Book recommendations
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Hi,
Looking for book recommendations. I prefer Non fiction although good fiction is appreciated.
These are the last 5 books I read.1.Godel escher Bach
2.The intelligent investor
3.The possessed
4.East of Eden
5.The particle at the end of the universe.I am looking for a well rounded fun and edutaining book. Something that is as juicy as all of these books combined.
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http://www.amazon.com/Why-West-Rules-Now-Patterns/dp/0312611692
Guy analyzes history, from the earliest stone age humanity, to post singularity futures. Answers basic question from the title.
If you like Jared Diamond's kind of stuff, it's fantastic.
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Is this book like that Bill bryson's A short history of nearly everything kind of deal?
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This is one of those areas where I am more ignorant than I would like to be. Will definitely check it out.
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Is this book like that Bill bryson's A short history of nearly everything kind of deal?
No, it mostly sticks to history. Analyzing the way western civilizations fared against eastern civilizations throughout history. He even tries to invent an objective "score", based on military power, energy consumption etc. I found it fascinating.
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A Brief History of Time?
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Since you read:
2.The intelligent investor
You might want to read "The Millionaire Mind" or "The Millionaire Next Door". One of them is a sequel to the other, but they both concern a case study that covered millionaires and decamillionaires and their actual habits and history. It shows that we have a lot of misconceptions about wealthy people, etc. I found it entertaining and fascinating. Both of them were great reads.
If you have not read them, "Freakonomics" and its sequel were both good books, but the original is much better than the second one. Both are worth reading.
"Good To Great" is another that I consider a must-read. "QBQ" is a short read that I also enjoyed.
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If you mean the Big bang theory blah blah Universe time space galaxies backholes singularity blah, I am tired of that shit.
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I found it entertaining and fascinating. Both of them were great reads.
Will check them out
"Freakonomics" and its sequel were both good books, but the original is much better than the second one. Both are worth reading.
I have read both the books. I enjoyed them thoroughly. However I feel unsure about reading Economics ish books because I feel like I still haven't got a solid foundation on these things. I've read Economics in one lesson and The free lunch. They had enough stuff in them but there are a lot of gaps in my understanding as far as Economics goes. Any good beginner ish yet deep book on this area? Since you've recommended similar ones
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Well, it's the one I actually had in mind the whole time, but fucked up the title. It's been like ten years since I read it.
Though it's surprising that you both
If you mean the Big bang theory blah blah Universe time space galaxies backholes singularity blah, I am tired of that shit.
andHave read it. Loved the fuck out of it.
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Haha Brief history of time was my first book on this front, Read a bunch of books about this later and at this point I am completely saturated with that . Brief history of time was like a decade back. Good fucking times. Do you have any other physics book recommendations?
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Try some David McCullough:
His "biographies" of engineering feats/disasters are amazing. This one, on the Brooklyn Bridge, is my favorite, but see also:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Path-Between-Seas-1870-1914-ebook/dp/B002FK3U4Q/ref=pd_sim_351_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=510xt3XPvQL&dpSrc=sims&preST=AC_UL160_SR106%2C160&refRID=0VKD31CTZWQKQTVPC7QH
http://www.amazon.com/Johnstown-Flood-David-McCullough-ebook/dp/B000QTD642/ref=pd_sim_351_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=51hHwXQayIL&dpSrc=sims&preST=AC_UL160_SR106%2C160&refRID=0VKD31CTZWQKQTVPC7QH
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Another interesting financial book:
The Big Short, about the few independent mostly-outside-the-system investors who correctly predicted the 2008 financial collapse, bet huge amounts of money on it, and cleaned up.
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If you appreciate good fiction, here are two for you:
This is q captivating story of a Denmark sailor city of Marstal from the war for Schleswig and Holstein in mid-19th century - the golden era of sailing vessels - right up to the end of the WW2. It tries to capture social conciousness of a small collective through times of change. Great read.
And there's this:
But mobile is so I'll leave you with Amazon's description.
Both are worth the read and both are extremely captivating.
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The Big Short
The also made movie based on this story, right? The one where Carlin keeps saying "is it legal?" and "you're fucking up American people!" Oh and "they're fucking up American people" and "they shouldn't have tried to fuck the American people" and "we have to make them pay for fucking up American people!"
It's this one, right?
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And there's this:
But mobile is so I'll leave you with Amazon's description.
Both are worth the read and both are extremely captivating.
