
Ask HN: Book Recommendations? - baccheion
Does anyone have any book recommendations? Preferably non-fiction (like business, self-help, finance, tech, etc). What are the best books to read? I&#x27;m going on a learning&#x2F;reading binge, and I want to get the best stuff.
======
davej
This comes up quite often, here are two helpful links:

[http://ramiro.org/vis/hn-most-linked-books/](http://ramiro.org/vis/hn-most-
linked-books/)

[http://www.hnreads.com/](http://www.hnreads.com/)

~~~
veddox
I prefer HN Reads. Though both are good sites (and the first is aggregated
automatically, which is a plus), ramiro.org only finds books that are linked
to Amazon. IMO this gives a rather skewed result, as most books mentioned on
HN are only mentioned by the title. (And the more famous the book, the less
likely it is to be linked to Amazon, since everyone is assumed to know about
it already - e.g. TAOCP, SICP, etc.)

------
_lpa_
I made [http://www.hnreads.com](http://www.hnreads.com) a while ago to help
find book suggestions from threads on hacker news. I expanded the idea to look
at subreddits related to books, at
[http://www.bookbot.io](http://www.bookbot.io) \- the eventual plan being to
unify the two. There are quite a few things I would like to add, but they will
have to wait until I finish my thesis!

~~~
pedrodelfino
Great invention. Congratulations and thanks.

------
newjersey
I have barely finished chapter one of this 1981 book but I think it offers
insight into the past for all of us who got into this field after Java was
already prevalent.

> It chronicles the experiences of a computer engineering team racing to
> design a next-generation computer at a blistering pace under tremendous
> pressure.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine)

[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005HG4W9W/](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005HG4W9W/)

~~~
kyberias
That is one awesome book.

------
toumhi
Self-help/personal development/philosophy:

\- The obstacle is the way (Ryan Holiday)

\- Meditations (Marcus Aurelius)

\- Level up your life: how to unlock adventure and happiness by becoming the
hero of your own story

\- the six pillars of self-esteem

\- so good they can’t ignore you

\- the power of habit

\- how to fail at almost everything and still win big

Business:

\- soft sell: the new art of selling

\- essentialism: the disciplined pursuit of less

\- the magic of thinking big

\- everything is negotiable

\- making things happen

\- lean customer development

\- what customers want

\- inspired: how to create products customers love

\- delivering happiness

~~~
kele
"So Good They Can't Ignore You" by Cal Newport is awesome.

------
billybofh
Not really non-fiction, but Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is
always a good read. Also if you're just interested in 'stuff', Plato's The
Republic is very worth reading :

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_Maintenance)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_%28Plato%29](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_%28Plato%29)

~~~
criddell
> Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

I really enjoyed the parts of that book that were actually about the
motorcycle trip. Pirsig's thoughts on quality didn't resonate with me, at all.

