship" by Robert C.
Martin

\- "Physics for Future Presidents" by Richard Muller

Not really a book but I found the "MIT Guide to Lock Picking" an interesting
read.

------
alrex021
Animal Liberation by Peter Singer

Peter Singer introduced and popularized the term "speciesism" in the book that
is often referred to as the bible of the animal rights movement.

------
motxilo
"A little history of the world" by E.H. Gombrich. I've never been too
enthusiastic about History in general, but I couldn't put this book down until
finished.

~~~
alisey
His "Art and Illusion" is very good too.

------
zavulon
E-Myth revisited

<http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0051QVESA/>

I've read it early in the year, and it made me think about my business in a
totally new way. Way too many parts me had me nodding sadly "yes, this happens
to me too". A must for any business owners

------
armandososa
This year I read again '100 years of solitude' (in spanish, of course) and I
enjoyed every bit of it.

------
joshz
The one I've enjoyed the most, was probably "Surely You're Joking, Mr.
Feynman" but additionally read a couple that kept being mentioned on here:

* A Random Walk Down Wall Street

* Predictably Irrational

* Black Swan

* Blink

and enjoyed those too. I've also read "How To Make Friends and Influence
People" and started "Lords of Finance" but never finished.

------
adnam
I enjoyed "Debt: The First 5,000 Years" by David Graeber, an anthropoligical
look at the history of money, morality and the nature of debt.

------
nodemaker
The origin of consciousness in the breakdown of the bicameral mind - Julian
Jaynes

Very Powerful Read!

------
iamandrus
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries. It's a really good book for starting
entrepreneurs.

------
ElliotH
It took me 2010 as well as 2011, but I really enjoyed Godel, Escher Bach now
I've finally got through it. It's hard going, but I can't think of a book that
chnaged what I think about the world as much as that book has.

------
sayemm
"The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance" -
[http://www.amazon.com/Cambridge-Expertise-Performance-
Handbo...](http://www.amazon.com/Cambridge-Expertise-Performance-Handbooks-
Psychology/dp/0521600812/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324988081&sr=8-1)

Here are some excerpts:

\-
[http://www.psy.fsu.edu/faculty/ericsson/ericsson.exp.perf.ht...](http://www.psy.fsu.edu/faculty/ericsson/ericsson.exp.perf.html)

\-
[http://www.psy.fsu.edu/faculty/ericsson/ericsson.mem.exp.htm...](http://www.psy.fsu.edu/faculty/ericsson/ericsson.mem.exp.html)

------
jvandenbroeck
The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins, old but definitely worth the read.
Changes the way you look at things.

~~~
prpon
If you loved the book Selfish Gene, I recommend listening to the story of
George Price. <http://www.radiolab.org/2010/dec/14/>

It is both depressing and enlightening.

------
dudurocha
Nice thread! My favorite books this year were:

The power of Less: <http://amzn.to/t4umWo> . It discuss how you can simplify
your life. It give many practical advices, and is good for all kinds of
people. The message in the book is " be aware and simplify".

Brilliant, Crazy, Cocky. By Sarah Lacy, former writer fo techcrunch.
<http://amzn.to/vMJwhR>. It show how the entrepreneurship and startups are
going around the world. As a brazilian reader, I find the picture of brazil
very accurate, so the rest of the world must be accurate too. It's a good
resource for anyone wanting to understand and know the startup community in
countries like India, China, Brazil, Indonesia and others.

If you want to write, by brenda Ueland ,<http://amzn.to/w5gQyz>: It's a nice
book about the craftsmanship of writing. It's a bit 'philosophic' book, but
also give a little practical advice. It's and old book, don't be amazed when
it refer to the typewriter. And it's very cheap, only 3,99.

And to finish, time warrior, by steve chandler. <http://amzn.to/vNBawK> If you
want a book to beat procrastination, and other modern plagues, this is the
book. very practical advice, the book has more then 100 tips. Every should
read it.

Thats my favorite books of this year, apart of the ones everyone has talked
about, like Steve Jobs bio, Lean Startup, and others startup world books.

