
Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014? - petecooper
I debated whether it was too early in December to ask this, but I&#x27;m interested in what book(s) changed your life in 2014. I ask because I&#x27;m going through something of a personal and professional renaissance and my book of the year was the same as fraqed&#x27;s when s&#x2F;he asked the same question in December 2013 [1].<p>My reading list for 1H15 is a bit vague and wooly right now, so I&#x27;m interested in your responses.<p>For completeness, this could be considered an extension to a previous post of mine [2], but I&#x27;m not looking to solve any problem, either perceived or otherwise.<p>Thank you in advance.<p>[1] https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=6975638<p>[2] https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=8673576<p>(Edited for typo and formatting)
======
Evgeny
_For the mind:_

[http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-
Stoic/dp/01953...](http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-
Stoic/dp/0195374614)

A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy - William B. Irvine

Not only a description of the Stoic philosophy, which is, unfortunately, not
very well known today, but also a great practical guide to a variety of
techniques that can be included into daily activities easily, and will
increase happiness.

 _For the body:_

[http://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Gravity-Systematic-
Gymnasti...](http://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Gravity-Systematic-Gymnastics-
Bodyweight/dp/1467933120)

Overcoming Gravity: A Systematic Approach to Gymnastics and Bodyweight
Strength - Steven Low

As I'm growing older (turned 40 last year), I'm no longer inclined to exercise
with very heavy weights and was looking into replacing most of the
barbell/dumbell exercises in my routine with bodyweight exercise. The book is
a great encyclopedia of exercise that can be performed without or with minimal
equipment. There are progressions, advice on creating routines, on injury
prevention and management and a lot more. There is also a subreddit for those
who follow the book
[http://www.reddit.com/r/overcominggravity](http://www.reddit.com/r/overcominggravity)

~~~
Osmium
> A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy - William B. Irvine

I read this, and have nothing bad to say about it _per se._ I think Stoicism
in the classic sense is very under-appreciated these days, and it's good to
have a book to serve as an introduction. But I personally found it to be very
repetitive. The historical context part is worth reading in my opinion, but
apart from that you'd be better off reading something like Marcus Aurelius'
_Meditations_ instead, or some of the other classics.

Edit: Or if you're interested in a contemporary overview, I found AC
Grayling's _What is Good?_ to be much more insightful. Its central theme is
also a search for some form of "philosophy of life", like Irvine's book, but
it doesn't cover just Stoicism. Instead it covers many more philosophies, and
I think it's a much richer book because of it since it gives you a much
broader context, even if you end up adopting a Stoic outlook.

~~~
Evgeny
_you 'd be better off reading something like Marcus Aurelius' Meditations
instead, or some of the other classics._

Incidentally, I'm trying to read Meditations now, but it's not an easy reading
and it goes very slowly. Maybe I'll be able to put in on my 2015 list of
influential books?

~~~
Osmium
I think the particular translation you have makes a big difference, as with a
lot of these older texts. I found it very readable because the sections were
so short and the language pretty clear, but I was reading the Martin Hammond
translation.

e.g. just compare the first few lines from the version on Project Gutenberg:

 _" Of my grandfather Verus I have learned to be gentle and meek, and to
refrain from all anger and passion. From the fame and memory of him that begot
me I have learned both shamefastness and manlike behaviour."_

and the same lines from the Hammond translation:

 _" From my grandfather Verus: decency and a mild temper.

From what they say and I remember of my natural father: integrity and
manliness."_

Obviously a matter of personal preference though, but it's worth shopping
around for a translation before you start reading, and the Gutenberg versions
tend to be the most archaic (which doesn't necessarily even mean they're more
accurate, I think it was just the fashion back then to translate classic texts
into a more formal prose).

~~~
ashark
In the last year I replaced my copy of Meditations, which I didn't like very
much, and surveyed most of the existing translations in the process, comparing
them to each other and to the original Greek.

Maxwell Staniforth's was my favorite, being both faithful to the original and
easy to read. Hammond plays too loosely with the material, IMO.

The only hardcover I know of:

[http://www.foliosociety.com/book/MDS/meditations](http://www.foliosociety.com/book/MDS/meditations)

A paperback:

[http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Penguin-Great-Marcus-
Aurel...](http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Penguin-Great-Marcus-
Aurelius/dp/0143036270/)

------
david927
Capital in the Twenty First Century, Thomas Piketty

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_in_the_Twenty-
First_Cen...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_in_the_Twenty-
First_Century)

I've always been a bit embarrassed for the economics profession; it's always
seemed to me that it could be where math meets sociology and psychology, but
is instead where politics meets unfounded conjecture.

Piketty changed that for me. He does true science here. I read it because I
noticed that it has received every superlative you could confer on such a
tome. It deserves them all. If you haven't read it yet, start now.

~~~
Eleutheria
So capitalism has problems, he failed to determine the cause (the state) and
failed to propose efficient solutions (more taxes, austerity for the people,
more interventionism) and you praise it as true science? That book is a
marxist pamphlet in a thousand pages.

For the love of god, never read Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt or
you would consider him the bastard son of Einstein when he was fifteen.

~~~
olifante
Marxist Pamphlet? What non-sense. It's a book written by an avowed defender of
capitalism, worried about its excesses in the age of slowing growth. Piketty
is a social-democrat from the mainstream of European politics, not a marxist
in any way or shape. Bill Gates gave the book a mixed review with many
positive points, and he's not particularly known for being a marxist
sympathizer.

~~~
zo1
And here's me thinking Piketty was all about blaming capitalism for wealth
inequality. Care to correct me, and explain why you think he's an "avowed
defender of capitalism"?

~~~
eli_gottlieb
Because he's not actually proposing to move to an alternative system.

~~~
Focalise
He is proposing increased state control and taxation.

------
netcan
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

It's written for writers but is relevant broadly. The message is pretty simple
and you don't really need to read the whole book to get it. It's one of those
keep-driving-the-message self help-ish books.

Basically the point is to name and shame "resistance," a catch all term for
procrastination, fear and everything else that prevents a writer from writing
a book. It also applies to starting a startup, a career, a family, an exercise
regime… Like I said, the point is simple and the information could be conveyed
in a short essay.

The reason for the repetition is to actually realize how big a demonic
bottleneck this resistance is and that overcoming it will take effort and more
importantly, strategy. It's probably going to derail your plans unless you
plan for it. Personifying (or demonifying) it is part of the approach.

This is getting further from the book's actual content but the analogy for me
is addiction. Say you are an alcoholic. It's not enough to decide to stop
drinking, this is a fight. You need to realize that addiction will probably
win if you fight stupid. You need a plan to beat addiction. It will fight
back. You need to put time and resources into it. Everyone knows this and
former alcoholics will start pushing you straight into two things, making sure
you realize the scale of the problem and making sure you have a plan. They'll
probably recommend AA which gives you a formulaic strategy.

Resistance might not be the bottleneck for everyone, but it is for many. For
us, we need to make war on it

~~~
seizethecheese
I read this as well. The author bundles up most problems into something called
"resistance" and then encourages you to fight "resistance." To me, this was
pseudo religious nonsense, and I could never fully buy the concept.

------
urish
Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber.

I'm cautious to say it changed my life, but it definitely changed my view on
many things. I'm more aware of the ubiquity and power of debt, and I can no
longer take those for granted.

It's an extremely interesting read and has a broader intellectual appeal,
elucidating the roots of money, morality, and the roles of markets, nations,
and friends with regard to those.

~~~
martythemaniak
I definitely think of that book is life changing - it changed how I understand
the very concept of money.

What I really liked was that he put the development of money (and markets,
morality, nations etc) in a great historical context so you can see why things
happened the way they did.

------
russnewcomer
Simply Jesus by N.T. Wright. A great historical look at Jesus and 1st Century
Judaism.

Walking with God through Pain and Suffering by Timothy Keller. Made me stop
and think a lot about how I interact with family and friends that have gone
through struggles.

Coders at Work by Peter Seibel. I enjoy learning from the experienced, and
Coders At Work is a fantastic walk through the recent history of computing, as
told by those who walked through it. I wish there were a true coding focused
sequel.

~~~
davidchang
nice :) i've been meaning on reading a historically written book about Jesus
(was looking at Richard Bauckham's "Jesus: A Very Short Introduction") and Tim
Keller is solid indeed.

~~~
j-b
I just finished reading _Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by
Reza Aslan_ and found it quite fascinating.

~~~
leephillips
Every review of this I've seen by an actual historian says that it's basically
fanciful nonsense.

~~~
j-b
I would be interested in reading these reviews. If you have a link that would
be great.

~~~
russnewcomer
Here's one such review by Andrew le Donne.
[http://historicaljesusresearch.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-usuall...](http://historicaljesusresearch.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-usually-
happy-fellow-reviews-aslans.html)

I would say that there is some value in Mr. Aslan's book, but while it is
presented as unbiased, there as just as much bias in his book as in Wright's
that I noted above.

------
karmacondon
_Daily Rituals: How Artists Work_ by Mason Currey.

It describes the daily schedule of almost every famous creative person you can
think of in a few paragraphs, from Bach to Tesla to Ayn Rand. Peering into the
day to day lives of well known people was fascinating, but I was most
interested in how efficient they were with their time. Many of the people
featured in the book, especially the writers, sat down and worked for only two
or three hours a day and often produced only several pages. It really changed
my perspective on how creative work gets done. Especially when considering the
hn culture of hyperproductivity. it was revealing to see how some of the
greatest creative minds of all time respected the limits of their quality
mental output.