~~~
billybofh
Have you tried the follow up - 'Lila'? It goes at it somewhat differently.

~~~
criddell
No. I'm not really looking for more Pirsig.

My reading list is already probably a decade long (I'm a slow reader). I've
recently started to abandon books that don't grab me after an hour or so and
I'm wondering why I didn't do this years ago. Previously I finished anything I
started.

------
irixusr
If you're about to work for the federal government. I suggest catch 22 and
Kafka.

Now that I'm working with them,I realize those books aren't fiction: they're
documentaries.

------
Gabriel_h
Principles by Ray Dalio. My interpretation is that this book shows 'how to get
what you want'.

That sounds so far up the chain of abstraction and generality, that it’s easy
to dismiss the book. Don’t! The book is impressive partially because it
manages to distill useful truths which are applicable at such a general level.

It's written by Ray Dalio, who is undoubtedly extraordinarily intelligent and
remarkably determined to self-improve. He is the founder of the hedge fund
Bridgewater Associates and consequently the 69th richest person in the world
in 2015.

The firm itself is noted for it’s unique company culture. He believes that
people can only improve through feedback and that there are strong social
conventions and cognitive barriers which prevent people receiving the feedback
they need. At Bridgewater, every meeting is recorded and broadcasted to the
company. At any level in the company, if someone is being considered for a
promotion, they will be invited for a discussion. Senior executives will
discuss, in front of the candidate, the merits of whether to promote them or
not.

The book contains elegant, simple, yet crucially important truths. They seem
obvious at first sight, but he fleshes them out in such a way that you realise
you don't _really_ act consistently with those truths, even if you perhaps
trick yourself into believing that you do. Through reading the book, you can
internalise some of his approaches in understanding the world.

It’s a book which altered my way of thinking about the world in a profound
way.

PDF link here:
[http://www.bwater.com/Uploads/FileManager/Principles/Bridgew...](http://www.bwater.com/Uploads/FileManager/Principles/Bridgewater-
Associates-Ray-Dalio-Principles.pdf)

------
Balgair
The Art of Manliness has a great set of booklists. If the website's title is
not obvious enough, they are all completely centered around manliness, so be
forewarned. By this, they mean manliness as opposed to boyishness, not
womanliness. Heres some good lists and a link to their landing page for all
their book related content:

[http://www.artofmanliness.com/2008/05/14/100-must-read-
books...](http://www.artofmanliness.com/2008/05/14/100-must-read-books-the-
essential-mans-library/)

[http://www.artofmanliness.com/2015/06/24/36-books-every-
youn...](http://www.artofmanliness.com/2015/06/24/36-books-every-young-and-
wildly-ambitious-man-should-read/)

[http://www.artofmanliness.com/category/travel-
leisure/books/](http://www.artofmanliness.com/category/travel-leisure/books/)

------
hannes2000
You can also check out Blinkist - they summarize business/finance/self help
books to 10-15 short key insights. It's pretty cool (Disclaimer: I worked for
them, but actually mean it): [http://blinkist.com](http://blinkist.com)

------
criddell
In this election season, if you are left leaning and would like to understand
just what it is that's underlying the politics of the right (or vice versa), I
recommend Jonathan Haidt's _The Righteous Mind_.

[http://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Mind-Divided-Politics-
Religi...](http://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Mind-Divided-Politics-
Religion/dp/0307455777)

Prior to reading this, my politics aligned very closely with those of Sanders
and I thought everybody on the right were selfish, evil, close-minded fools.
After reading the book, my politics are still left of center (but definitely
right of Sanders), but I think I understand and appreciate the politics of my
right leaning family and friends.

------
my5thaccount
Zero to One by Peter Thiel

The Hard Thing about Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

Strategy Rules - Five Timeless Lessons from Bill Gates, Andy Grove, and Steve
Jobs by David B. Yoffie, Michael A. Cusumano

These are all timely books and recently written.

------
calebm
The Picture of Dorian Gray (by Oscar Wilde) is just so beautifully written. It
was Oscar Wilde's only novel (he only needed one). It also has the absolute
best preface of any book I've read:
[https://www.gutenberg.org/files/174/174-h/174-h.htm#chap00](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/174/174-h/174-h.htm#chap00)

------
_asummers
I've been reading Boxes - How The Shipping Container Made the World Smaller
and the World Economy Bigger by Marc Levison lately. It's pretty interesting
and enjoyable.

[http://smile.amazon.com/The-Box-Shipping-Container-
Smaller/d...](http://smile.amazon.com/The-Box-Shipping-Container-
Smaller/dp/0691136408?sa-no-redirect=1)

------
ivan_ah
In a flagrant act of self-promotion, I'll recommend my own book on math and
physics: _No bullshit guide to math and physics_. What is remarkable about it
is the interlinked explanations of mechanics and calculus, so you get a
picture of why it all works. Great review if you ever wanted to learn these
topics. Comes with a review of high school math too, in case you need it.

[https://minireference.com/](https://minireference.com/) 4.5 stars on amazon
[http://www.amazon.com/No-bullshit-guide-math-
physics/product...](http://www.amazon.com/No-bullshit-guide-math-
physics/product-reviews/0992001005/) If you're getting a print version, I
recommend the version through lulu.com, since the print quality is better.

------
Ping_2_Ur_Pong
Below list are some of my favorite books overall that I didn't see mentioned.

\---Non-software related

How to win friends and influence people -Dale Carnegie (The definitive guide
to helping you work better with people, truly great book, should be required
reading)

Blink- Malcolm Gladwell

Godel Escher, Bach - (Recursion, but not from a software perspective. Its a
glorious book that will change the way you think about recursion.)

Hitch Hiker's guide to the galaxy, - Douglas Adams (Glorious book that is a
fun read, when you need a break pick this up and laugh hard)

Foundation Series - Assimov (Great stories from one of the best sci-fi writers
ever)

\-------------------Software related Code Complete Concrete Mathematics The
Art of Computer Programming The Design of the Unix Operating System
Introduction to Algorithms -Cormen Design Patterns Elements of Resusable OO
Design -Gang of Four

------
jakegarelick
My recent favorites: Jobs, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, High Output
Management, Innovator's Dilemma, Lean Startup, On The Shortness Of Life, How
Google Works, Zero To One, Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Power of Habit,
Things Fall Apart, Stoner

------
uxp100
I'm not sure this is the "best stuff," but I'm currently reading From
Counterculture to Cyberculture, and moderately enjoying it.

It's about Stewart Brand, but really more about the scenes he was involved in,
it's not a biography. Covers the Whole Earth Catalog and the WELL, but also
talks about the influence of systems theory and Bucky Fuller, and clarified,
for me at least, the difference between the New Communalists and the New Left,
which were somewhat conflated in my mind. It also puts Stewart Brand as a
character, if not an essential one, at some key events. The mother of all
demos and the founding of the Homebrew Computer Club are what I'm referring to
here.

------
PaulMontreal
By far the most useful book I've ever read is Prescott Lecky's Self
Consistency, a theory of personality. I think it was published in the 40's.
It's his theory of the human personality in response to the popular ideas of
the time from Freud and various behaviourists. If you want an incredibly
useful model for understanding your mind and the various forms of resistance
we all have to deal with, I don't think you'll find a better book. (And I've
read a lot of them). Last I looked the book was about $150 used, on amazon,
but there are PDF's floating about.

------
twunde
The Goal.

If you're interested in project management, Making Things Happen is good.

I've just started High Output Management and so far it seems good. Of course
there are always the classics like Good to Great, What Color Is Your
Parachute, etc