------
xn--ls8h
"Go the F--k to Sleep", by Adam Mansbach. It's a great book that's helped me
much in my personal life. I used to have trouble falling asleep at night,
often finding myself worrying about issues that had come up during the day,
and being unable to put work away when I needed to sleep. Since reading it,
I've found that I can put away these fears and problems far better than I
could before. I highly recommend it to anyone who has trouble sleeping from
time to time.

~~~
mkopinsky
I'm not sure whether to downvote you for trolling, or upvote you for humor.
Since I don't have a downvote button, I'll have to upvote.

------
knes
Game design wise, the best are:

\- The Art of Game Design by Jesse Schell: <http://amzn.to/zFOiEk>

It's pretty comprehensive, but I found it a bit "heads in the cloud" and not
very hands on. The lenses give you some hands-on approach if you apply them
though. If you are looking for a book with very specific "how-to-do-this-or-
that" then it may not be your thing.

I like to pair this book with David Perry on Game Design:
<http://amzn.to/ytXF7G>

That monster tomb is all hands-on and You can use it more like a
cheatsheet:"OK I need a villain. Let me turn to the 'villain archetypes'
section and pick one at random. OK he needs a weapon. Let me turn to the
'rifles' section and pick one at random" and so on.

I also really liked "Level Up!: The Guide to Great Video Game Design" by Scott
Rogers: <http://amzn.to/xuVjWU>

It is the book I recommend to budding game developers because it is sort of
like "Art of Game Design" lite. It covers most of the same topics but don't go
into such an intellectual depth which is a GOOD thing for people just wrapping
their heads around what game design is. Once they finish that, I move them to
Schell's book.

Cheers

------
yock
Re-read a classic fiction, _Treasure Island_ by Stephenson.

Of the non-fiction I read, and completed, this year, _Endurance: Shackelton's
Incredible Voyage_ by Lansing.

~~~
southpolesteve
Make sure to check out "South" which is Shackelton's own telling of the
journey.

~~~
yock
It's free on Kindle, so it's now on my Kindle. Thanks for the tip.

------
meow
I read "Wheel of time" series by Robert Jordan this year. The books in this
series are just so addictive.. wasn't able to stop till I read all thirteen
books :)

~~~
beilabs
Just one left to go, I've been waiting for a very very very long time.

~~~
meow
Oh, when ever I get the longing for the last one, I go on a revision of my
favorite parts in previous books.. Thank fully I started this in August and
haven't heard of it before.. Now just one more year to go till the last book..
:)

I still wonder how BS is going to cover all loose ends in one book!

~~~
beilabs
I'm fairly sure it was well mapped out for him. I'll go and re-read the lot a
couple of months before I do.

TIL today, there is a comic book for The Eye of the World.

------
szcukg
A song of Ice and Fire series

~~~
CWIZO
I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't read any books (beside some programming
related stuff) in over a year. But I did start reading A game of thrones in
the middle of August this year, now I'm on page 300 of the A dance with
dragons. Simply amazing book.

------
freshfey
"Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger" by Peter Bevelin. Excellent read.

~~~
stevanl
I've been trying to get a hold of this book for a while in the UK, but it
seems very tough to get a copy of without paying through the teeth for
international shipping. Anyone have any tips?

~~~
freshfey
Check the libraries in your region and/or ask the biggest one whether they
could buy it for the library -> free option.

------
wqfeng
Is it necessary to be books published in 2011? If not, __Calculus Made Easy
__is the best book I read in 2011.

~~~
alinajaf
This is on my todo list. "Maths and stuff" is a big gaping whole in my
intellectual toolbox and I've been meaning to get it sorted out for a while.
I'll probably pick something like this up, right after I'm done with "Speech
and Language Processing"

------
chad_oliver
I just finished reading "The Origin of Political Order", which was recommended
by Venkatesh Rao. It's refreshing to read an overview of world history that
doesn't focus on kings and kingdoms, but rather on the underlying causes. This
book covers some dense material, but remains readable at all times. Highly
recommended.

~~~
cbare
I'll second the recommendation for The Origins of Political Order: From
Prehuman Times to the French Revolution. It lays out a systematic way of
thinking about political development and decay.

I wrote a review here:
[http://pragmaticpoliticaleconomy.blogspot.com/2011/09/im-
rea...](http://pragmaticpoliticaleconomy.blogspot.com/2011/09/im-reading-
francis-fukuyama-s-latest.html)

------
zachwill
I thought Designers Don't Read was great (don't let the name fool you). It's
basically an art director's take on advertising and design with bits of
history and insights thrown in: <http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1581156650>

------
bulte-rs
Best read for me is actually a non-tech book; the Dutch "Hoe hoort het
eigenlijk" (roughly translated as: "how it should be done") which is
considered "the Dutch Etiquette Bible". There is not enough courtesy and
etiquette in this world.

That, and I really liked SICP (finally got off the shelf).

------
beagle3
"Left in the dark" - a theory about how our mind works. It is either crackpot
or one of the most amazing discoveries of the last few decades. Hard to tell
which, but it is a very interesting read regardless.

<http://leftinthedark.org.uk/>

~~~
obtu
Crackpot, because I couldn't go through the first page with a straight face.
It is attacking science for lacking rigor (why not, depending on your
standards and the field) and ignoring a momentous event, then proceeds to put
forth an explanation that is not rigorous at all (cultural arguments do not
support neuroscience jargon).

~~~
beagle3
First page of the website or the first page of the book?

Either way, you should spend more time reading it. Consider it science fiction
if it bothers you.

"The origin of consciousness in the breakdown of the bicameral mind" is also
mind blowing. Neither is foolproof, and both are potentially crackpot -- but
if _should_ read a crackpot book to broaden your horizons. Just consider it
scifi instead of science.

------
rhizome31
Tech: _Code_ by Charles Petzold

Novel: _Invisible_ by Paul Auster

Essay: _Après la démocratie_ (French) by Emmanuel Todd

~~~
jasonlotito
"Code" is an excellent book, and I'd agree, it's worth it regardless of what
you do in computers.