I've tried to adapt my personal schedule to match some of their habits, and
have generally felt better about being able to get a limited amount of
creative work done in 24 hours. Come to see a new side of people who's work
you know well, stay to get a better understanding of how they created great
things.

~~~
qq66
If you write one page a day, you would write a ~400-page book every year.

~~~
cgio
Not really, when I write a page per day, I end up with 20 pages in a year. At
least for me, rewriting is a very important part of the process.

~~~
hammerandtongs
You would still end up writing 400 pages, your workstyle caused you to delete
380 pages... :)

------
martythemaniak
Introduction to Systems Biology - Design Principles of Biological Circuits, by
Uri Alon.

It opened my eyes to a whole new field that will become a massive industry
over the coming decades. Much like a Systems course in engineering covers
recurring design patterns in physical systems (feedback loops, noise filters,
pulse generators, etc), this book uses the same approach for biological
systems. It is written from an engineer's perspective using engineering
language, which for me makes biology much easier to understand.

~~~
dirtyaura
This sounds a really interesting read. Though system biologists seem to
disagree:
[http://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R1JC09V3NPULY3](http://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R1JC09V3NPULY3)

Any thoughts on that?

~~~
siyer
It's perhaps more precise to say that _some_ biologists disagree (as is
perhaps inevitable). Alon's book is was the required textbook for the Systems
Bioengineering (III) class at Johns Hopkins as of 5 years ago (which is when I
took it). It's definitely well within the mainstream of the field.

------
rcconf
The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing.

Learning about the financial system really changed my perspective on how to
deal with money in the long term. It has had immediate effects on my life.

I learned about taxation in detail, opened an account on a discount brokerage,
changed saving patterns, and have made a portfolio for the next 10 years.

I have a spreadsheet of how much I can spend and componentize my bank cards.
One is for bills, another for spending, and the rest are investing accounts.
When I get a paycheque, I put how much I need for bills directly into the bill
account, the allocated amount for investing in investment accounts, and the
rest in my spending account. I know exactly how much I can spend at
restaurants and I don't need to do any mental math.

I really feel like learning this at age 22 was life changing and I will be
thanking my self in the future.

"Invest early and often" \- Jack Bogle

~~~
trendyy
Would this book be helpful for those who live in the UK? Or is it very US
specific?

~~~
axolotl_king
I would say, no. There's tons of practical advice, but in general it covers
principles of sound personal finance, such as how to be savvy with your
personal savings.

------
conradfr
Starting Strength - because this time I actually started lifting instead of
just reading it :)

The Pragmatic Programmer - It has been recommended to me by a good developer
that is self-taught like me. So far so good. Some things are a bit dated
though.

~~~
michaelvkpdx
Pragmatic Programmer is pretty good, but even better are Steve McConnell's
books from the late 90's, "Rapid Development" and "Code Complete".

They're both big and both published by Microsoft. Two strikes, yes, but don't
be fooled. These books have so many nuggets that I've gone back to again and
again as a programmer. "Code Complete", in particular.

Neither book is a cover-to-cover read. They're both books you dip into for a
tip, a skill, some perspective. But they've held up amazingly well, and for my
money and time, they're both a step up from the Pragmatic Programmer. If you
like what you found in "Pragmatic", you'll love "Code Complete".

I just wish it wasn't from MS, at the peak of MS evil in the 90's.

~~~
conradfr
I think I started Code Complete some time ago, I need to get back to it.

------
kitbrennan
`Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance`

The book looks at what it means to say something has 'quality'.

It didn't teach me any new philosophical methods or theories, but it did make
me look at my own work differently and start asking: how can I make something
with the highest quality? What compromises that quality? What is a method that
leads to the highest quality?

Translating that to my business life: in the startup scene I've scene a lot of
startups treat lean as gospel (myself included at one point), and as a result
they compromise on the quality that both themselves and their customers are
happy with. So I certainly found it useful to have a book that made me think
about this.

~~~
davidw
I haven't read the book, but isn't quality something of a continuum dictated
mostly by economics? In other words, if you put huge efforts into making
quality products that are really more than most customers need, and it costs
you do to so, you're likely going to go out of business. That, or you'd do
best to find a niche where people really do need that kind of quality.

~~~
tedks
Yes, the "quality" referred to in the book is a spiritual, metaphysical
quality that does not exist in reality, but makes for decent reading.

I've read the book and I think it was crap. It didn't have a good story and it
didn't have a good message. It was so bad I've forgotten entirely why I didn't
like it, because I've forgotten the whole thing.

I'm sure this will get downvoted; it seems that HN has gotten pretty religious
lately. I guess it's the effect of coders getting old and searching for order
in a chaotic world.

------
kethinov
Remote: Office Not Required by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson.

The book hit me at a particularly receptive moment. I was on an airplane
headed to a meeting that easily could have done remotely just as effectively
without the excessive time and money cost. Ironically, I read the entire book
on the plane.

The book is great at illustrating what types of meetings need to be in person
and what types don't, dispelling common myths along the way with solid
research.

They concluded that our current default of a compulsory office presence with
only occasional remote work permitted is exactly backwards. It should be the
opposite. The types of meetings that require you to be in the same room to be
collaborative are the exception, not the rule.

It's a truly great book and I recommend all creative professionals read it.

~~~
lordbusiness
I second this.

I've been a remote worker on and off for a long time, and have long sung the
virtues (whilst objectively recognizing the drawbacks).

This book goes a long way to helping articulate my findings.

------
calebm
Ulysses by James Joyce:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_%28novel%29](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_%28novel%29)

For most of my life, I focused on the logical, external, left-brain side of
life. I saw little value in art (and even spurned it as something pretentious
people did to seem more cultured). And so, I defined myself as “logical”,
“left-brain”, “scientist”, etc and rejected the tags: “right-brain”, “artist”,
etc.

Leading up to reading Ulysses, I had been growing in artistic appreciation,
but Ulysses really pushed me over the edge. Prior to Ulysses, I felt I could
only admire art as an outsider (because again, I was a “left-brainer” - I felt
that I didn’t belong). Ulysses helped me change my very self-image. I am not a
“left-brainer”; I am a human, and art is how we can express and share
ourselves with each other.

~~~
mark_l_watson
I really enjoyed Ulysses also. The book has a reputation for being a little
opaque, but I read it lightly (i.e., just enjoyed the words going by and
didn't worry if I didn't understand everything).

------
jeremyis
So Good They Can't Ignore You - Cal Newport

He's a CS prof at Georgetown now and wrote this while finishing up his Phd.
Gives great and contrarian advice on career strategy snd path - focus on
getting good at something (eg protramming. You'll grow to become passionate
about it - most likely the things you're passionate about before your career
can't be a career (eg sports, gaming). Also talks about deliberate practice
and mission oriented careers.

------
jmduke
Looks like it's my turn to provide the cliche hipster answer:

 _The Wind Up Bird Chronicle_ , by Haruku Murakami:

[http://www.amazon.com/The-Wind-Up-Bird-Chronicle-
Novel/dp/06...](http://www.amazon.com/The-Wind-Up-Bird-Chronicle-
Novel/dp/0679775439)

If you're familiar with Murakami, it's par for the course and considered one
of his pivotal novels. If you're not: surrealist, dreamlike modern fiction
often centering around ideas of masculinity, post-war fallout, and urban
ennui. Incredibly strange and beautiful stuff.

I've read more in 2014 than I have in the past five or so years, but _Wind Up
Bird Chronicle_ is the one that has stuck with me the most. Even if it didn't
exactly change my morning routine or lead me on the path to riches, I wake up
most mornings and its taste is still in my mouth.

(A comparison, if you're familiar with it: _Earthbound_ , less in terms of
tone and more in terms of setting. Shigesato Itoi, the writer of _Earthbound_
, actually published a bunch of short stories with Murakami and they've been
translated into English:
[http://letsmeetinadream.blogspot.com/](http://letsmeetinadream.blogspot.com/))

~~~
mindcrime
Doesn't seem hipsterish at all to me.

FWIW, I wouldn't really say that any book in 2014 changed my life, but... if I
had to name my favorite book of 2014 there's a good chance that I'd pick
_After Dark_ by Murakami. It was my first Murakami and I thought it was very
good.

Murakami rocks.

~~~
jmduke
_After Dark_ is next on my list (finishing up _Colorless Tsukuru Tasaki_ now).
I'm super excited for it.

~~~
mindcrime
_Colorless Tsukuru Tasaki_

I enjoyed that one a lot as well. My next Murakami will probably be either
_1Q84_ or _Norwegian Wood_.

------
nilkn
The Road to Reality, by Roger Penrose:

[http://www.amazon.com/Road-Reality-Complete-Guide-
Universe/d...](http://www.amazon.com/Road-Reality-Complete-Guide-
Universe/dp/0679776311/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418053067&sr=8-1&keywords=road+to+reality)

This has been a really refreshing book for me to read. I studied mathematics
in college but haven't really exercised that part of my brain since graduating
and working as a programmer. Although this book is probably inaccessible to
someone without some formal mathematical training, it's still one-of-a-kind.
Nobody else of Penrose's stature has ever attempted to go from zero to string
theory in a single volume, with all the physics and mathematics explained and
very little left out.

For me, it's really been nice to finally satisfy a lifetime of curiosity that
had built up about quantum theory. My fascination with it has never been
enough to drive me to be a physicist, but it was enough for me to feel uneasy
about not really knowing the underlying mathematics.

~~~
gfodor
Did you get through the book? I've tried twice so far in my life, I've stalled
out each time. Any tricks?

