Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately? - pentae
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ideonexus
I just finished Tolstoy's War and Peace. I think it deserves both the hype as
a masterpiece and the jokes as a sprawling verbose epic. He's like Jane
Goodall observing and deconstructing human beings at all social levels from
the serfs and peasants to the Russian aristocracy and Napoleon himself. His
characters are so real and their motives so transparent in the way he
describes them, and they are this microcosm living individual lives inside the
macrocosm of the French invasion of Russia. Throughout all of it are the
rambling philosophical speculations of the author that are filled with
brilliant insights but always seem fuzzy on making any strong points.

What I loved most about the book was how it conveys the complexity of life and
the absurdity of historical analysis and the focus on "Great Men" against such
complexity, which he compares to physicists trying to understand macro-
phenomenon without taking into account the micro-phenomenon that add up to the
macro effect. The whole books is an illustration of this through the many
lives it follows in the major historical events taking place around them.

~~~
HenryTheHorse
Which translation was this? Pevear and Volokhonsky?

~~~
ideonexus
This was Louise and Aylmer Maude. I'm afraid I don't know much about the
different translations. I do think I would like to read this book again one
day, knowing the character arcs. I just learned the Pevear and Volokhonsky
version leaves the French untranslated, which is how Tolstoy wanted it. That
sounds like a great translation to read next.

------
auganov
The classic Clean Code by Robert C. Martin <\- probably won't learn much new,
but worth it, just to let the concepts reenter your consciousness.

The Secret War Against the Jews by John Loftus <\- Changed the way I think
about inner workings of the government. But at the same time, many claims are
hard to verify.

The life changing magic of cleaning up by Marie Kondo <\- not life changing
but decent and a quick, 2-3 day read.

Nassim Taleb books, pretty sure everyone on here read it or plans to so, don't
need my description.

Halfway through The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis at the moment, it's
pretty good, a joint biography of Kahneman and Tversky (of the "Thinking, Fast
and Slow", which I guess is another HN classic).

~~~
tunap
"The life changing magic of cleaning up by Marie Kondo <\- not life changing
but decent and a quick, 2-3 day read."

I found a similar title perusing the local library's stacks last year. Sort of
a "zen of cleaning" that goes way beyond merely cleaning your sailboat...

Quick & Easy Boat Maintenance: 1001 Time-Saving Tips

[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1179767.Quick_and_Easy_B...](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1179767.Quick_and_Easy_Boat_Maintenance)

~~~
observation
I'm enjoying "Home Comforts".

It's a scientific look at cleaning your house, it's great :-)

------
shishy
The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion by
Jonathan Haidt

I cannot recommend this book enough -- I'm halfway through it and it's a very
accessible overview of work done in moral development psychology that (for me)
shed light on how people come to believe the things they do so strongly. It's
increasingly relevant today, and was a bit of an eye-opener for me.

Has anyone else checked it out? Curious to get your thoughts -- I'm not done
yet and once I finish, I'm doing to dug through the primary sources he cites.

~~~
sweetheart
Seconded - I'm reading it now and probably consider it one of the most
personally influential books I've ever read. It doesn't hurt that Haidt is
just a seriously talented writer.

------
toptalkedbooks
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------
moh_maya
I've sort of finished reading Clayton Christensen's book "How will you measure
your life?" [1]

Using a series of personal anecdotes, stories, observations from sociological
& psychological research, the book assisted me in developing a perspective &
framework to understand what my priorities are & perhaps could / should be,
helping me get a better sense of what I could / should do with my time. I
found it very useful, given where I am in life.

While I normally plough through books, this was one book where I found myself
iterating(?) through the book. I'd read a few chapters, put the book away,
come back after a few days, read from the start, perhaps ending at a further
chapter, and then back to start.

To add, I found his observations about hygiene factors (salary, well laid out
work environment, etc) vs factors that can motivate you (good team, ambitious
objectives, etc) very very "aha" and insightful. I'm building a team, and I
now consider these at every major decision..

[1] [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13425570-how-will-you-
me...](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13425570-how-will-you-measure-your-
life)

------
framebit
I'm about 70% of the way through Charlatan by Pope Brock, a non-fiction book
that tells the astonishing story of a dangerous medical quack in the
depression era who transcends medical quackery to infiltrate entertainment,
politics, and more.
[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1851568.Charlatan](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1851568.Charlatan)

I found it through the excellent Reply All episode on the same subject.
[https://gimletmedia.com/episode/86-man-of-the-
people/](https://gimletmedia.com/episode/86-man-of-the-people/) The episode is
great, but it naturally has to leave out a lot of details and subplots that
really come to life in the book. I would gladly read anything else written by
Pope Brock. I think his writing is amazing.

------
omosubi
"A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again" by David Foster Wallace. This is
a book of magazine articles he wrote for various publications on a range of
topics. His powers of observation are unlike any other. the articles are
hilarious, sad, thought provoking, and insightful all at once.

------
unmole
_Sapiens_ by Yuval Noah Harari is the best book I've read in a while. It's
like Guns, Germs and Steel but better argued and far greater in scope.

 _The Selfish Gene_ by Richard Dawkins was a great read too. A bit of a slog
in some places but otherwise brilliant and insightful.

------
AJRF
I really enjoyed “Devil in the White City”. So much happened during the World
Fair its absolutely astounding. It would have been mind boggiling to attend
and glimpse so many aspects of the future at once