------
Confusion
Professionally, The Art of Project Management did the most for me.

Privately, general-fiction-wise, The Wind-up Bird Chronicles by Haruki
Murakami did the most for me.

Privately, SF-wise, three books by Kurt Vonnegut: Cat's Cradle,
Slaughterhouse-five and The Sirens of Titan

------
mashmac2
Man's Search For Meaning by Victor Frankel.

It was recommended by several friends, and I finally got around to reading it.
Helped, along with Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to work through
my personal thought process. Highly recommended.

------
bumbledraven
Quite possibly the best book I ever read in my life came out in 2011: _The
Beginning of Infinity_ by quantum physicist David Deutsch.
<http://amzn.to/mSTNCn>

It talks about the kinds of ideas that lead to progress in human societies and
those that lead to stagnation. I believe Deutsch is, in this book, the first
philosopher to actually explain why science works as well as it does. I wish I
could do justice to this book in a short review, but instead I can only urge
everyone reading this to give it a shot. Read the first chapter, and you'll
know you have to read the rest.

------
makatiguy
I'd have to recommend "Holy War" by Nigel Cliff.

Great read about how one little tiny country (Portugal)in Europe ended being
the first colonial power through their dominance of the seas, spice trade and
their desire to see Islam vanquished.

------
mindcrime
Hmm... there have been a few, and I'd have to look through my "read books
stack" to remind myself exactly which ones fell into 2011 and not prior
years... but offhand, I'd mention:

Fiction:

 _Mona Lisa Overdrive_ \- William Gibson

 _Zero History_ \- William Gibson

 _11/22/63_ \- Stephen King

 _The Name of the Wind_ \- Patrick Rothfuss

 _The Wise Man's Fear_ \- Patrick Rothfuss

Non-fiction:

 _Ghost in the Wires_ \- Kevin Mitnick

 _The Elegant Universe_ \- Brian Greene

 _The Trouble With Physics_ \- Lee Smolin

 _Not Even Wrong_ \- Peter Woit

 _The Lean Startup_ \- Eric Ries

 _Blue Ocean Strategy_ \- W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne

 _Built To Last_ \- Jim Collins

 _Business Model Generation_ \- Alexander Osterwalder

Started, but unfinished, may yet make the list:

 _Simulacra and Simulation_ \- Jean Baudrillard

 _Reamde_ \- Neal Stephenson

 _The Fabric of the Cosmos_ \- Brian Greene

~~~
cscheid
Reamde, non-fiction?

~~~
mindcrime
Heh, no; the "started but not yet finished" section was meant to be
independent of the "fiction" and "non fiction" headings. :-)

------
serverdude
"The Moral Landscape" (<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/143917122X/>) by Sam
Harris

The book discusses how science can be used to deal with questions on morality.

------
MengYuanLong
I am loving this thread. There are so many wonderful suggestions.

My personal additions (though I know they are not obscure):

Down and Out in Disneyland - Cory Doctorow (This was gifted by a friend and
really inspired me to make some significant changes in my life. That includes
the decision to learn to code and escape the user end of the spectrum.)

Procrastination- Jane B. Burka , Lenora M. Yuen (This book has fundamentally
altered my introspective conclusions. That is to say, I am now more aware of
times when I am procrastinating and the impact it has on my life.)

This year was a great year for reading and I hope to read even more next year.

------
ntkachov
Design for Hackers by David Kadavy. Besides being informative it was really
really interesting to read. Really opened my eyes to a lot of the things
designers do deliberately and not just because "its pretty".

------
veidr
My choice is _Spin_ , a novel by Robert Charles Wilson (2005).

This is IMO the very best kind of sci-fi: a plausible, scientifically grounded
story about interesting people experiencing some fascinating shit.

Wilson is a great writer, too; I hadn't heard of him previously, but have
since read a bunch of his works.

(As an aside, there has never been a year in my life where the best book of
the year for me was a nonfiction title. Am I weird?)

[http://www.amazon.com/Spin-
ebook/dp/B0016IXMWI/ref=kinw_dp_k...](http://www.amazon.com/Spin-
ebook/dp/B0016IXMWI/ref=kinw_dp_ke?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2)

------
jasondrowley
Galatea 2.2 by Richard Powers It's about a "resident humanist" at a research
institution who makes an improbable bet with a computer scientist/AI
researcher. For people in tech, it's a fantastic read.