~~~
nilkn
I finished it but certainly can't claim to have understood everything in it. I
read it on and off for several weeks so it definitely took some effort for me.

It's an incredibly dense book. There's nothing else out there quite like it.
Penrose also has a pretty idiosyncratic method of presenting ideas. This means
that sometimes you can't cross-reference his explanations even if you want to.
He covers some exotic and nonstandard topics as well. I haven't personally
seen his diagrammatic notation for tensor algebra anywhere else, for instance.
And the book was my first and only exposure to hyperfunctions.

The "trick", honestly, is to already have some prior exposure to most of the
tricky mathematical ideas, like differential forms and fiber bundles. I was by
no means an expert on differential geometry but I'd been exposed to it a few
times as an undergraduate.

The other "trick" is simply not to skip around. I was tempted at first to
browse and read whatever topics interested me; this book is not structured
that way. He constantly references backwards in the book, and even if you know
the mathematical material some of his references can be confusing. This is
probably the greatest weakness of the book. For instance, gauge connections
aren't really covered fully in any single section of the book. They're
discussed briefly in the chapter on fiber bundles, and then again in the
chapter on electromagnetism, and then again I believe in the chapter on
quantum mechanics, and none of these discussions is complete, but they are if
taken together.

------
vkb
Two:

1)Antifragile by Taleb. It has given me a whole new framework with which to
think about the world. He is consistently one of the only "modern thinkers"
that I trust, and who delivers no b.s.

2)Confessions of an Economic Hitman by Perkins. Not a new book, and I didn't
read it this year, but when I did read it, it made me realize that the world
works much differently than I understood it to on the surface, and that you
should never trust any business or government at face value.

~~~
joshux
+1 for Taleb's books. His Black Swan book actually inspired me to pursue a
startup. However, his ideas are not actually that original (which is not a bad
thing). One might get similar level of knowledge(albeit takes more time) from
reading stoic philosophy, Popper's philosophy of science, tacit knowledge
(Michael Polanyi) and complex system sciences.

~~~
vkb
One might, but how many books to read is that? Taleb compresses these ideas
very concisely and in a relatively easy-to-read manner.

------
fogus
I was a voracious reader of programming books prior to reading Stewart Brand's
"How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They're Built." However, it was this
book that made me (finally) realize that some of the best programming books
are not about programming at all. As a result I've cut back drastically on my
"language-specific" programming books[1] and have sought programming-relevant
books instead.

[1]: And I've made it a personal goal to limit the "language-specific" books
to those written before 1995.

~~~
kabdib
Armstrong's book on Erlang (2007) is a great read, so you're missing that.
(Erlang itself I haven't really used much, but I like some of the concepts).

Alexandrescu's _Modern C++ Design_ (2001) is a real eye-opener (though I
wouldn't use most of the stuff from the latter half of book in real
production).

Herb Sutter's books on Exception C++ (1999) are must-reads if you intend to
use exceptions. at. all. [Whereupon, these books will convince you not to use
exceptions in C++ :-) ]

------
arthurjj
Having a 30 minute subway commute I'm looking forward to seeing what
suggestions come out of this thread. My two suggestions:

1\. Thinking fast and slow - Understanding how we actually think as opposed to
how we think we think is a critical skill, especially in a startup. Having a
Nobel prize winner explain how the two systems of your brain work together
(and can sabotage you) was enlightening and enjoyable. This book helped me
understand many aspects of design and sales that had been black boxes for me

[http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-
Kahneman/dp/...](http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-
Kahneman/dp/0374533555/tag=youtubeplayli-20)

2\. Art and Fear - This is a book nominally about the relationship between
artists and how they go about making art but it is useful for anyone creative.
It's about how to go about making when you have errands to run, a deadline, or
just don't feel like it. As a dev I found it inspiring

[http://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-
Artmakin...](http://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmaking-
ebook/dp/B0042JSQLU/tag=youtubeplayli-20)

~~~
therealdrag0
"Thinking Fast and Slow", was definitely the most impacting book for me last
year. Highly recommended.

------
johnnyg
Caesar's Commentaries, by Julius Gaius Caesar

Teaches that while technology will change and political systems will be
distinct and nuanced, the human animal is just about the same.

When I see something that people did then that they still do today, I find
that I can predict what a group of people is likely to do in a given situation
in the future.

This both blows my mind as things "click" and makes me sad. In either case,
I'm better prepared.

~~~
mark_l_watson
I read a good part of this a few years ago, but stopped reading. Interesting
read to understand Caesar, but after finishing about half the book I felt like
I was not getting anything more out of it.

------
a-saleh
Dungeon World rulebook - [http://www.dungeon-world.com/](http://www.dungeon-
world.com/) and Vornheim city kit -
[http://www.lotfp.com/RPG/products/vornheim](http://www.lotfp.com/RPG/products/vornheim)

Mostly because I always wanted to run a pen&paper rpg, even though I am fairly
busy, and this provided a rule-light enough framework to just do that.
Especially Vornheim, that shows how to do randomize world building in under a
minute :-)

~~~
viewer5
I love Dungeon World with all my heart. I'm a newbie GM as well, and it's the
first game I ever ran (like a year and a half ago).

I love the philosophical approach it takes to the game --a rules-light,
minimal-prep collaboration between the GM and the players. One of the core
principles for the GM is "Ask questions, use the answers", which is wonderful
to me. In a couple different games I ran of DW, we started with just the
player's character choices, and the questions I decided to ask, and got
rolling from there.

For anyone interested--the rules are free on their website, and there's a
thriving G+ community, "Dungeon World Tavern" (can't link it at work) with
very creative people. Also, the "Indigo Galleon" adventure, from the DW
website, is my favorite, and a good place to start. It was the first thing I
GM'd, and I'll be running it for a third time next Wednesday.

If anyone's looking at it and has questions, let me know --I love seeing
people get into this game (or pen-and-paper RPGs in general).

------
egypturnash
_Decrypting Rita_ , the graphic novel I've been working on since April 2011.
[http://egypt.urnash.com/rita/](http://egypt.urnash.com/rita/)

I made a major mistake in the prepress process and had to eat it, losing all
profits from the Kickstarter from the second volume. It has also gotten kind
words from more than one Hugo winner. On a productive month, its Patreon is
starting to pay about half of my rent; I feel like the push of publicity for
the final volume (somewhere around April 2014 if all goes well) will do some
pretty interesting things to my career as a comics creator, with my bills
quite possibly being paid entirely by the fraction of my fan base that chooses
to support me on Patreon somewhere around next winter. Assuming they don't
vanish en masse when I start the next project, which will be very different in
tone and subject matter...

I know you were mostly looking for books to read. But none of the fiction or
non-fiction I've read this year has really done much of anything to my
worldview. I think the last one that did that was probably Robert Anton
Wilson's _Prometheus Rising_ , which basically turned me into an occasional
magician.

------
zedshaw
These actually took me most of 2013 and 2014 to get through:

How To See Color And Paint It - [http://www.amazon.com/How-Color-Paint-Arthur-
Stern/dp/082302...](http://www.amazon.com/How-Color-Paint-Arthur-
Stern/dp/0823024687/) Taught me how to paint what I see accurately.

Secret Knowledge - [http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Knowledge-New-Expanded-
Rediscov...](http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Knowledge-New-Expanded-
Rediscovering/dp/0142005126/) Taught me that painters have been using
projection for hundreds of years so I'm allowed to use any technology I can
get my hands on to make art.

Van Gogh: The Life -- [http://www.amazon.com/Van-Gogh-Life-Steven-
Naifeh/dp/0375758...](http://www.amazon.com/Van-Gogh-Life-Steven-
Naifeh/dp/0375758976/) Hated this book because the authors (two obnoxious
lawyers who happen to be good at research) write about him with zero
compassion like he deserved the abuse he received for being different.
However, Van Gogh's story is fantastic and inspiring even if it is very
tragic.

There's a whole ton of others, but those stand out.

------
spython
"Impro" by Keith Johnstone. It may seem like a book on improvisational
theater, but is more a collection of notes on interaction between people.
Quite eye-opening and empowering. Would recommend to anyone.
[http://www.amazon.com/Impro-Improvisation-Theatre-Keith-
John...](http://www.amazon.com/Impro-Improvisation-Theatre-Keith-
Johnstone/dp/0878301178/)

------
pwenzel
"How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk" \- by Adele Faber
and Elaine Mazlish

This book has been life-changing with regards to my relationship with my
3-year-old.

It also changed the way I communicate with adults.

[http://amzn.com/1451663889](http://amzn.com/1451663889)

~~~
mrfusion
What kind of things did it change for you? I read it and didn't get that much
out of it? My kids didn't seem to respond to the techniques.

------
Igglyboo
Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

Finally got around to reading it and I'm kicking myself for not doing it
earlier. I'm honestly considering staying in school and going for a masters or
PhD in computer science after reading it(about to graduate and have job in
industry lined up).

~~~
matthewwiese
Hofstadter is a wonderful writer and illuminates his topics with much
creativity and wonderful analogy. I highly suggest you look into his more
recent books, especially Surfaces and Essences: Analogy as the Fuel and Fire
of Thinking.

He is also incredibly receptive to emails; as a first semester freshman he
responded in depth to my email to him.