~~~
avisser
Great book. The least "non-fiction feeling" work of non-fiction I've ever
read. Surprised Hollywood hasn't jumped on it yet.

~~~
kjdal2001
It looks like there might be a movie in some stage of production.
[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0959300/](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0959300/)

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Bucephalus355
Instead of looking for books, these days I try to keep an eye on publishers
more. Consistent quality books tends to come out of the same publisher, and
it's really easy to follow just a few.

Also by following publishers you can be more efficiently connected "upstream"
to the flows of knowledge.

Most of the University Press's are pretty good, I was at Cambridge University
Press Bookshop earlier today in the U.K. and it was amazing seeing their whole
catalog.

Other good presses are:

\- anything by MIT Press

\- Princeton and Duke Press

\- Polity Press if you're interested in sociology

~~~
Bucephalus355
Also dear god please use www.Thriftbooks.com or at least give it a chance. It
dramatically lowered my prices from Amazon, by around 60% per book. Plus you
get $5 back from every $50 purchased for the next time you buy, so it's
effectively 10% cashback.

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m0ck
I'm reading "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality" by Eliezer Yudkowsky
right now. Never thought I would be interested in fanfic, but this is just
brilliant, give it a chance. You can get a free ebook on hpmor.com, or create
your own paperback version with
[https://github.com/ianstormtaylor/hpmor](https://github.com/ianstormtaylor/hpmor)
(it cannot be sold, due to copyright issues)

------
incan1275
Currently halfway through: Emperor of all Maladies, by Siddhartha Mukherjee.
Amazing portrait and biography of cancer. It outlines the history of cancer,
chemotherapy, surgeries and the drugs use to treat so many patients who gave
their lives for cancer science.

The author is a good writer, but occasionally delves into minute historical
details that I sometimes don't care for. Still, it's very enlightening.

------
searine
Re-reading Anathem by Neal Stephenson, because it's so god damn good.

The Mandibles recently. It was okay. The economic ideas were interesting, but
the story dragged.

The Accusation by Bandi was good if you like North Korea stuff.

The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O - Was decent for a Stephenson novel, but
definitely niche sci-fi/fantasy.

The Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse. Didn't like it. Really didn't like the
ending.

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JCSato
Glen Cook's The Black Company. Really moody, terse writing style; very
refreshing contrast to your typical fantasy novel.

~~~
moh_maya
Have you read the Laundry Files, by Charles Stress? On similar lines..

------
jaypaulynice
"As A Man Thinketh" James Allen...About to read "Man's Search For Meaning"
next

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playing_colours
"The Power Broker" by Robert Caro, great bio of Robert Moses, a man who had a
tremendous influence on how NYC looks now, it's a great study of power,
politics, and the history of NYC.

~~~
omosubi
+1 - one of my favorite books and one of the best books on the use of power in
american government that currently exists. His series on Lyndon Johnson is
also incredible.

------
hitekker
"Debt" by John Graber is a book of big ideas.

Not always accurate in the details, and somewhat biased in its conclusions.
Nonetheless it made me rethink the underpinnings of our financial system.

------
ardivekar
Just finished with Terry Pratchett's Night Watch. So good.

~~~
moh_maya
Absolutely. Amazing writer. His nuanced observation of human nature, his wit,
his affection for his characters and their humanness.. his entire series,
especially the stories that center around AM and involve Vetinari, Vimes or
Moist Von Lipwig..

------
tc7
The Bone Clocks, by David Mitchell. An amazing writer. The best mix of
beautifully detailed characters and ambitious scope that I've read.

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aloukissas
\- Angel by Jason Calacanis (fantastic info + entertaining)

\- Venture Deals 3rd Ed by Brad Feld & Jason Mendelson (must read for startup
founders raising)

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urahara
"Hopscotch" by Julio Cortázar. It's a novel published in 60s. Fantastic
language and atmosphere, strongly recommended.

------
bobosha
Hitmakers by Derek Thompson. an easy breezy read choc-a-bloc with anecdotes of
what makes something click.

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brudgers
_Child of God_ Cormac McCarthy.

~~~
AJRF
I read this few months ago. Hated it. First time I can say that about a
McCarthy novel. What about it did you think was good? Sorry if that sounds
argumentative, just would like a second opinion from someone who liked it.

~~~
brudgers
It is perhaps the only book I've ever read where my opinion changed
significantly within a few hours of reading it. It was about 10 or 11 at night
and I'd just knocked out the last 1/4 or third of it, and I was a bit
indifferent. I'd been reading it, and sort of thinking about subsequent
novels, e.g. Chigurh from _No Country for Old Men_ and _The Road_ 's
depravities and _Blood Meridian_ 's gun violence.

But I was sort of left hanging by the references to 'bluebills' and
'whitecaps' that appear in the last part. And so I googled them up and spent
the hour or two after I finished the novel reading various results. And for
me, it made the work pop with a "Wow!"

Of course, as a McCarthy fan I'm probably predisposed to such a response.
Having lived in the south, it sort of hit closer to home than it might have
for someone else. It took me longer to appreciate McCarthy's earlier works
because the frontier in the American east is less an ordinary idea than the
frontier in the American west. But those parts of Tennessee where wild an
unsettled just fifty years before the American West was mostly settled.

------
Treyno
Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand Will be reading The Fountainhead shortly afterwards!

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misalyogeshwar1
reading "Antifragile". It's Good. Give it a try