------
CoffeeDregs
Best book every year since I read it every year: The Tree of Knowledge. Given
how grounded I am in computers, it's important to know what it is to be human.
The book starts with simple micro biology and ends by explaining the
biological foundation of love. it's the only book I've read that literally
changed the way I see the works (and if you read the book you'll know that I
mean "literally" in the most literal sense).

It's a difficult book, but some excellent reading guides exist do I highly
recommend giving it a read.

------
ljy
\- The 4 Hours Work Week (Tim Ferriss) \- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)

------
tyohn
What Technology Wants by Kevin Kelly - I highly recommend reading this book.
The title describes what the book is about ~ as a hacker it might just make
you rethink everything you do.

------
rasmus4200
The War of Art <http://www.stevenpressfield.com/the-war-of-art/>

Break through the blocks and win your inner creative battles.

Many books mentioned here are good, this is the only I haven't seen
referenced. But this one book really helped me deal with resistance and get
stuff done. Seth Godin is a big fan and references it a lot in his material.

Steven Pressfield also wrote 'The Legend of Bagger Vance' and Gates of Fire
(Spartan 300 kind of book but way deeper).

------
alisey
"Picturing the Uncertain World" by Howard Wainer.
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0691137595>

\- World record improves linearly for over 50 years, for how long will the
trend continue?

\- Is it OK not to rescore erroneously high SAT scores?

\- Why among examinees who get the same SAT score White examinees do better on
easy items, whereas Black examinees do better on hard items?

\- How comes that areas with the lowest and the highest kidney cancer death
rate are rural areas?

------
nickhould
1\. Founders At Work. Biographical - "Entrepreneurship stories at it's best"
2\. Rework. Business-Book - "Think your business different" 3\. Into Thin Air.
Biographical . "An Everest Expedition Turn Wrong" 4\. I Was Blind But Now I
see. Biographical. "Leave Your Job, Start Your Business. Make Your Money Work
For You, Don't Work For Your Money" 5\. Anything You Want. Biographical.
"Success comes from persistently improving and inventing, not from
persistently doing what's not working. "

------
gwern
Pinker's _Better Angels_. Mind-blowingly detailed and thorough.

------
davee
Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman

------
miles_matthias
Rework. Also, "The Long Run" by Matt Long. Mr. Long wrote a book about his
experience as a NYC firefighter who, a few days after qualifying for the
Boston marathon, got run over by a bus while riding his bike and literally got
split in half up to his chest. Almost two years later, he ran the New York
City marathon and went on to do the ironman. Insanely great story and the book
is a good read. His story was inspiring to never give up.

------
svec
"Accelerando" by Charles Stross. I think this was the third time I read it.
There will be a 4th, and a 5th, ...

It's a very interesting idea of how "The Singularity" might look.

------
momo-reina
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card Foundation series by Isaac Asimov Orion
series by Ben Bova Stranger in a Stange Land, Farnham's Freehold by Robert
Heinlein

------
dejv
Speaking of business books: Growing a business (old but still valid and great)
and Setting the Table.