------
mihok
Love and Math: The Heart of Hidden Reality - by Edward Frenkel
[http://www.amazon.com/Love-Math-Heart-Hidden-
Reality/dp/0465...](http://www.amazon.com/Love-Math-Heart-Hidden-
Reality/dp/0465050743)

Such a great book for people who love math. The end of the book gets a little
bit hairy with more complex subjects but it is a great story from Mr Frenkel
of going from school to working on the Langlands Project - toted as the
rosetta stone for math. Defiantly a must read for anyone who wants to get into
mathematics as a career

------
agentultra
_Permutation City_ by Greg Egan takes the cake this year in fiction. Although
a very close second would be the Hardcover Penguin Classic's edition of
_Frankenstein_ by Mary Shelley mainly for it's deftly abridged version and
preface which gave a new dimension to the story for me.

Non-fiction would either be _Mortality_ by the late Christopher Hitchens or
"On Numbers and Games" by John H. Conway.

------
alphaBetaGamma
Stoner, by John Williams

The story of an average, not very successful literary professor, told with
great humanity and tenderness. This does not seem much of a story line, yet I
believe this book is so good it will still be read in one hundred years.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoner_%28novel%29](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoner_%28novel%29)

~~~
michaelvkpdx
Thank you for this. I am going to search this one out.

~~~
alphaBetaGamma
I tend to think that the average fiction book is less interesting that the
average non-fiction book, but that the best fiction books are much, much
better than the best non-fiction ones (and teach you more, and deeper things).

This one is up there with the very best. It is exquisitely well written (John
Williams was a literature professor, directing a creative writing program),
and despite the plainness of the plot(or maybe because of it?) it offers a
remarkable view of what gives meaning to life (IMHO of course. Your millage
may vary).

------
cjjuice
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Enchiridion of Epictetus

Parallel Lives by Plutarch ( Favorites are Cato the Younger and Julius Caesar)

------
bengali3
As a dev ultimately wanting to do bigger things:

Start Small, Stay Small: A Developer's Guide to Launching a Startup by Rob
Walling

[http://www.amazon.com/Start-Small-Stay-Developers-
Launching/...](http://www.amazon.com/Start-Small-Stay-Developers-
Launching/dp/0615373968)

As a human with a curiosity:

Decoding the Universe: How the New Science of Information Is Explaining
Everything in the Cosmos, from Our Brains to Black Holes by Charles Seife

[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/067003441X](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/067003441X)

~~~
davidw
I can't recommend that first book enough. It's still the best thing I've read
for bootstrappers. Sooner or later, it'll date itself, as it's got lots of
practical ideas and numbers and things that don't make for a "timeless
classic". But then again, you wanted to start a business rather than have a
book to show off on your bookshelf, right?

------
mgmeyers
The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders
[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/130610.The_Divided_Mind?...](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/130610.The_Divided_Mind?ac=1)

This book helped me get rid of the wrist tendinitis I had for four years
prior, in four weeks. It also changed the way I view many of the chronic
physical ailments many of us face.

The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself
[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1963638.The_Untethered_S...](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1963638.The_Untethered_Soul?ac=1)

A great book about consciousness and awareness that isn't too "froo froo"-y.
It definitely has had a profound impact on my relationship to myself and my
surroundings.

To Soften the Blow [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16209280-to-soften-
the-b...](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16209280-to-soften-the-
blow?ac=1)

It's hard to define the impact this book had on me, but it was also profound.
It's an autobiography of Lynnie Vessels who's father shot her mother with a
shotgun across their dining room table. As depressing as that sounds, it's
actually a very inspiring and strangely uplifting book.

------
ikeboy
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality by Eliezer Yudkowsky and the
related sequences.

~~~
mrfusion
What are the related sequences?

~~~
ikeboy
[http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Sequences](http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Sequences)

~~~
mrfusion
I didn't see anything related to Harry Potter there?

~~~
ikeboy
It's related in the sense that the book draws a lot from the sequences, and
they are mentioned in it (see
[http://hpmor.com/chapter/64](http://hpmor.com/chapter/64), for example.)

------
armed10
For me it's: quiet the power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking

~~~
ckib16
Fantastic book. If you are an introvert (and many here likely are) you should
really consider this book an investment in understanding yourself. I can't
count the number of times I was nodding my head in agreement, thinking I had
been the only one to feel a certain way.

------
encoderer
The Great Bridge is a phenomenal engineering story (and so much more). The
Rise and Fall of the Third Reich was chilling but I'd read it again. Simply
fascinating, written by a western reporter who was actually there.

~~~
fsloth
I second Rise and Fall of third reich. I was fairly knoweable of the overall
history but this book contains very pertinent insights to so many mechanisms
at work when germany transitioned into third reich and how the war progressed.
The only downside was that the author issues quite deragatory comments of the
nazi subjects of the book which, while perhaps warranted, are stylistically
awkward in a history book.

------
MrMattWright
Inspired to do: Connected [http://www.amazon.com/Connected-Surprising-
Networks-Friends-...](http://www.amazon.com/Connected-Surprising-Networks-
Friends-Everything/dp/0316036137)

I was utterly amazed by the concept of Social Network Analysis, how emotion
travels through a network, how the 6 degrees thing works. Did you know someone
you have never met can affect your weight? I was so amazed I started a company
building a CRM from the ground up using graph theory. We launch in Q1 2015.

Inspired to be: The seven habits of highly effective people. A great book,
which many read and sight. Forcing myself to write about my values and
behaviours means you have to live up to them :) I read it once and now I am
reading it again with my girlfriend actually doing all the exercises. You can
read it in a week but to really take it all in you need to work on it over a
lifetime.
[http://www.wikiwand.com/en/The_Seven_Habits_of_Highly_Effect...](http://www.wikiwand.com/en/The_Seven_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_People)

~~~
joshux
Connected is on my audible that I'm planning to listen to. I'm also interested
in networks, 6 degrees..etc.

May I ask how you apply what you learned from the book to your startup? I'm
quite curious.

~~~
MrMattWright
A lot of it is encapsulated in my talk at a neo4j meetup:
[https://skillsmatter.com/skillscasts/5179-private-social-
net...](https://skillsmatter.com/skillscasts/5179-private-social-networks)

Which was a while ago (April), I'll be doing a new one soon with what we have
learnt since then. My main learning is around Mark Granovetter works on "the
strength of weak ties" when it comes to job hunting and recruitment. That and
the concept of triadic closure are really useful when trying to build
technology that maps the recruitment process from first principles.

------
vojant
Antifragile - This book change my ways of thinking about life. Also this year
I've read Black Swan, another great book by the same author.

~~~
gooseus
I was going to say Black Swan, which I would say has changed how I think about
myself, knowledge and the mechanics of society and the world this year.

I've got Antifragile queued up next.

~~~
carlaldrich
Fooled by Randomness is excellent also; they all have the same message but
it's the most direct

~~~
sambe
I haven't read the Black Swan. I skimmed a few places and know a Taleb fan who
has read both Fooled by Randomness and Black Swan. With moderate confidence
I'd say FbR is the better book - Black Swan seems to be much of the same
material presented for a wider audience. I thought FbR was excellently
written, regardless of the content.

------
marcusgarvey
The Open Focus Brain. [http://www.amazon.com/The-Open-Focus-Brain-Harnessing-
Attent...](http://www.amazon.com/The-Open-Focus-Brain-Harnessing-
Attention/dp/1590306120)

"According to Dr. Les Fehmi, a clinical psychologist and researcher, many of
us have become stuck in “narrow-focus attention”: a tense, constricted,
survival mode of attention that holds us in a state of chronic stress—and
which lies at the root of common ailments including anxiety, depression, ADD,
stress-related migraines, and more. To improve these conditions, Dr. Fehmi
explains that we must learn to return to a relaxed, diffuse, and creative form
of attention, which he calls 'Open Focus.'

This highly readable and empowering book offers straightforward explanations
and simple exercises on how to shift into a more calm, open style of attention
that reduces stress, improves health, and enhances performance."

~~~
rasengan0
Yes, this work should get more attention (no pun intended). I still can't
believe how clear Dr. Fehmi's writings are on types of attention, particularly
this Open Focus... good stuff: imagine the distance between your eyes (gets me
everytime even though i've practiced different types of meditation)

------
hluska
I have largely been out of fiction the last few years, but in 2014, I made a
point of getting back into fiction. Consequently, my 'most important' list of
2014 will be rather heavily weighted towards fiction.

1) Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden

Not only the best written account of the action in World War I's trenches but
also a wonderful account of race in Canada, this book is absolutely beautiful.

2) The Winds of War/War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk

If you want to learn the most minute history of WW2, this series is a great
way to boost your knowledge. This not only covers the War, but also gives
enough background that the rest of the 20th century's history makes more
sense.

3) Deep Currents by Valerie Haig-Brown

I read this book on Vancouver Island just a few km from the Haig-Brown house
and it changed my views on conservation, the pacific fisheries, and Campbell
River (which is where my Dad spent his teenaged years).

* Edited because of fat fingers.

------
unclesaamm
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, by Haruki Murakami

[http://www.amazon.com/Colorless-Tsukuru-Tazaki-Years-
Pilgrim...](http://www.amazon.com/Colorless-Tsukuru-Tazaki-Years-
Pilgrimage/dp/0385352107)

Hard to do it justice, but here is Patti Smith:

[http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/10/books/review/haruki-
muraka...](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/10/books/review/haruki-murakamis-
colorless-tsukuru-tazaki-and-his-years-of-pilgrimage.html?_r=0)

I changed my attitude toward all of my old friends after reading this book. I
started calling them more, and trying to be more in their lives. It's amazing
how centering books can be, if they catch you in the right mindset. I'll pass
on a warning that this book deals with some heavy, serious depression.

