Ask HN: What are your favorite books?

[hmate9]

I'm looking for interesting books about new ideas and concepts. Share your favorite books here.

One of my favorites is How Not to Be Wrong by Jordan Ellenbreg (https://www.amazon.com/How-Not-Be-Wrong-Mathematical/dp/0143127535)

[e19293001]

From my favorite author Anthony J. Dos Reis[0]

If you want to learn assembly language, computer architecture and C++ all at the same time: Assembly Language and Computer Architecture Using C++ and Java , Course Technology, 2004 [1]

If you want to learn how to write compilers, context free grammars, regular expressions and implement grep: Compiler Construction Using Java, JavaCC, and Yacc, IEEE/Wiley, 2012 [2]

If you want to learn functional programming, lambda calculus and LISP: An Introduction to Functional Programming Through Lambda Calculus by Greg Michaelson [3]

My programming skills had grown dramatically with this books. I would wholeheartedly recommend the books mentioned above for those who are interested to learn.

[0] - http://cs.newpaltz.edu/~dosreist/

[1] - https://www.amazon.com/Assembly-Language-Computer-Architectu...

[2] - https://www.amazon.com/Compiler-Construction-Using-Java-Java...

[3] - https://www.cs.rochester.edu/~brown/173/readings/LCBook.pdf - https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Functional-Programming-C...

[0xmohit]

Here are a few:

Sync: The Emerging Science of Spontaneous Order by Steven Strogatz

Prime Obsession: Bernhard Riemann and the Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics by John Derbyshire

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely

The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong by Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull

[fatterego]

The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford - https://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Project-DevOps-Helping-Busine...

[nicostouch]

Why Nations Fail - amazing book for understanding why some countries are dirt poor while others are rich. Absolutely phenomenal read.

[throwaway26960]

The Inner Game of Tennis

Think And Grow Rich - I based my cover letter off of some of the concepts in this book and it has worked remarkably well.

[skylark]

I came here to post The Inner Game of Tennis and was pleasantly surprised to see it in the top comment.

The book is only tangentially related to tennis - the real meat of the book is about how to adopt useful mentalities which will help you succeed at a variety of things. It's an extremely easy read and can be finished casually in a few days.

A great book which made me question some of my most deeply held beliefs about learning.

[gardano]

Back when I was still a student (of music), I read The Inner Game of Tennis and found it to be incredibly useful!

I also recommend it.

[mindfulgeek]

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

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

NonViolent Communication: A Language of Life

[tartuffe78]

Big science fiction fan

1. Revelation Space

2. Hyperion

3. The Postman

4. The Day of the Triffids

5. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revelation_Space

[2] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_Cantos

[3] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Postman

[4] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_of_the_Triffids

[5] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_th...

[mindcrime]

The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank

Code by Charles Petzold

Artificial Life - Steven Levy

Time Reborn - Lee Smolin

The Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil

Surfaces and Essences - Douglas Hofstadter

How to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard

-- One of my favorites is How Not to Be Wrong by Jordan Ellenbreg

I have that on my list of "to read real soon now". Sounds fascinating.

[benjyfeen]

See also: What are some books about everything? http://qr.ae/8S14dl

The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, Second Edition https://amzn.com/dp/B00OYUO4PY

I'm told the dead trees version is a must, but it's also massive, so pick your preferred inconvenience.

This is like Eno's Oblique Strategies deck in encyclopedia form.

Useful in any circumstances where you'd like to gain fresh perspective on a creation.

From Amazon :

The Art of Game Design presents 100+ sets of questions, or different lenses, for viewing a game’s design, encompassing diverse fields such as psychology, architecture, music, visual design, film, software engineering, theme park design, mathematics, puzzle design, and anthropology...

[selmat]

1. https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Techniques-Models-Computer-P...

2. https://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Concepts-MIT-Press/dp/026263...

3. https://www.amazon.com/Gödel-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0...

[solipsism]

Is it a HN feature that cuts off long URLs unless you click Reply to isolate the comment? Actually even after isolating the comment the URLs are cut off (but not quite as short). Highly annoying.

You should edit and put the titles before the links.

[tmaly]

I just started reading the Art of Learning https://www.amazon.com/Art-Learning-Journey-Optimal-Performa...

I finished Linchpin a few weeks back and that was an amazing book https://www.amazon.com/Linchpin-Are-Indispensable-Seth-Godin...

Will It Fly is a great book I learning a lot of great marketing tricks from https://www.amazon.com/Will-Test-Business-Waste-Money/dp/099...

[samblr]

Will it fly has a 5 star rating from 450 odd reviews!!

[hmate9]

Thank you, I think I will read all 3 of them!

[discordance]

Alan Kay's reading list: http://www.squeakland.org/resources/books/readingList.jsp

[yma]

Creativity, Inc. - Ed Catmull.

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big - Scott Adams

Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed - Ben Rich

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey

[jimmywanger]

Try

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. A great book about time dilation and Vietnam.

The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi. A book about water rights in the south west that I can think of.

[homingbrain]

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.

Also, strangely enough (not being a Harry Potter fan), I immensely enjoyed Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality.

[quoraquestions]

A)The Annotated Turing - Petzold

B)Armchair Universe: An Exploration of Computer Worlds -- A.K. Dewdney

The latter had many great ideas which inspired me to do interesting experiments on computers with minimal programming experience, it had a great chapter on recursion which really helped me understand recursion when it had no programming experience. I still go back and read sections of this book. Quite a joy IMHO

[impendia]

Here is Ellenberg's own list of books he has read in the last few years:

https://quomodocumque.wordpress.com/the-booklist/

[liveshops_]

Just finished Grit by Angela Duckworth. Great insights for entrepreneurs/start-upers

[gregimba]

Are Your Lights On?: A Treatise on the Definition of Diverse Problems