~~~
scottlilly
I was going to add, "The Goal". I just received two more copies of it from
Amazon today. I've given away more copies of that book that I can count (and
will give away another one to a co-worker on Monday).

------
a3n
Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What
They Do
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working:_People_Talk_About_Wha...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working:_People_Talk_About_What_They_Do_All_Day_and_How_They_Feel_About_What_They_Do)

Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bowe_%28author%29#Gig:_Am...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bowe_%28author%29#Gig:_Americans_Talk_About_Their_Jobs)

------
mbrd
If you haven't already read it, "Getting Things Done" by David Allen is one of
the best known productivity books.

Some people I have spoken to say his method isn't for them but I've found it
useful, even if I haven't implemented everything he suggests.

I'd also recommend "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and
Software" by Charles Petzold. It starts at simple circuits and builds up a
picture of how computers work. It has really helped me get my mental models of
what's going on inside a computer straightened out!

~~~
Slix
I have always been skeptical about GTD (and haven't read the book). It seems
very cultish. And apparently he just released a new version where he changes
the terminology he uses for every concept, which sounds very confusing.

On the other hand, I see GTD principles pop up all the time on todo list apps,
and a lot of it seems like a good idea.

~~~
raamdev
I felt the same way about GTD for the longest time, until I decided to read
the small book and see what the fuss was all about. It completely changed the
way I look at productivity and getting things done. GTD is not so much about
David Allen or The GTD Method, but about a logical, structured way of
processing inputs into your life. The more inputs you have, the more you'll
benefit from the ideas (I consider them ideas more than 'methods') presented
in the book.

I don't follow GTD exactly the way David presents it in the book, but that's
just the thing: What I learned from the book was not a specific method, but
how to think about task management in a way that makes sense given the limited
capacity of my brain to remember a large number of transitory things.

------
tetraodonpuffer
some recommendations on mixed topics from my recent non-fiction reads, I
enjoyed all of them for different reasons (the song machine book even got me
to listen to music I would never have thought I'd enjoy, but can't argue Max
Martin knows how to write a catchy song!)