~~~
orik
I also came here to share Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki.

I can't recommend it enough.

~~~
dudurocha
I'm a huge Murakami fan. Did not had the chance to read it. I'll now.

------
MichaelGG
Blindsight. (Spoiler alert!) Not because it's a great fiction story (it is),
but because it introduced me to the concept of Unconscious Intelligence. We
take it for granted that "sleeping on a problem" or "going for a walk" can
lead us to great ideas and breakthroughs. That's great, ideas do just pop into
the mind. But... _what created those ideas?_

This might be the key to explaining a lot of things. For instance, I read a
terrible book about why RSI isn't real, how it's just in my head, by an author
that loved Freud. I put it down in disgust. But somehow, that seed of doubt,
that explanation that RSI was an unconscious response to other pain... My RSI
went away.

(Apologies if this is well known, but it is a novel enough to this 33 yr old
that it sends chills down my spine.)

~~~
rdc12
There is quite a few books by that title, are you talking of the Peter Watts
book?

------
hvd
For me it was 1.Influence: [http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-
Persuasion-Robert...](http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-
Robert-
Cialdini/dp/006124189X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418061288&sr=8-1&keywords=influence)
It talks about how the brain has certain preprogrammed sequences for
situations. 2.Predictably Irrational [http://www.amazon.com/Predictably-
Irrational-Hidden-Forces-D...](http://www.amazon.com/Predictably-Irrational-
Hidden-Forces-Decisions-
ebook/dp/B002C949KE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418061376&sr=8-1&keywords=predictably+irrational)
Again about the hidden mechanisms with which we make decisions and our reptile
brain.

------
defen
_Blood Meridian or the Evening Redness in the West_ \- Cormac McCarthy

Not sure I can explain in an HN post...

------
kunstmord
Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller. To be honest, I re-read it, but it had a
much more significant impact the second time (I originally considered it to be
weaker than "Black Spring" and "Tropic of Cancer", but this time round, due to
certain personal circumstances, it resonated with me in a very powerful way –
his ruminations concerning compassion, interacting with other people, the
meaning and value of work and creativity). nfortunately, the only new book I
read this year was "The Great Mortality", a pretty interesting but a tad too
un-academic account of the Black Plague in Europe. Hopefully, I'll have a lot
more time to read in 2015.

------
dbarlett
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, by Atul Gawande

[http://www.amazon.com/Being-Mortal-Medicine-What-
Matters/dp/...](http://www.amazon.com/Being-Mortal-Medicine-What-
Matters/dp/0805095152/)

------
rdc12
A progression of books on high altitude climbing. Have read Into thin air, the
climb, dark summit in the past month or two, currently reading no way down and
have Annapurna: The first conquest of a 8000m peak and The will to climb out
from the library.

Reason, finally have the motivation to loose weight and get fit, and am
planing to do some climbing locally.

[http://www.amazon.com/Into-Thin-Air-Personal-
Disaster/dp/038...](http://www.amazon.com/Into-Thin-Air-Personal-
Disaster/dp/0385494785/ref=pd_sim_b_18?ie=UTF8&refRID=18T7CK8TD2RP012JGW2Z)
[http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Summit-Everests-Controversial-
Sea...](http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Summit-Everests-Controversial-
Season/dp/0805089918/ref=pd_sim_b_15?ie=UTF8&refRID=18T7CK8TD2RP012JGW2Z)
[http://www.amazon.com/No-Way-Down-Life-
Death/dp/0061834793/r...](http://www.amazon.com/No-Way-Down-Life-
Death/dp/0061834793/ref=pd_sim_b_25?ie=UTF8&refRID=18T7CK8TD2RP012JGW2Z)
[http://www.amazon.com/Annapurna-First-Conquest-000-Meter-
Pea...](http://www.amazon.com/Annapurna-First-Conquest-000-Meter-
Peak/dp/1599218933) [http://www.amazon.com/The-Will-Climb-Commitment-
Annapurna/dp...](http://www.amazon.com/The-Will-Climb-Commitment-
Annapurna/dp/0307720438/ref=pd_sim_b_13?ie=UTF8&refRID=18T7CK8TD2RP012JGW2Z)

------
frequentflyeru
I'd recommend The Happiness Advantage. Really changed my outlook on life for
the positive.

Author also did a TED talk on the subject called "The Happy Secret To Better
Work".

[http://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_bet...](http://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work?language=en)

[http://www.amazon.com/The-Happiness-Advantage-Principles-
Per...](http://www.amazon.com/The-Happiness-Advantage-Principles-
Performance/dp/B00435DZ7S)

------
patrickdavey
Limits to Growth - the 30 year update

[http://www.amazon.com/Limits-Growth-The-30-Year-
Update/dp/19...](http://www.amazon.com/Limits-Growth-The-30-Year-
Update/dp/193149858X)

An introduction to systems theory and a look at why the authors think our
system is already in "overshoot" (living beyond what is sustainable) and
whether this will lead to collapse, or a smoother transition to a more
sustainable and equitable society. Written by 3 scientists from MIT.

------
zo1
A Conflict of Visions by Thomas Sowell.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Conflict_of_Visions](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Conflict_of_Visions)
[http://www.amazon.com/Conflict-Visions-Ideological-
Political...](http://www.amazon.com/Conflict-Visions-Ideological-Political-
Struggles/dp/0465002056)

Really good read, though a bit longish. But that could be due to the fact that
I listened to an audio-book of it.

------
dylanvalade
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20203/20203-h/20203-h.htm](http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20203/20203-h/20203-h.htm)

Franklin was the equivalent of an open source purist. He was determined to
uncover truth, better himself, and inform the world.

"I had form'd most of my ingenious acquaintance into a club of mutual
improvement, which was called the Junto;… every member, in his turn, should
produce ... queries on any point of Morals, Politics, or Natural Philosophy,
to be discuss'd by the company;”

Hacker News might benefit from Junto policy, making members pay money for
encouraging and destructive comments that are not in the spirit of inquiry.

"Our debates were ... conducted in the sincere spirit of inquiry after truth,
without fondness for dispute, or desire of victory; and, to prevent warmth,
all expressions of positiveness in opinions, or direct contradiction, were
after some time made contraband, and prohibited under small pecuniary
penalties."

Discussion in his Junto meetings led to volunteer fire departments, America’s
first circulating library, and a school that became the Univ. of Pennsylvania.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junto_(club)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junto_\(club\))