Speaking of fiction I want to recommend Neil Gainman The Graveyard Book

~~~
technology
just curious, where do you get updates for book recommendations or updates ?

------
Maro
The Art of Readable Code

Best book on software engineering in a good while.

------
babebridou
I often got back to Playing to Win by David Sirlin -
<http://www.sirlin.net/ptw/>

Though it's certainly aimed at competitive gaming, I also use it at times as
an inspiration for my business. It helps whenever I need to take a second look
and play the devil's advocate about my own decisions. Reading it also earned
me an extremely effective weapon against procrastination.

------
sandal
The Penguin and the Leviathan. It is an interesting mix of science and
anecdotal evidence which hints that most people, most of the time, would
actually benefit more from cooperative behavior than they would from
competitive behavior.

[http://www.amazon.com/Penguin-Leviathan-Cooperation-
Triumphs...](http://www.amazon.com/Penguin-Leviathan-Cooperation-Triumphs-
Self-Interest/dp/0385525761)

------
schnaars
In no order: \- Word Catcher - <http://amzn.to/s1Ykku> \- The Postmortal -
<http://amzn.to/rpaQyL> \- Moonwalking with Einstein - <http://amzn.to/tDkRkY>
\- The Post American World - <http://amzn.to/4ex38B>

------
kd5bjo
* The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas

* Dune, by Frank Herbert

------
ptabatt
"The God Delusion" - Dawkins

Very blunt and mean. But also convincing...

------
herval
Does fiction count?

\- Steve Jobs, the biography (edition is bad, lots of repeated passages and
phrases and phrases, but the story itself is great) \- Ender's Game (better at
human psychology than Lord of the Flies)

On the "biggest letdowns" ranking: \- Lean Startup (shallow and basically a
recollection of common sense stuff) \- Game of Thrones series (I tried, then
tried, then tried again. Not my kind of fiction, I guess)

------
tmeasday
Hey guys, just made a little Bindle of some of the choices you've made, for
those of you who like a more visual perspective:
<http://bindle.me/bindles/298>.

My contribution:

"Devices and Desires" by KJ Parker: An interesting fantasy book that is
centered around an engineer---his unique take on complex human situations
might appeal to the more analytical amongst us.

------
train_robber
In Cold Blood - Truman Capote

------
pilap82
Open Services Innovation from Henry Chesbrough

------
christiangenco
"Incognito - The Secret Lives of the Brain" (<http://amzn.com/0307377334>)
blew me away. Very interesting read on the current understanding of how the
brain/consciousness work and the implications of these models on free will,
etc.

I've now given it as a present no less than 4 times and counting.

------
hello_moto
Personally for me The Bible is and has always been. I'm not a religious
fanatics but The Bible has taught me how to live life no matter how hard life
is so that's good enough for me.

Lately I've been reading old books as well from Og Mandino. Ditto with
technical books: books from the 70's, 80's, 90's are quite good. The rest
are... "OK".

------
vm
* Steve Jobs biography. I couldn't put it down and I'm shocked there aren't more fans on HN

For those who liked Malkiel's Random Walk, read:

* Ben Graham's Intelligent Investor

* Philip Fisher's Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits They counter Malkiel's thesis (yup, he's wrong) and Warren Buffet credits both men for teaching him how to invest. True classics.

~~~
hello_moto
Steve Jobs may be a great entrepreneur and innovator (or tweaker, whatever,
people can debate this for decade) but not all people care much about his
life. Especially when most of it have been exposed for years.

I borrowed the book from library and only read a few pages here and there.
Returned the book within a week because I have other priorities or other books
to read.

I think it's good that the "herd" mentality is missing on this book. In fact,
I hope the herd/blogger mentality decreases as well in any other books (like
Gladwell's, Ferris's, etc).

~~~
Riesling
I strongly disagree. I got the biography for christmas this year and finished
it in two days.

Having never owned a piece of apple hardware due to its closed nature and
being an open source supporter myself, I was quite surprised by the joy I got
from reading this book.

The honesty used by Walter Isaacson to describe Jobs was really refreshing and
not expected by me at all.

I was able to draw many conclusions from this book. For example I do not think
that there is the possibility of using it as a recipe for your own success as
an entrepreneur, which might be the reason of why the hn community might be
undervaluing this book. It clearly shows that Steve had many unique character
traits which made him successful after all. Most of them were negative in my
eyes. Actually he often seemed borderline insane. When thinking about the way
he treated people, the way he manipulated people, the way he thought that he
knew it all and used all of those techniques in order to make those things
happen, I realized that those are character traits that lie deep within and
cannot easy be emulated, if at all.

As a conclusion I might add that I really respect Steve and his family for
allowing such a self critical biography to be published.

~~~
hello_moto
What are you disagreeing against?

I find it... weird when someone said something in HN and somebody else has to
agree or disagree. It's like a blog post that requires a rebuttal or
something.

Some people want to read about Steve Jobs, some don't...

And FYI, I'm not sure if reading a book on X and consider it as a recipe for
your business is a good thing anyway. Nobody has replicated 37Signals success
so far.

Whatever you thought about Steve, most people probably already knew that from
the numerous books, articles, and whatnot written about him. And if this book
exposed 10-30% more about him... well.. some people may not bother to know
more...

It's not like we all must read the book or something...

------
libraryatnight
The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick -- Fascinating to have some insight into Dick's
thinking and attempts to understand his experiences. The book isn't really
something to just sit down and read cover to cover, but more to explore and
move around in, but if you love Philip K. Dick it's awesome.

------
jlarocco
I'm guessing most HN readers won't be too interested in this list, but here
goes:

Instant Karma: The Heart & Soul of a Ski Bum

Wild Snow: 54 Classic Ski and Snowboard Descents of North America

Roof of the Rockies: A History of Colorado Mountaineering

Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets

Computational Geometry: Algorithms and Applications

------
jazzdev
I got "The Most Human Human: What Talking with Computers Teaches Us About What
It Means to Be Alive" for Christmas and it's just fascinating. Interesting
history on the Turing test and AI and philosophy and very well written. I
highly recommend it.

------
navan
Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science by Wheelan, Charles

Economics explained in the most intuitive way.

On a related note I started an account at goodreads.com at the start of this
year. It is great for keeping track of what you read and to find books for
future reading.

