
Ask HN: Which book(s) did you read this summer? - NoB4Mouth
Which book did you read this summer? Can you share a glimpse of the impact it(they) made on you and your work?
======
guiambros
"Why We Sleep", by Matthew Walker [1]. I've read a lot about sleep over the
years, but I still found it fascinating and comprehensive.

I've mentioned the book on several other thread [2], so there's plenty of
opinions there if you're interested in knowing more.

[1] [https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-
Dreams/dp/1501...](https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-
Dreams/dp/1501144316)

[2]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17606274](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17606274)

------
fernandokokocha
1\. "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg. Gave me a better perspective on
how to tackle my bad habits like endless watching YouTube after work, drinking
too much coffee etc.

2\. "The Power of Your Subconscious Mind" by Joseph Murphy. Sold me on the
idea of positive thinking, but generally I found the book crappy.

3\. "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. The only nover on the list.
Definitely a good read.

4\. "The Pragmatic Programmer". I fell in love with the idea of "the network"
of views and controllers.

5\. "The Software Craftsman" by Sandro Mancuso. Great one. Made me recosinder
a few (quite a few!) things in my workflow and project.

6\. "Deep Work" by Cal Newport. Amazing one. Can't wait for Monday to
implement some at work. I even ordered 3 more copies for my team.

------
ArtWomb
Still shook by John Carreyrou's _Bad Blood_. Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes
chronicle. No discernible "style" to the writing. But the facts are chilling
enough. Scale of the deception is pathological and systemic.

Seeing trusting people treated scandalously will make you a more conscientious
founder.

~~~
sizzzzlerz
I know exactly what you mean! It is astonishing that Holmes and her love toy
could perpetrate such fraud. That fact that they could fool the caliber of
people that they did fool is mind boggling. The only thought in my head once I
finished the book was that I hope these two spend a good part of the rest of
their lives in prison.

------
ncmncm
"Debt: The First 5,000 Years" by David Shaefer. Top marks!

An exploration of the origin of money, and what it means. Money is a pure
invention, invented for purposes now almost forgotten. Currency was invented
thousands of years later, for military purposes. The book is full of
surprises.

~~~
NoB4Mouth
Read it last year! eye opening book on Money. After having read this book i
always take every news headline on currency policy with brain of salt...

------
asdffdsa321
Madame Bovary: beautiful book, but also somewhat scary. Warning against
idealism and condescension (the 'Belle' complex from Beauty in the Beast, ie
too good for someone or some society). With it is an oddly inspiring ability
to romanticize and imagine heights and a life different from reality, to dream
big dreams. It maps well, though exaggerated in a fatalistic sense, onto the
types of people today as it relates to love and relationships (the nice guy
who is clueless and mistreated, the neighborhood wife who is motherly but not
sexy, -- similar to Susan in the Waves -- the social climber whose credibility
is self-fabricated and manages to achieve high renown and accolades despite
being an imposter, the mysterious bachelor ie the ladies man who has
accumulated his aura and attractiveness by focusing on himself rather than on
a woman, the creepy old rich guy who offers money for sex to attractive women
in financial/general distress or life threatening circumstances)

Lots to say about, and lots to learn, it's a short book but it is packed with
substance. Honorable mentions for its depiction of the swings of neuroticism
and depression, the allure and mystery of the feminine, how it characterizes
art/theater, and all around creating a beautiful, rich, vibrant world.
Apologies for the run on sentences; I don't want to get too caught up in this
unless people are interested

------
sidcool
Deep Work by Cal Newport. Very good read. Next book is going to be Code
Complete 2 by Steve McConnell. Followed by Zero to One by Peter Thiel.

------
sizzzzlerz
"Chasing New Horizons: Inside the First Epic Mission to Pluto" by Alan Stern
and David Grinspoon

Fascinating tale of the history and triumph of one of the most amazing
scientific marvels of the age of robotic space exploration. Nine years and 7.5
billion miles to arrive at a place that, up till then, was usually seen as a
few pixels and a blurry image.

------
sunstone
The Wayfinders by Wade Davis

If you're interested in what living 20k years ago would have been like this is
a pretty good place to start.

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yesenadam
Is this question for people in the northern hemisphere only? We (Australia
here) just had winter.

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howenterprisey
I read two books recommended here, and one that wasn't. The Idea Factory, by
Jon Gertner, was absolutely fantastic; How the Laser Happened was also very
interesting. I also read (still reading, actually) Mason and Dixon by Pynchon.
Really good so far.

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lugg
7 habbits of effective people was well worth the read.

Too early to speak about benefits but I have a feeling it was very beneficial
long term.

Don't expect something about getting things done it's not really about that.

~~~
kik0729
What is it about, then?

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orcs
Just finishing up Malazan book of the fallen series.

~~~
ssijak
I am pondering if I should start the series. Was it worth it to you?

~~~
orcs
Well worth it. It's a long slog. I've never read anything on this scope
before. There are so many characters and story lines I can't imagine how the
author kept track! Brilliant series, nothing else like it.

------
playing_colours
The biography of J.Rockefeller by Roy Chernow, who managed to serve God and
money.

“The secrets of consulting” by Gerald Weinberg, full of good wisdom.

------
digianarchist
Just finished "Evicted" by Matthew Desmond. Great book on how evictions can
keep people in a spiral of poverty.

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HIPisTheAnswer
The 'Dune' series by F.Herbert, and continuation by his son. God emperor of
dune is definitely worth reading up to.

~~~
TranquilMarmot
I started "Dune" in January and am now nearing the end of "Chapterhouse:
Dune". The series as a whole is so chock full of amazing wisdom and
meditations on what it means to be human and how far we can stretch humanity
until it becomes unrecognizable, but it gets there so slowly that the
teachings kind of creep up on you in the end.

Cannot recommend the series enough. So sad that I'm reaching the end of Frank
Herbert's part of the legacy, interested to see how Brian Herbert continued
it.

~~~
cbanek
Totally agree. Also recommend the audiobooks, which I've been listening to for
these summer road trips!