------
vargalas
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

~~~
arthurjj
If you want to harness your own habitual behavior you should check out
Minihabits. Using some of the techniques in the book got me writing every day

[http://www.amazon.com/Mini-Habits-Smaller-Bigger-Results-
ebo...](http://www.amazon.com/Mini-Habits-Smaller-Bigger-Results-
ebook/dp/B00HGKNBDK/ref=sr_1_sc_1&tag=youtubeplayli-20)

------
lui8906
Just looking through my read category on my kindle and realised I haven't read
any life changing books in 2014.

Currently reading Javascript and Jquery by Jon Duckett and find his visual
style and clear, concise writing perfectly fits how I learn. Could not
recommend it enough to any other programming learners.

I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi is a very simple, straightforward
book on personal finance. He advocates having your money automatically
distributed into fixed costs, investments and spending money rather than
getting bogged down in budgets.

An Army at Dawn by Rick Atkinson is the first in a trilogy that chronicles
America's entrance into World War II in North Africa, all the way to the
downfall of the Third Reich. His style is both minutely researched and totally
readable. He nails the violence and horror at the front, as well as the
incredible scale and logistics of the whole enterprise. I'm now on the second
in the trilogy, The Day of Battle.

Last year Thinking Fast and Slow and Antifragile were my highlights - they
compliment each other well and both changed my outlook on how the world is
organised and how I perceive it.

Thanks to all the other posters, I've added lots of the suggested books to my
kindle.

------
dabent
"The Score Takes Care of Itself" by Bill Walsh: [http://www.amazon.com/The-
Score-Takes-Care-Itself/dp/1591843...](http://www.amazon.com/The-Score-Takes-
Care-Itself/dp/1591843472)

Jack Dorsey recommended this title at Startup School 2013 and I got around to
reading it in 2014. It's also one of the readings for YC's "How to Start a
Startup" class:
[http://startupclass.samaltman.com/lists/readings/](http://startupclass.samaltman.com/lists/readings/)

I didn't think the leadership notes from a highly successful NFL (American
professional football) coach would have much application in the world of
technology, but Walsh's insights and discipline can be applied to many
different fields. It's changed the way I work as I lead teams and I realize I
have a lot more to learn and apply in my day-to-day duties.

"The Score Takes Care of Itself" does get a bit behind-the-scenes in the
football world, but if the reader is willing to get past those parts, or
better, learn the lessons in some of the stories, there is a lot to be gained.

------
yogiHacks
Oh jeez, this'll be tough. I'll start by saying that Tom Robbins "Still Life
with Woodpecker" inspired me in the post-undergraduate world greatly.

[http://www.amazon.com/Still-Life-Woodpecker-Tom-
Robbins/dp/0...](http://www.amazon.com/Still-Life-Woodpecker-Tom-
Robbins/dp/0553348973)

Leaving college with such powerful to convictions of social evolution,
scientific pragmatism, and the power of Art as a mental practice left me with
some hard facets of reality to contend with. This is the struggle of one of
the the main characters, Leigh-Cheri. She is a wide eyed idealist who is
thoroughly disenfranchised with the way the systems in the world abuse and
exploit people.

She meets a mad-bomber outlaw named Woodpecker, a revolutionary with bordering
mythical aspirations. Their affair is a wild journey of growth as characters
and citizens, not of a royal bloodline or America, but of Earth and the ideas,
and actions, which make this world a vibrantly beautiful place. Most important
book of the year for me, with close runners up:

"The Nature of Code" by Daniel Shiffman. Excellent book on simulation of the
natural, chaotic world in the Processing programming language.
[http://natureofcode.com/book/](http://natureofcode.com/book/)

"Nine Kinds of Naked" by Tony Vigorito, which deals with the primacy of
synchronicity and numeric harmony in the lives of twirling, interrelated
characters. [http://www.amazon.com/Nine-Kinds-Naked-Tony-
Vigorito/dp/0156...](http://www.amazon.com/Nine-Kinds-Naked-Tony-
Vigorito/dp/015603123X)

Good reads everyone!

------
dubfan
_Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought_ , by Jonathan Rauch
([http://www.amazon.com/Kindly-Inquisitors-Attacks-Thought-
Exp...](http://www.amazon.com/Kindly-Inquisitors-Attacks-Thought-
Expanded/dp/022614593X))

I picked this book up shortly after the Brendan Eich incident earlier this
year. This book was written over 20 years ago but it could very well have been
written yesterday. It lays out an excellent argument about why all free
speech, even hateful speech, much be unrestricted. It's also very good at
rebutting what Rauch calls the "humanitarian" attack on free speech, which
seems to be the preferred method of attack in the last few years (in Western
countries anyway). Perhaps saying that it "changed my life" is an
overstatement as I've always held the belief that unrestricted free speech is
the ultimate freedom, but it's allowed me to express exactly why I believe
that way.

------
q-base
Antifragile or The Obstacle Is The Way - are probably the most influential

------
nickdandakis
The Book - Alan Watts [http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Taboo-Against-
Knowing/dp/0679...](http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Taboo-Against-
Knowing/dp/0679723005)

I sometimes get stuck in a loop of existential questions, and even though I
still do, that book taught me how to deal with them better.

------
shoover
Shop Class As Soulcraft by Matthew Crawford completely changed and focused how
I think about work and mental healthy.

The Accidental Creative and Die Empty by Todd Henry provide excellent tools
and background for adding practical discipline to creative work and life in
general. As of now I can't prioritize one over the other. Either or both are
well worth the time invested.

Toxic Charity by Robert Lupton takes a critical look at how charitable giving
and service are done by the modern church and provides a better plan distilled
from decades of experience helping troubled neighborhoods in Atlanta.

The Permanent Portfolio by Rowland and Lawson preaches Harry Browne's
Permanent Portfolio but fills in all the implementation gaps left in Harry's
rather thin original.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. This classic on what Christians believe cuts
as deep today as it did in Lewis's day.

------
Bdiem
"Lord of the Rings" by Tolkien. Tried to read it for years, but always got
distracted by other books (e.g. "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" by Richard
Rhodes - found in a HN). Lo! This year, after I purchased a e-book version I
finally concluded the quest and cast the ... I mean I read it.

------
blwsk
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. The story gradually unfurls itself from the
first few pages and new layers are constantly being added. It was written a
few years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki but seems even more relevant today.
It's very short and can be read in a single sitting if one is determined.

------
mathattack
I didn't have any life changers, but I throughly enjoyed The Hard Thing About
Hard Things by Horowitz. I've been turned off by the soft and cuddly
management book industry because it only focuses on the bright side. Real work
is hard and dirty, and Horowitz captured it.

------
andersthue
When my company was faced with a sudden 40% drop in revenue I saw a way to
make a turnaround in "from worst to first" by Gordon Bethune, a book about a
$400m turnaround done in 12 months : [http://www.amazon.com/From-Worst-First-
Continentals-Remarkab...](http://www.amazon.com/From-Worst-First-Continentals-
Remarkable/dp/0471356522)

After getting out on top after my turnaround, Simon Sinek's "Start with why"
helped me figure out why I am running my business the way I am, and how I can
use that to do even better : [http://www.amazon.com/Start-Why-Leaders-Inspire-
Everyone/dp/...](http://www.amazon.com/Start-Why-Leaders-Inspire-
Everyone/dp/1591846447)

------
guiambros
Spark, by John J. Ratey, one of the pioneers of studying ADHD and the impact
of exercise on the brain.

[http://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-
Exercise-B...](http://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-
Brain/dp/0316113514)

------
krschultz
Work - The Hard Things about Hard Things by Ben Horowitz. I'm not a startup
founder, but I've been in a couple startups. It's really easy to say what the
founders should have done (especially in hindsight). This book helped me
understand the burden a bit more.

Not Work - River of Time by Jon Swain. It's about Vietnam & Cambodia, and
really reminds me to put things in perspective. Change the location from those
countries to Syria & Iraq, that's effectively whats going on today. It boggles
my mind to think we're here debating container technology and js frameworks
when people are dieing in droves around the world. It's cliche, but if you
seriously think about it, it's hard to reconcile.

~~~
cgh
If it's any consolation (probably not), per capita fewer people are dying due
to warfare than at any time in human history. To further reduce conflict and
death, consider the fact that no democratic nation has ever attacked another.

------
soundlab
Pulse: Understanding the Vital Signs of Your Business

This is a great book for anyone running a bootstrapped business. It is based
on the Corelytics software product, which is a financial analysis tool that
syncs with Quickbooks to provide trendline, progress against goals, and other
real time financial metrics for startups. This gives you a view of where
things are headed rather than a "too late" picture in your financials.

[http://www.amazon.com/Pulse-Understanding-Vital-Signs-
Busine...](http://www.amazon.com/Pulse-Understanding-Vital-Signs-
Business/dp/098930860X/ref=asap_B00LZ585OM_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418051900&sr=1-1)

------
bsnape
The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win

[http://www.amazon.com/The-Phoenix-Project-Helping-
Business-e...](http://www.amazon.com/The-Phoenix-Project-Helping-Business-
ebook/dp/B00AZRBLHO)

------
rnavarro1
Functional Programming in Scala: I would say that this changed my professional
life.

This book covers lot's of FP concepts in a very simple way, and I bet that
anyone that struggles daily with hard-to-maintain OO projects would fall in
love with it FP.

------
jplahn
The Narrow Road to the Deep North - Richard Flanagan

I've been negligent towards fiction lately, but I wanted to change that
because it's always been my first love. So to do that, I started reading
Flanagan's novel. I cannot recommend it highly enough. It's the Man Booker
Prize winner for 2014, which is more or less the British equivalent to the
Pulitzer Prize.

I never thought I'd have any books that could crack into my top 3 or 5 for a
while, but this one has done it.

The basis of the book is Australian POWs working on the Death Railway during
WWII. The book isn't exclusively told in this setting, but much of the book
stems from it.

------
stevenmays
Mastery - Robert Greene

Gives you a guide on how to attain a level of mastery in a domain of
knowledge.

------
JSeymourATL
An unusually thought-provoking book that's impacted my approach to work &
daily habits this year-- The Way of The SEAL, by Mark Divine >
[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17465530-the-way-of-
seal](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17465530-the-way-of-seal)

If you read nothing else, Chapter 2: Develop Front-Sight Focus. Solid,
practical advice on directing the win in your mind. Here's a good interview
with the author>
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_bDMEUF7F8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_bDMEUF7F8)

------
superasn
Programming related: Perl cookbook (helped me to setup my first online
business and do what i do today)

Life related: The Power of Habit (didn't skip a single day at gym for 3 months
non stop because of what i learned from this book)

~~~
dabit3
I looked up "The Power of Habit" and came away with a few books, which one are
you referring to?

~~~
fnbr
Presumably the one by Charles Duhigg [1]. It was very popular last year.

[1]: [http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Power-Habit-What-
Change/dp/18479...](http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Power-Habit-What-
Change/dp/1847946240)

------
bengarvey
Thinking Fast and Slow

------
mmozuras
Thinking in Systems - Donella H. Meadows, Diana Wright

[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3828902-thinking-in-
syst...](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3828902-thinking-in-systems)

------
taylorbuley
The Art of Profitability [http://www.amazon.com/Art-Profitability-Adrian-
Slywotzky/dp/...](http://www.amazon.com/Art-Profitability-Adrian-
Slywotzky/dp/0446692271/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418057572&sr=8-1&keywords=art+of+profitability)

Revenue Management [http://www.amazon.com/Revenue-Management-Robert-G-
Cross/dp/0...](http://www.amazon.com/Revenue-Management-Robert-G-
Cross/dp/0767900332/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418057547&sr=8-1&keywords=revenue+management)

~~~
mindcrime
I just finished _The Art Of Profitability_ and it would be a strong contender
for my choice as well. Probably the only reason it isn't a shoe in, is because
I haven't really had time to try putting the ideas into practice yet.

------
franze
lateral thinking - edward de bono
[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/829616.Lateral_Thinking](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/829616.Lateral_Thinking)

~~~
steveeq1
Edward DeBono! I love him! Alan kay listed a couple of his books on his
recommended reading list:
[http://www.squeakland.org/resources/books/readingList.jsp](http://www.squeakland.org/resources/books/readingList.jsp)

If you want to watch a good video version of the book, watch his PBS special:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFFZ0XSfCRw&list=PL_N6UbeInh...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFFZ0XSfCRw&list=PL_N6UbeInhwfj0RTWhlfAmGQzVk6XeWVc)

------
timmillwood
Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson

~~~
will_work4tears
Interested in knowing how this changed your life. I have a two year old that
loves this story, but can't think of a way it has changed my life.

------
salemh
_The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are_ _Alan Watts_
[http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Taboo-Against-
Knowing/dp/0679...](http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Taboo-Against-
Knowing/dp/0679723005)

It has been a while since a book from even 10 pages in breaks my model of
reality a bit.

Just saying "I have a body" as a separation, instead of "I /am/ body" etc.

Very interesting, fun (witty) succinct.

Its my first Alan Watts book, so that could be part of why it hit me nicely.