When breath becomes air [http://smile.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-
Kalanithi/d...](http://smile.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-
Kalanithi/dp/081298840X/)

Do no harm, Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery
[http://smile.amazon.com/Do-No-Harm-Stories-
Surgery/dp/125006...](http://smile.amazon.com/Do-No-Harm-Stories-
Surgery/dp/125006581X/)

The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory [http://smile.amazon.com/Song-
Machine-Inside-Hit-Factory/dp/0...](http://smile.amazon.com/Song-Machine-
Inside-Hit-Factory/dp/0393241920/)

Why we work [http://smile.amazon.com/Why-We-Work-TED-
Books/dp/1476784868/](http://smile.amazon.com/Why-We-Work-TED-
Books/dp/1476784868/)

Enlightenment 2.0 [http://smile.amazon.com/Enlightenment-2-0-Restoring-
politics...](http://smile.amazon.com/Enlightenment-2-0-Restoring-politics-
economy/dp/0062342894/)

------
kelukelugames
I started reading Henry Kissinger's On China. I'm currently on the Cold War
chapters. USSR and China actually had a very tense relationship and Mao often
played Soviets off against the Americans.

One reason I wanted to read the book is Kissinger and Nixon are responsible
for establishing relationships with China. My parents generation were able to
come to the US because of them. Many older Chinese immigrants have positive
opinions of the two, despite them being amongst America's least favorite
politicians.

------
chris_st
I highly recommend "The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt
to Quantum Cryptography" by Simon Singh. Really readable history of
cryptography, without much math.

------
nathell
Just finished "Love's Executioner" and "Creatures of a Day," both by Irvin
Yalom. A deeply touching glimpse into the world of psychotherapy. Highly
recommended.

~~~
arunaugustine
May I also add "The Road Less Travelled" by Scott Peck to books on
Psychotherapy. Excellent read.

------
euroclydon
Robert Caro's _The Power Broker_ about Robert Moses, the most powerful
unelected government official in U.S. history.

Caro, a Pulitzer winning journalist, is a wiz at writing, so you'll enjoy each
page. But more importantly, even though Robert Moses was a bad buy, you don't
have to be bad to learn to get what you want, in an organization, by ignoring
superficial power structures, and focusing on the real ones.

Plus you'll learn a ton about how NYC was built out in the depression.

------
kennyfrc
Ha! Just had that binge too...

... Here's what I like:

On the business end: \- Badass by Kathy Sierra \- Impossible to Inevitable by
Aaron Ross \- Traction by Gabriel Weinberg \- Cold Calling Early Customers by
Robert Graham \- Learn or Die by Edward Hess

On "refining your thought process": \- Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley \-
Racing Towards Excellence by Jan Sramek \- Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin \-
Case Interview Secrets by Victor Cheng (helps you think in a nice, structured
way)

------
shpx
The Design of Everyday Things. Probably the quintessential book on design, the
basic premise is that if you can't figure out how a thing works, it's not your
fault.

Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down. About the engineering of various
things, mostly buildings. Highly recommend.

The Elements of Computer Systems (better known as NAND to Tetris). Describes a
computer from the bottom up.

A History of the Arab Peoples

The Quran

The Bible

Space and Time in General Relativity by David Mermin

Feynman QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter

------
leroy_masochist
Check out Legionnaire [0] by Simon Murray [1].

[0]: [http://www.amazon.com/Legionnaire-Englishman-French-
Foreign-...](http://www.amazon.com/Legionnaire-Englishman-French-Foreign-
Legion/dp/0330485806) [1]:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Murray](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Murray)

------
venkasub
I did a 50-books project last year. [http://theuforce.blogspot.in/p/reading-
list.html](http://theuforce.blogspot.in/p/reading-list.html)

[http://theuforce.blogspot.in/2016/01/the-50-books-
project.ht...](http://theuforce.blogspot.in/2016/01/the-50-books-project.html)

------
jseliger
Jonathan Haidt, _The Righteous Mind_ :
[http://jakeseliger.com/2012/03/25/jonathan-haidts-the-
righte...](http://jakeseliger.com/2012/03/25/jonathan-haidts-the-righteous-
mind-and-what-were-really-arguing-about/)

This is a novel, but Carlos Ruiz Zafon's _The Shadow of the Wind_ is
fantastic.

------
arc_of_descent
I'm currently reading - Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution by
Neil deGrasse Tyson, so I immediately recommend it.

------
fratlas
Recently read and thoroughly enjoyed "Elon Musk"; good insight into both
starting unicorns and how much of a genius Elon is.

------
max_
I recommend Dan Drown's first book, Digital Fortress:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Fortress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Fortress)
the book is filled with Cryptography, Quantum computing, NSA, Assasins.......
Was perfect for me and will be for any other hacker!! :D