------
linuxrulz
API Design for C++ - Martin Reddy

~~~
blub
The table of contents looks very good. Do you know any other recent and worthy
C++ books? I'm more interested in design-related and deeply technical ones.

~~~
linuxrulz
Another book (though not a C++ book) that comes to mind is: Linux Programming
Interface by Michael Kerrisk.

~~~
blub
Yep, it's on my reading list. Thanks.

------
zooz
Incognito: The Secret Lives of The Brain - David Eagleman.

A much recommended read.

[http://www.amazon.co.uk/Incognito-Secret-Lives-Brain-
ebook/d...](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Incognito-Secret-Lives-Brain-
ebook/dp/B004SP1UEI/ref=pd_sxp_f_pt)

------
jberryman
Everything and More - David Foster Wallace

It's a book on the history of math, focused around the story of math's
struggle to deal with infinity. There's really nothing like it. (okay,
technically I still haven't finished it, but it's still 2011)

------
mikecsh
On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins

------
cpt1138
Lean Startup, got it for X-MAS.

------
vilts
"Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength" by Roy F. Baumeister
and John Tierney.

Really good book about willpower, mental fatigue, dieting, working etc. Lots
of nice examples and tips to improve different aspects of your life.

------
rcamera
Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa. Highly recommended for anyone who has discipline
problems, it is really inspiring, one of the top 3 books I've read. It tells
the history of the real samurai named Miyamoto Musashi.

------
bmcleod
Poor Economics - Changed my views on some areas of how to combat poverty and
poor education. As well as relating a huge amount a detail regarding the
unexpected ways people with different backgrounds behave.

~~~
technology
just curious, where do you get updates for book recommendations or updates cuz
that one is my favorite ?

------
bolu
The Emperor of All Maladies - spectacular journey into the history of the
disease. Filled with great human stories of discovery, and also taught me a
ton about the currently understood biology of cancer.

------
daniel_iversen
In no particular order, the best ones I read this year on top of my mind are:
\- enchantment by guy kawasaki \- rework by 37signals \- the prince
(machiavelli?) \- the 4 hour work week (ferris?)

------
martinvanaken
For work : Rework, from 37signals. Fresh, opinionated and funny.

For leisure : A Dance with Dragons, from Georges R.R. Martin "Game of Thrones"
series (the HBO version is superb, but do not miss the books either).

------
pardner
Game Theory At work by James Miller is a great non-mathematical description of
key game theory and how to apply it in real life. I consider it to be a must-
read for any entrepreneur.

------
restreitinho
It's not from this year, but I have to say it: I read Rework quite a few
months back and it honestly changed my life. Other than that, The Thank You
Economy is a good one as well.

------
SanjeevSharma
I posted my list in this recent blog post:
<http://dundat.com/blog/2011/11/30/a-wannabe-founder/>

------
dimmuborgir
"Friedrich Nietzsche: A Philosophical Biography" by Julian Young.

------
Santas
The Art of War - Sun Tzu

~~~
eliben
Seriously? I've often seen this book recommended, but I just can't figure out
what people find in it. Care to share?

~~~
dlss
You need to read it in a context where there is nothing else to do, and you
can leisurely let your thoughts move between the book and your life.

Read in this way, the book can act as a catalyst for meditative insights --
overlooked possibilities, bigger pictures, new roles and options, and
alternative directions for the future.

------
FameofLight
The Bhagwat Gita : You will very changed man once you read this, a very
different person. This book is around 10000 years old,has even more relevance
in the world today.

------
aba_sababa
_Consider the Lobster_ \- essays by DFW

 _Startup Nation_ \- discourse on startups in Israel

 _Tempo_ \- narrative strategy by Venkatesh Rao - REALLY good read, distilled
and full of gold

------
yannickt
Solar Trillions, by Tony Seba. The book makes a strong case for seven market
opportunities for solar energy. A great read that got me interested in clean
tech.

------
g3orge
Linux in a nutshell. Best book for Linux noobs and pros.

------
fcardinaux
"Enchantment", by Guy Kawasaki

"Rework", by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

"Web Design for Developers", by Brian P. Hogan

"Scalability Rules", by Martin L. Abbott and Michael T. Fisher

------
mickeyben
_Night train to lisbon_ \- Pascal Mercier

It's about a professor who quits his job and his country to explore the life
of an author he just discovered.

------
obtu
Declare, by Tim Powers. Very well-written and convincing, considering the
subject matter (a spy thriller with elements of horror).

------
drumdance
If you're a self-consciously hip music snob like me, two works of fiction you
will enjoy are:

 _Stone Arabia_ by Dana Spiotta

 _Juliet, Naked_ by Nick Hornby

------
laironald
"No Higher Honor" - Condoleeza Rice. An amazingly accomplished person that is
humble enough to analyze her own thinking process.