~~~
ph4
Wonderful book. Try "The Wisdom of Insecurity" next. And to anyone considering
either of these, I think TWoI is a slightly better intro to Watts' work.

------
lenocinor
I've re-read How To Be A Programmer (
[http://samizdat.mines.edu/howto/HowToBeAProgrammer.html](http://samizdat.mines.edu/howto/HowToBeAProgrammer.html)
) every year since it came out. It's been over a decade but every year it
makes me a better programmer, something I can't say about any other writing on
programming. I don't think it's ever been published as a book but its
structure and length basically makes it one I feel.

------
favoriteof
[plug] We made our site [http://favoriteof.com](http://favoriteof.com) \-
exactly for this! To figure out what to read next based on recommendations by
celebrities (Executives, politicians, actors). For example check out
recommendations by Richard Branson, Larry Page and Mark Zuckerberg here:
[http://favoriteof.com/entrepreneurs/books/](http://favoriteof.com/entrepreneurs/books/)

Looking forward to feedback, and requests!

------
acjohnson55
Doing Capitalism in the Innovation Economy by Bill Janeway blew my mind.

It's a tough read, because it assumes a lot of prior knowledge of academic
econ and finance. Also, what I would regard as lackluster editing makes
comprehension a challenge beyond that. But the content is one of the best
descriptions of our economic system, steeped in historical analysis, and
finishing with some strong advice on how to address the public vs private
enterprise dilemma to address the challenges of tomorrow.

------
daverrad
‘The Circle’ written by David Eggers and published this year, is a modern day
twist on 1984 but it seemed so real and so close to where we are heading as a
digital society. I recommend it, especially for those in the tech space. It
was a fun fictional page turner and I couldn’t put it down for the week.
[http://www.amazon.com/The-Circle-Dave-
Eggers/dp/0345807294](http://www.amazon.com/The-Circle-Dave-
Eggers/dp/0345807294)

------
proveanegative
It's not a published book but this year I took on _Unqualified Reservations_
seriously and found it a rewarding read. There is a lot to it, some material
more morally objectionable than other, but the main effect of reading it for
me was something I would not have thought possible. It opened my mind to
alternatives to democracy and questions like whether democratic representation
is even in the best interest of the governed.

------
gregd
Two books that aren't mentioned, surprisingly, are:

The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle

The Four Agreements - Don Miguel Ruiz

In my humble opinion, these two books alone, have the ability to change one's
life.

~~~
fsloth
Eckhart Tolle was a quite divisive author for me. On the other hand he had
very usefull visualizations on the nature of pain that were really valuable to
me in difficult times.

The painbody visualization was especially therapeutic to me and helped me to
cope in better ways than I would have otherwise.

But on the other hand I find most of his philosophy just bonkers.

The book is bit like "drawing on the right side of the brain" \- great
exercises wrapped in non value adding chaff.

------
sumedh
Berkshire Hathaway Letters to Shareholders. Its basically a collection of
Buffett's annual reports from 1970 to 2012.

If you invest money directly in the stock market, you must read it. It will
teach you investing, accounting, economics, human behavior in a simple words.

[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DUM1W3E/ref=kics_dp_shop...](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DUM1W3E/ref=kics_dp_shop_now_box)

------
humpt
The 4-hour-body changed my life. It changed how I look, how I eat, my health,
my self esteem/confidence, my mood. I am a completely different person now.

~~~
mrfusion
Which parts helped you the most? I didn't get a whole lot from it.

~~~
humpt
I've always been overweight, and struggled with it. I was unhealthy physically
and I think it made me unhealthy mentally in some ways as well. I've always
been the geek kind of guy, wasn't much into sports and had no idea how to take
care of my own body. And this book made it all clear to me.

------
SixSigma
Chez Panisse Vegetables

[http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0060171472/](http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0060171472/)

------
rk0567
Mostly related to mind/happiness/consciousness.

\+ Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion - Sam Harris

\+ Free Will - Sam Harris

\+ Mindfulness in Plain English - Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

------
koolhead17
Choose Yourself by James Altucher:
[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CO8D3G4](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CO8D3G4)

Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It by Kamal Ravikant:
[http://www.amazon.com/Love-Yourself-Like-Your-Depends-
ebook/...](http://www.amazon.com/Love-Yourself-Like-Your-Depends-
ebook/dp/B0086BX8UE)

------
peshkira
[http://www.amazon.com/What-Relativity-Intuitive-
Introduction...](http://www.amazon.com/What-Relativity-Intuitive-Introduction-
Einsteins/dp/0231167261/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418057577&sr=8-1&keywords=what+is+relativity)

As a non-physisist I always wanted to understand relativity at least to some
basic degree. This book was an eye opener...

------
marvin
"Superintelligence" by Nick Bostrom was the most interesting book I read this
year. It provides a comprehensive but accessible summary of the research on
the ethics and security aspects of prospective general artificial
intelligence.

If you have ever enjoyed reading the Lesswrong wiki or any of the readings
from MIRI/SIAI, this book provides a really great summary.

------
epaga
For me it was "What's Best Next" by Matt Perman.

Refreshing take on productivity, very similar to Getting Things Done and co.,
however this time tackled from a distinctly Christian perspective, so it may
not be for everyone. I enjoyed how he laid a foundation of motivation before
he gave a bunch of practical thoughts on how to structure tasks, goals, and so
on.

------
niels_olson
Greg Caporaso's Introduction to Applied Bioinformatics. Suddenly saw a huge
new way to think about code, especially python, and an accessible path to
deep, sound thinking about bioinformatics.

[http://caporasolab.us/An-Introduction-To-Applied-
Bioinformat...](http://caporasolab.us/An-Introduction-To-Applied-
Bioinformatics/)

------
ftudor
The Beach - Alex Garland ...I'm 42 now, but read this in my late twenties. If
you are 18-32 this book will save your life.

------
fomoz
_The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a
Lifetime - MJ DeMarco_

[http://www.amazon.com/The-Millionaire-Fastlane-Wealth-
Lifeti...](http://www.amazon.com/The-Millionaire-Fastlane-Wealth-
Lifetime/dp/0984358102)

The title sounds cheesy, but it's a really good book in reality.

------
wrd
The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker.

It's about how death shapes life and human society. Completely changed how I
view life and the world around me. Also launched me on a path that's resulted
in me successfully combating depression and anxiety (and no, it's not a self-
help book). It's a fascinating read.

------
shiven
_Audiobook:_ Emotional Vampires: Dealing with People Who Drain You Dry, by
Albert Bernstein

 _Book #1_ (Recommended by someone here on HN!) The Wisdom of the Enneagram:
The Complete Guide to Psychological and Spiritual Growth by Don Richard Riso
and Russ Hudson

 _Book #2_ Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames by Thich Nhat Hanh

------
ivan_ah
No BS guide to liner algebra --- I'm the author --- in writing about this
subject, I had to (re)learn all the details. It is truly a beautiful subject
with lots of applications. I recommend anyone interested in math to look into
linear algebra as it is the best stepping stone into advanced math.

------
tdobson
It's not a new book, but Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh has had a great
impact on me.

Fun and easy to read book too. :)

------
arh68
_Disciplined Minds_ by Jeff Schmidt

------
reubensutton
"Zero to One" by Peter Thiel

~~~
api
I'd second this, though it's from a small sample -- haven't had time to read
very many non-fiction books this year.

Not only was it clear and inspiring, but it was also a little vindicating.
I've believed for many years that we entered some kind of minor dark age
around 1970, and it was great to hear someone else put forward the same idea.

------
devgutt
For me, the most useful book this year was Mindset by Carol Dweck. Simply
amazing and mind-blowing.

[http://www.amazon.com/Mindset-The-New-Psychology-
Success/dp/...](http://www.amazon.com/Mindset-The-New-Psychology-
Success/dp/0345472322)

------
jimduk
Life and Fate - Vasily Grossman

Russian epic following multiple characters through WW2.

It shows how serious, good people can have very different and legitimate views
on life; It characterises some eternal types of criminal or charlatan. It
reminds you about fate and about how lucky we are now.

~~~
elementai
Many think of it like "War and Peace" of 20th century.

------
zz1
The Art of Asking, by Amanda Palmer

[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20980987-the-art-of-
askin...](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20980987-the-art-of-asking-or-
how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-let-people-hel)

------
bogdansolga
'Outliers' [1], by Malcolm Gladwell, was the last book which changed the way I
look on the world around me

[1]
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outliers_%28book%29](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outliers_%28book%29)

Highly recommended

------
doer20
The Age of Miracles: A novel, Karen Thompson Walker - ever wonder how will
homo sapiens survive?

Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman - taught me how to make better
decisions

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, Chip Heath - improved my
ability to persuade.

------
thirdtruck
I only just finished Amanda Palmer's "The Art of Asking" (read by the author),
but I already find it invaluable.

If you're an aspiring freelancer or working on creative projects of your own,
in particular, then her story has a lot for you.