~~~
grkvlt
I started reading it, and put it down almost immediately. The 'technical'
aspects of the book are half-understood gibberish. I would expect it would
just annoy or even enrage any hacker with its inaccuracies, misconceptions and
general dumbing-down to meaningless of the subject matter.

0/5 - would not recommend to anyone.

~~~
max_
An example of the "inaccuracies, misconceptions and general dumbing-down to
meaningless of the subject matter" ? cause I don't recall any.

------
talkingtab
John Holland, "Hidden Order". Really. What is money? A message bus in a
complex adaptive system. Lots of other stuff out there on complexity but this
has a unique perspective. If you really want to go crazy find "Signs of Life,
How complexity pervades biology" after you read "Hidden Order"

------
brikis98
If you're into startups & programming (this is HN, right?), here's my list of
recommended reading: [http://www.hello-startup.net/resources/recommended-
reading/](http://www.hello-startup.net/resources/recommended-reading/)

------
trost
I'm reading James Altucher's Choose Yourself Guide To Wealth right now and I
really like it, although it's quite verbosely written (I'm about halfway
through). This book is about business and monetizing ideas. I haven't read
Choose Yourself, which is more of a self-help book, I think.

------
knewuser
Florian Cramer - Anti-Media: Ephemera on Speculative Arts

[http://networkcultures.org/blog/publication/anti-media-
ephem...](http://networkcultures.org/blog/publication/anti-media-ephemera-on-
speculative-arts-florian-cramer/)

------
latishsehgal
My top 4 recommendations (full list and notes at
[http://www.dotnetsurfers.com/books/](http://www.dotnetsurfers.com/books/))
The Power of Habit, Search Inside Yourself, The Willpower Instinct, Zero to
One

------
peterkelly
I'd recommend being a bit more specific about the things you're after. But
here's two of my favourites (one technical, one business):

"Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software", by Charles
Petzold

"Rework", by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

~~~
peterkelly
Also:

"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", by Stephen Covey

------
climber_mac
Creativity Inc., by Ed Catmull (co-founder of Pixar). A book on the structure
and processes used at Pixar to sustain the creative process - It's one of the
best books I've read on business/management and personal development.

Ed is an incredible human being! Go read it!

~~~
kqr2
> Ed is an incredible human being!

He was also at the center of a wage fixing scandal.

[http://www.cartoonbrew.com/artist-rights/ed-catmull-on-
wage-...](http://www.cartoonbrew.com/artist-rights/ed-catmull-on-wage-fixing-
i-dont-apologize-for-this-105855.html)

------
te_chris
The world beyond your head is fantastic. [http://www.amazon.com/The-World-
Beyond-Your-Head/dp/03742929...](http://www.amazon.com/The-World-Beyond-Your-
Head/dp/0374292981)

------
jgrodziski
I've compiled and organised resources, including books, about computing on :
[http://www.learn-computing-directory.org](http://www.learn-computing-
directory.org) Also feel free to contribute!

------
caballo7
You might find [http://parrotread.com/yc](http://parrotread.com/yc) useful. It
has book recommendations from all the YC partners, based on books they have
tweeted about in the past.

------
goc
I am reading CTM by Van Roy/Haridi and watching Van Roy's edx vids. Very nice
explanations that require a lot of filling in the holes.

If someone else is familiar with Oz/Van Roy stuff, I have a question.