------
aestetix_
Tied between "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White and "The Baroque Cycle"
(yes, all three volumes) by Neal Stephenson.

------
yurylifshits
Onward by Howard Schultz

Howard has returned to CEO post at Starbucks just before the crisis of 2008. A
great story about turnaround effort.

------
ncarroll
Fiction: The Poisionwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.

Non-Fiction: Improv Wisdom: Don't Prepare, Just Show Up, by Patricia Ryan
Madison.

Edited for formatting

------
anatoly

      * Anne Tyler, Dinner At The Homesick Restaurant
      * Gene Wolfe, Peace
      * Vladimir Nabokov, Pale Fire

~~~
wahnfrieden
And I read Pnin - Pale Fire's next!

------
capkutay
I'd say it's a tie between 2 books by Jonathan Safran Foer:

"Everything is Illuminated" and "Extremely Loud, Incredibly Close".

------
sdoering
Two (fiction) Books, I really read in one piece:

Deamon & Freedom from Daniel Suarez

Non Fiction:

Black Swan - N.N. Taleb Anything you want - Derek Sivers

~~~
brettweaverio
Big +1 for Daemon, one of the best modern science fiction novels I've read.

------
teja1990
Mine are :

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, I just love this book!

Greatest Trade Ever by Gregory Zuckerman.

And I read manga , so include One Piece as well :D

~~~
gbaygon
Atlas Shrugged is a must read for any entrepreneur.

~~~
tspiteri
I'm not going to debate the merits of Rand's philosophy in Atlas Shrugged, but
as a novel, I found it horrible. I found that all the characters fall into one
of two groups, those who agree with Rand's philosophy, and those who don't,
and there is no credible character that disputes Rand's philosophy. There is
also a lot of repetition, as if the novel is simply trying to indoctrinate the
reader.

~~~
mantas
There were grey characters too. Dagny Taggart did not truly agree with Rand's
philosophy.

In addition to that, Lord of the Rings must be terrible for the same reasons
too. As well as most of the other popular books I can think of.

~~~
tspiteri
I cannot find a fundamental difference in the thought process of Dagny
Taggart, Hank Rearden, Francisco d'Anconia, and the rest of that group. In
fact, at the end of the novel, they all share a virtually identical
philosophy, they all develop into Rand's ideal character. As for the other
group, they are all greedy lazy parasites who want to do nothing productive
and live off others.

One character, although not a major character, which did not seem to fall into
those two groups and which seemed to have some development potential was
Cherryl Brooks, but as soon as she had a conflict to resolve, Ayn Rand chose
not to develop the character, took the easy way out, and had her commit
suicide.

------
studiomohawk
Hardboiled Web Design by Andy Clarke.

------
fduran
"The snowball: Warren Buffett and the business of life"

"The autobiography of Benjamin Franklin"

"The toilet paper entrepreneur"

"The lean startup"

"Anything you want"

------
mcdowall
The 33 by Jonathan Franklin, but aside from that, most of the recommendations
by Derek Sivers.

------
alexanderberman
In no particular order:

* Boomerang by Michael Lewis

* Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

* The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

* The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk

------
arank
Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence (1986)
from Carl Sagan.

------
omarchowdhury
Rene Guenon's Man and His Becoming according to the Vedanta

Bhagavad Gita - Recension by William Quan Judge

------
kgosser
"The Information" by James Gleick

------
djb10401
I read a lot this year. Catch-22 was hilarious, insightful, and my personal
favorite.

------
james-fend
The Fast Lane by MJ Demarco

You won't regret it.

------
pknerd
Eat That Frog by Brain Tracy. An excellent read to get rid of procrastination.

------
mosjeff
"Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell.

Completely changed the way I think about success and my future.

------
pradheap
'The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer' by Siddhartha Mukherjee

------
david927
Achebe's "Things Fall Apart"

------
amrnt
Rework

------
bleakgadfly
"Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftmanship" by Uncle Bob.

------
deStab
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt

------
ashitvora
\- Don't make me think. \- Delivering Happiness.

------
autumn_
I'm surprised I'm not seeing more 1Q84 here.

------
markkat
Barbara Tuchman's _The Guns of August_.

------
alanav
"Physics of the Impossible" by Michio Kaku

------
samaraga
Godel,Escher,Bach by Douglas Hofstadter.