~~~
rubmo
Oh, thank you, I was looking for a book like that.

------
95014_refugee
The Fifth Discipline (Senge)

As a systems architect struggling with Conway's Law, this has helped me
understand systems-of-people better and given me some simple ways to think
about interactions in a more abstract fashion.

------
mindcrime
I don't know that any one book exactly changed my life, but a handfull of
titles do stand out in my mind.

 _Zero To One_ by Peter Thiel

 _The Art Of Profitability_ by Adrian Slywotzky

 _The Singularity Is Near_ by Ray Kurzweil

 _After Dark_ by Haruki Murakami

------
harshbhasin
These three works have influenced me. These are writings of very creative
people and I read them to understand their creative process.

1\. Nikola Tesla's autobiography:

[http://www.mystacki.com/#!/binder/35/nikola-
tesla%27s-autobi...](http://www.mystacki.com/#!/binder/35/nikola-
tesla%27s-autobiography)

2\. Swami Vivekananda's complete works:
[http://www.mystacki.com/#!/binder/45/swami-
vivakananda](http://www.mystacki.com/#!/binder/45/swami-vivakananda)

3\. David Bohm on creativity: [http://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Routledge-
Classics-David-Bo...](http://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Routledge-Classics-
David-Bohm/dp/0415336406)

I have been reading these three authors for many years, over and over again.
In his autobiography, Tesla brings forth many exciting things about his
creative process. He could prototype complete machines in his mind before
building them. In his mind he could run tests, even see scars and blemishes on
his machines. In my coding, I (feebly) try to emulate his method by trying to
visualize my coding prototype in my mind. His short autobiography reads like
that of a mystic. In there he describes how the idea of AC current came to
him, while taking a walk and looking into the Sun. Philosophically, everything
in life alternates: the pairs of opposites, ebb and flow-- its seems to be the
code of life; and AC current does the same, it alternates. His writings on
Electricity are against the established grain: for him electricity (his only
love) is the current of life. There cannot be two electricities(positive and
negative,) he says, these are only terms for the state of having more or less
of the same thing.

David Bohm has important things to say about the creative process. He talks
about completeness (wholeness) of thought. He talks about "mental models" that
we create to understand reality and how we keep growing out of older models...
newtonian physics gives way to relativity etc.

Swami Vivekananda was a contemporary of Tesla and they did actually meet. He
was a scholar of the Indian philosophy system called Advaita and Sankhya. As
Jung has said about archetypes -- same thoughts occur to people of all ages,
the Sankhya philosophy system believed in the equivalence of matter and
energy. Vivekananda introduced these ideas to Tesla and expected him to prove
them. But the proof came ten years later with Einstein. I have written about
this here: [http://www.mystacki.com/#!/post/132/vivakanand's-meeting-
wit...](http://www.mystacki.com/#!/post/132/vivakanand's-meeting-with-tesla)

------
joshux
1\. Body by Science - changed my view about exercising. HIIT for 12 minutes a
week seems more doable and fun for a busy life. And it actually works.

2\. Mini Habits - the only routine building method that worked for me.

~~~
rahimnathwani
> Body by Science

It's interesting - Body by Science apparently advocates the use of Nautilus
machines. This is the polar opposite of that recommended in Starting Strength,
which several others in this thread have recommended.

------
jacobroufa
The Time Ships, by Stephen Baxter

The depth of his exploration of the human condition through the continuation
of H.G. Wells' classic just floored me. My jaw was dropped practically from
page one.

------
protomyth
Not in 2014, but I think they are worth reading:

Brad Cox: Superdistribution: Objects as Property on the Electronic Frontier

Brad Cox: Object-Oriented Programming: An Evolutionary Approach

Jason Brennan: Why Not Capitalism?

Leo Brodie: Thinking Forth

------
pcvarmint
Not yet released, but I got to read a preprint of _The End of Error: Unum
Computing_ by John L. Gustafson.

There are some slides of his online which introduce the concept of Unums.

------
andrewartajos
It's Steal Like an Artist for me by Austin Kleon. It's such a quick read
perfect for my short attention span. It packs so much advice without the
fluff.

------
kendallpark
The Brothers Karamazov

------
technology
Not really a book but the following post was very insightful, I go back to it
frequently

[https://sivers.org/ml](https://sivers.org/ml)

------
andrewartajos
Steal like an Artist by Austin Kleon for me. It's a quick read perfect for my
short attention span. It packs a lot of practical advice without the fluff.

------
pbowyer
[http://www.amazon.com/Longing-Know-Esther-Lightcap-
Meek/dp/1...](http://www.amazon.com/Longing-Know-Esther-Lightcap-
Meek/dp/1587430606) Longing To Know - Esther Lightcap Meek

For years I've been stuck with questions like "What does it mean to know?",
"What is truth?", "How can I hold an opinion?" and "How can I say what I think
is as valid as what somebody else thinks?".

This book does a great job of untangling what it means to know, the
limitations of knowing, and doesn't duck the difficult questions.

------
ausername_ohhai
Waking Up by Sam Harris [http://www.samharris.org/waking-
up](http://www.samharris.org/waking-up)

------
Lambdanaut
"What do you say after you say hello?"

Transactional analysis is lifechanging. It's weird to me that this book isn't
more popular.

------
vegancap
'For a new Liberty' \- Murray Rothbard

------
smharris65
Run With the Hunted: A Charles Bukowski Reader

[http://amzn.com/0060924586](http://amzn.com/0060924586)

------
marmot1101
Work related: Inspired by Mary Cagan, The Innovators by Walter Isaacson

Non-Work related: The Supreme Gift and Warrior of Light by Coelho.

------
nicklovescode
On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins - gave me a framework to think about how the
mind navigates and learns about the world.

------
crm416
Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow.

It should be considered required reading these days--couldn't be more timely.

------
bowditch
Creativity, Inc by Ed Catmull - Inside look of Pixar's history and impressive
culture

------
kirang1989
The short history of nearly everything - Bill Bryson

This book rekindled my interest and love for science.

------
spix
Black swan Nicolas Masson taleb

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aidenn0
Am I odd in that I've never read a book that significantly affected my life?

~~~
gamegoblin
How many books have you read? Have you ever watched a film that significantly
affected your life? Seen a presentation? Heard a story?

~~~
aidenn0
Back of the envelope, I've read somewhere between 1000 and 5000 books.

Single presentations haven't; the aggregate of encountering a new idea
multiple times has. I certainly have very different views on life than I did a
decade ago, but there isn't one thing I can ascribe that to.

Relationships _certainly_ have.

------
tomsun
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Doris Kearns Goodwin.

------
madao
Atlas Shrugged - by Ayn Rand

------
dominotw
I discovered Jiddu Kirshnamurthi in 2014.

My thought patterns have been permanently altered.

------
mertnesvat
ray kurzweil how to create a mind (it helped me to change my point of view to
my behaviors for example I stopped to watch reality show started to take a
design session for 1 hour everyday etc)

------
boothead
The Trauma of Everyday Life - Mark Epstein

Mindsight - Dan Siegel

Conflict Communications - Rory Miller

~~~
petecooper
>The Trauma of Everyday Life - Mark Epstein

That's the top of my list for next year. I have HN to thank for that, too - it
was name dropped in a video recommended by macmac [1].

[1]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8673597](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8673597)

------
jonnynezbo
The Alchemist and 1984

~~~
samelawrence
If you enjoyed "1984", read "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley, and then
"Amusing Ourselves to Death" by Neil Postman, which is a good comparison /
critique of the two books and authors.

------
rokhayakebe
Not 2014, but the _Great Books of the Western World_.

------
tezza
The Naked Eye - Charles Saatchi

Outsider - Brian Sewell Autobiography

------
ashwin67
Born to run -chris mcdougall. The name says it all.

------
j-b
The Anglican _Book of Common Prayer_.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Common_Prayer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Common_Prayer)

------
ElijahLynn
* Eat to Live (nutrition)

* The Promise of Sleep (sleep)

* Spark (brain health)

------
mikraft
Flinch - Julien Smith

Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill

------
jack_gott
The New Class Conflict, Joel Klotkin

------
Dirty-flow
A book cannot change my life :)

------
jqm
40 Shades of Grey. I didn't actually read it but my girlfriend did.

------
Bdiem
The Making of the

------
michaelvkpdx
"The Circle", by Dave Eggers. Narrowly edging "Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour
Bookstore" by Robin Sloan.

I've been in tech a long time. I came up in the early 90's when the Internet
was a tool for collaboration, meeting new people, and taking down the evil
bastards.

But since the advent of Facebook, Google, and "pervasive computing", I've been
haunted by the sense that what was once good is being perverted in ways that
are destroying what makes humanity great. It's always been hard for me to
explain that feeling in ways that make sense to those who haven't been part of
the wave, whose first computer was an iPhone.

"The Circle" is fabulous because it brings this sensation to life in a way
that casual readers can grasp. It's great because it captures what's
happening. I only wish it offered a proposed solution that goes beyond living
in a bunker.

Honorable mention, for similar reasons, to Mr. Penumbra.

~~~
tindrlabs
I really liked the substance of this book and would highly recommend it. I did
struggle through the content of tech support work and other minutia.

------
kingmanaz
"The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment" by Jeremiah Burroughs.

