

Ask HN: What recreational books related to programming can you recommend? - boogdan

I&#x27;m going on a holiday and I&#x27;ll have a lot of time dedicated to reading so I want to take a book related to programming. Since I won&#x27;t carry my computer with me but only my Kindle, I&#x27;m looking for a book that doesn&#x27;t require code practice.<p>I just started to play with Swift for a few months as a hobby so I&#x27;m either interested interested in something related or into something generic (such as a book about algorithms or data structures).<p>I would love to read a book that helps novices to understand concepts, problems, etc...it doesn&#x27;t matter as long as it improves your thinking.<p>Thanks!
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NY_hudson
Coders at Work: Reflections on the Craft of Programming - Peter Seibel

[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1430219483](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1430219483)

great book, easy reading, inspiring and insightful, highly recommended!

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a3n
The Emperor’s New Mind, Penrose.

The Mind's I: Fantasies And Reflections On Self & Soul, Hofstadter and Dennet.

The Society of Mind, Minsky.

Martin Gardner. [http://www.amazon.com/Martin-
Gardner/e/B000AP8X8G/ref=sr_ntt...](http://www.amazon.com/Martin-
Gardner/e/B000AP8X8G/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_6?qid=1438610937&sr=1-6)

Donald Knuth. [http://www.amazon.com/Martin-
Gardner/e/B000AP8X8G/ref=sr_ntt...](http://www.amazon.com/Martin-
Gardner/e/B000AP8X8G/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_6?qid=1438610937&sr=1-6)

Things a Computer Scientist Rarely Talks About, Knuth.

e: The Story of a Number, Maor.

The Pythagorean Theorem: a 4000-year history, Maor.

Flatland, Abbot.

Snowcrash, Stevenson.

Johnny Mnemonic, Gibson.

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boogdan
Also found this, for those who are interested: "The Inmates Are Running the
Asylum", by Alan Cooper: [http://www.amazon.com/The-Inmates-Are-Running-
Asylum/dp/0672...](http://www.amazon.com/The-Inmates-Are-Running-
Asylum/dp/0672326140)

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informatimago
The best book of last century: GEB.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del,_Escher,_Bach](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del,_Escher,_Bach)

More challenging: Fun With Algorithms:
[http://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319078892](http://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319078892)

~~~
boogdan
Thanks, the first one looks extremely interesting.