------
naithemilkman
a bit late to the party but ender's game for fiction, gantz for manga,
founders at work for non fiction

~~~
ec429
I'd read Ender's Game some time before, but recently someone lent me the next
three and they're similarly brilliant. Can't decide which is my favourite
though; probably not Children of the Mind because the aiùa stuff is _weird_.

------
brettweaverio
Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand

The Lean Startup - Eric Reis

Rework - 37signals

------
dkberktas
"How We Decide" from John Lehrer

------
mtimur
Tangled Web by Michal Zalewski.

------
forkrulassail
Neuropath - R Scott Bakker.

------
largepuma
My choice is "Hackers and Painters" in Chinese edition, though it is first
pressed in 2004.

------
rinutk
To kill a mocking bird!!

------
kurtvarner
Second the Lean Startup

------
vishaldpatel
Chapterhouse Dune.

------
emil0r
The Exodus Case

------
pauljonas
* __The Idea of America: Reflections on the Birth of the United States __by Gordon Wood — an outstanding collection of essays on the creation of America. They range in chronology from the 1960s until the present time and explore themes like Roman (founders all big devotees and disciples of Cato, Cicero, etc.… able to recite lines and relished in theater enactments) influence on the founders, the "radicalism" of Paine and Jefferson, the American brew of Enlightenment, monarchy v. democracy (democracy simply had no historical precedent, except for the brief, crude and flawed Athenian model thousands of years earlier), democracy v. republic, etc.…

* __Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress--and a Plan to Stop It __by Lawrence Lessig

* __Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin's Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives __by David Wilson Sloan — …jargon is toned down for a universal audience, and appeal is made that evolution should be broadly applied, and not just confined to the biology domain. 36 chapters, after a gentle introduction, tilt from specific path carving experiments to general queries on religion, morals, human nature.

* __Debt: The First 5,000 Years __by David Graeber — Anthropologist shreds sacred classical "economics" cows on markets, debt, capitalism, etc.… …hard not to see things after taking in this fantastic research.

* __Christian Anarchism: A Political Commentary on the Gospel __by Alexandre Christoyannopoulos — Christian anarchism has been around for at least as long as “secular” anarchism. The existing literature cites Leo Tolstoy as its most famous (sometimes even as the only) proponent, but there are many others, such as Jacques Ellul, Vernard Eller, Dave Andrews or the people associated with the Catholic Worker movement. Both individually and collectively, these Christian anarchists offer a compelling critique of the state, the church and the economy based on numerous passages from the New Testament. Yet despite the relevance and growth of this literature, no generic study bringing together these different thinkers or reflecting on their contribution has been published to date, because such work involves meticulous searching, compiling and structuring of countless different texts and sources, not all of which are easily accessed. This book, however, provides precisely such a study, and thereby presents Christian anarchism to both the wider public and the wider academic community.

* __To Know as We Are Known: Education as a Spiritual Journey __by Parker Palmer — …an eloquent inquiry into "obedience of truth", what it means to educate and to be educated, that to love is "to know" and "to know" is to love. That it is about asking questions and inciting an inner fire, not about authoritarian objectivism or subjective "everyone has their own truth" relativism.

------
powertower
Someone once said that 100s of thousands of books have been written to try to
express the inexpressible, but only 1 has succeeded... The Book of Mirdad.

> Logic is immaturity weaving its nets of gossamer wherewith it aims to catch
> the behemoth of knowledge. Logic is a crutch for the cripple; but a burden
> for the swift of foot; and a greater burden for the winged.

Most people will read two pages of this book and hand it back. But that's
their failure, not the books'.

If you read the above quote, and don't get its true meaning, don't get this
book, it will read as pure nonsense.

The true meaning is that we (the cripple, all of us) use logic (a tool, the
crutch) to help us (which is good), but at some point in time (after you've
mastered logic) you reach an understand that there is no right or wrong, no
point in progress or success, that the universe does not care about any of
this, and that logic now holds you back (from enlightenment).

Using logic, you can be a scholar, even a philosopher, but you'll never reach
enlightenment.

Now watch the truly crippled downvote this away.

~~~
StavrosK
Ooh, you had me until the last sentence. It doesn't sound enlightened, just
spiteful.

------
michaelochurch
Best book is hard. Best technical book is either:

 _Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming_ :
<http://www.amzn.com/0262220695>

or:

 _Programming in Scala_ : <http://www.amzn.com/0981531644>

------
pinaceae
Politics: The Gamble by Thomas E. Ricks

Economics: How Markets Fail by John Cassidy

Fiction: read through the works of Jo Nesbo, Dennis Lehane, Don Winslow and
Stieg Larrsson - all of them recommendable

------
maeon3
Audio book for Tim Sanders, the Likeability Factor.

<http://timsanders.com/books/likeability-factor.html>

I listened to this twice, and applied everything he said to do in my life. I
went from a lonely programmer to an extrovert in 18 months. He put
Extroversion into words a programmer can understand, as lists of instructions.
Now i have so many friends I have to prioritize time with them.

------
rimantas
"Lila" ([http://www.amazon.com/Lila-Inquiry-Morals-Robert-
Pirsig/dp/0...](http://www.amazon.com/Lila-Inquiry-Morals-Robert-
Pirsig/dp/0553299611/) ) gave me most food for thought this year.