~~~
nextos
I am, but I read it many years ago, so I might not be able to help

~~~
goc
In this video[0] Van Roy claims that the function Three "resolves" to 3. It's
at around 8:45 minute. I tried working that out, but can't seem to get it
correct. What I tried

    
    
       {Inc {Inc {Inc Zero}}}
       {Inc {Inc 1}}
       {Inc {1} + 1}
       {{{1} + 1} + 1}
    

Can we consider {{{1} + 1} + 1} to be 3 or what are my mistakes? Thanks.

[0]
[https://youtu.be/Arh_6J5_fWU?t=8m46s](https://youtu.be/Arh_6J5_fWU?t=8m46s)

------
antonislav
Derek Sivers has compiled a list of books in your preferred field of interest.
I find it quite helpful.

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

------
arc_of_descent
I would also recommend the science fiction megapacks. I read a lot (especially
sci-fi) and it makes me feel guily at times. :)

So if I need a quick scifi buzz, I pick a random story from the megapack.

------
motxilo
"Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders". I am
reading it now, very entertaining and you'll learn thing about management
styles.

------
elevensies
Some highlights from the last couple months of my reading, nonfiction:

Softwar (Larry Ellison), Matthew Symonds

A Perfect Red, Amy Butler Greenfield

Assault on Lake Casitas, Brad Alan Lewis

and fiction:

This Census-Taker, China Mieville

Whatever, Michel Houellebecq

------
ThrustVectoring
Impro by Keith Johnstone

The Inner Game of Tennis

A Guide to Better Movement: The Science and Practice of Moving with More Skill
and Less Pain

Punished by Rewards

Microeconomics: Behavior, Institutions, and Evolution by Bowles

------
scottyab
Remote: Office Not Required -
[https://37signals.com/remote](https://37signals.com/remote)

------
swatkat
I Am That, by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Freedom from the Known, by Jiddu Krishnamurti

Think on These Things, by Jiddu Krishnamurti

The Bhagavad Gita

The Grand Design, by Stephen Hawking

------
rhizome31
On Western Terrorism by Chomsky and Vltchek. A lucid and refreshing take on
global geopolitics.

------
un_montagnard
Domain Driven Design by Eric Evans.

------
kmonad
check these out:

[http://www.bookbot.io](http://www.bookbot.io)

[http://www.hnreads.com](http://www.hnreads.com)

------
noblethrasher
_Amusing Ourselves to Death_ by Neil Postman.

------
dontscale
Do a google search for Charlie munger reading list and you'll uncover gems
like Influenc, guns germs and steel, poor Charlie's almanac

------
fsiefken
That's a very broad question, so I read your comments to get a feel from where
you might be coming from and/or going to and where you and I might overlap:

* Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Antifragile, things that gain from disorder [http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incer...](http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680/)

* Jared Diamond. The World until yesterday, what can we learn from traditional societies [http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Soci...](http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Societies/dp/0143124404)

* Frans de Waal. The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates [http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primate...](http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primates/dp/0393347796/)

* John Higgs. The KLF: Chaos, Magic... [http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B...](http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B00ABFHOS0/)

* Joseph Jaworski. Synchronicity, the inner Path of leadership [http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadershi...](http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0051ANRBI)

* Piero Ferrucci. Your Inner Will, finding personal strength in critical times [http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0...](http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0399174931)

* William Irvine. A Guide to the good life, the ancient art of stoic joy [http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/01953...](http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614)

* Chogyam Trungpa. Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior [http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trung...](http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trungpa/dp/1590304519/)

* Tomas Malik. Patience with God: The Story of Zacchaeus Continuing In Us [http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuin...](http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuing/dp/0385524498/)

* Nick Winter. The Motivation Hacker [http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/09892...](http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/0989279820)

* Chas Emerick, Brian Carper, Christophe Grad. Clojure Programming [http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/14...](http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/1449394701)

Fiction:

* Peter Hamilton - The Reality Dysfunction

* Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon (his other hit: Snow Crash is surprisingly more history then SF now...)

------
Kenji
>Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: An excellent book with autobiographic
content about Richard Feynman, contains many funny stories and interesting
insights of this brilliant man.

>J. Hromkovic: Theoretical Computer Science: An excellent introduction to
complexity theory, kolmogorov complexity, automata and turing machine,
language and grammar theory

>Harris & Harris: Digital Design and Computer Architecture: Introduction to
electrical engineering, graudally builds your knowledge until you could
implement a simple little CPU in e.g. Verilog.

