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Ask HN: What books do you recommend?

19 points| jarbus | 5 years ago

Can be anything, but would like to especially request books on programming and programming languages.

18 comments

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[+] snicky|5 years ago|reply
If you are interested in the computer science in general I highly recommend:

1. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (available for free, e.g. here http://sarabander.github.io/sicp/html/index.xhtml

2. https://computationbook.com/

Also, I haven't read it yet, but this book has been praised here a lot recently: https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications...

[+] djangovm|5 years ago|reply
I can vouch for designing data intensive applications. Having read it before, I highly recommend it for all experience levels.
[+] jessehorne|5 years ago|reply
Some interesting books...

1. What would Machiavelli do

2. The Tao of Pooh

3. The Conquest of Bread

On programming or engineering?

1. Pragmatic Programmer

2. Mr. Neighborlys Humble Little Ruby Book

3. Programming in Lua

I feel put on the spot. I thought there would be more but I can't think of any at the moment.

If you ever make a post asking for YouTube video suggestions, I'll definitely be able to comment on that much better. There's some really helpful videos out there, featuring Alan Watts and George Thompson that have helped me tremendously when dealing with the day to day engineering stress.

I find that I'm learning less about programming lately and more about dealing with the anxiety. That has always been the biggest road blocker for me, anyways. It's easy to find the motivation to sit down and read a book or write a piece of code... It's hard to always enjoy doing it.

[+] jarbus|5 years ago|reply
Very big fan of Alan Watts, but never heard of Thompson. Especially a fan of the Tao of Pooh rec. Looking more for programming novels, such as ways to write better, faster, and cleaner code.
[+] digianarchist|5 years ago|reply
Kropotkin being recommended on Hacker News. Nice.
[+] the__alchemist|5 years ago|reply
The Art of doing Science and Engineering (Richard Hamming) is a nice book that goes into some topics like error correction codes in low detail. Its main focus is on preparing your attitude and mind to see what other are missing.
[+] josejorgexl|5 years ago|reply
I would recommend "Introduction to algorithms" in the case you wanted to learn about data structures and algorithms.

If you want to learn a new great programming language while getting valuable insights about software development you should take a look at Paul Graham's books.

[+] Exuma|5 years ago|reply
6 pillars of self esteem is the best non fiction book i’ve ever read. an absolute must read for every living person. every person i recommend this to is understandably unenthusiastic and then is purely blown away.
[+] enchiridion|5 years ago|reply
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Preferably the audio book.
[+] jarbus|5 years ago|reply
Started listening a while ago, but never got around to finishing. Picking it up again, thanks!
[+] vld_lzr|5 years ago|reply
Seconding that. Fantastic book!
[+] zenincognito|5 years ago|reply
Autobiography of a yogi is a surprisingly good read. Also a fave of steve jobs..