This is the exact kind of shit I was looking for . Thanks for the recommendation. Ordering it today.
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Green Fairy by Kyell Gold, as well as its sequel, Red Devil, comprise my favorite novel series of all time. It's very much fiction, though. I don't read much non-fiction so I can't helo you much there.
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Bill bryson's A short history of nearly everything kind of deal?
That's a great book, it's so funny! You can grab anything by Bryson and you won't be let down.
Made in America - hilarious history of America and American English.
Troublesome Words - hilarious dictionary of troublesome English words, with great and concise explanations
A Walk in the Woods - hilarious account of Bryson's endeavor to walk the whole Appalachian Trail
The Lost Continent - hilarious account of Bryson's journey through small town America
Notes from a Small Island - hilarious account of Bryson arriving in the UK for the first time, written after he has already been there for like 20 years
Down Under - hilarious book abou traveling through Australia
Life and Time of Thunderbolt Kid - hilarious account of Bryson's childhood in 1950s De Moines...And I have probably left something out. The point is - if it's written by Bryson, you can pick safely pick it up and you'll have a great time reading it. He's easily my favorite Anerican.
Oh, there were also Notes from a Big Country - set of hilarious columns that Bryson's written to one of American magazines after moving back to America from the UK after some 20 years.
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1.Godel escher Bach
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When I put the book down finally after a year long undertaking, it left me feeling super euphoric yet drained. Worth every page. I am still hunting for a heavy af 1712321 pages long book that would be of the same calibre.
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Imagine Godel, Escher, Bach as an abstract horror novel, and you have House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. It is a book you literally get lost in [1] as you make your way through it.
[1] Especially since most of the story is in the footnotes.[2]
[2] Oh god! The footnotes!
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I prefer Non fiction
Don't ask me then.
My entire audiobook collection is rpglit, or similar.
In fact, my one non-rpglit line turned "rpglit" by the 3rd book, although it didn't take that seriously, that is the Magic 2.0 line.
Then I went Drew Hayes.
Now I'm going back to sci-fi "classics", like Ready Player One, and Anathem.
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For non-fiction this is definitely a must read even if you aren't that interested in the US atomic bomb development:
Brilliant man and an amazing book.
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I've read this one. Very good book. Any other books ?
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Imagine Godel, Escher, Bach as an abstract horror novel, and you have House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. It is a book you literally get lost in [1] as you make your way through it.
Is the book reallly reaaaaaaaaallllyyy good ?
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I've read this one. Very good book. Any other books ?
Any interest in chemistry? These two are worth it just for the amazing dry humor, both had me in stiches many times. A bit like Feynman's books they are really more about the unique people involved.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Excuse-Would-Like-Isopropyl-Bromide/dp/B000I3Z28Y
Both are sadly out of print but if you want to read them send me a PM.
Or there's Chris Hadfield's book. A lot lighter but I really enjoyed it:
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Yes. My copy is falling apart due to the number of times I go back to reread and find new, hidden things in the text. There's actually a lot of parallel's with GEB the more I think about it. Multilevel, recursive storytelling, codes, meta-everything.
A sample of the crazy inside:
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How do you figure out how to go about reading all that ? Does this book come with an Instruction manual of some sorts ?
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I actually want to read most of the books recommended here . They are gonna cost me atleast 150 USD
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Trust me, just read it. Half the fun is getting lost and finding your way out again.[1]
[1] Finding your way out not guaranteed.
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I'm reading this one and it's great:
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The also made movie based on this story, right?
I don't know. I read books, I don't watch shitty movies.
In any case, it's a non-fiction book. It doesn't have a "story". It's a created from a bunch of interviews with actual flesh-and-blood human beings.
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How the fuck do you read that mess on a Kindle?
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Another book about shipping, specifically the invention of the shipping container and the complete mess of shit shipping was before the late 1960's:
My only complaint with the book is that it brings up some interesting ethical implications of container shipping, but then pretty much utterly ignores them.
The conundrum is since building a shipping port is so hugely expensive compared to a "traditional" port, and since the shipping port is nearly useless without reliable railroad service connected to it, and since shipping ports are quickly becoming non-optional for having a functional manufacturing economy, countries which do not currently have a shipping port are kind of just fucked, economically. Those countries are now in a nasty Catch-22: they can't grow their economy without building a shipping port and associated infrastructure, but they can't build the shipping port without a larger economy.
The author mentions this in a couple paragraphs, but it's really worthy of at least a full chapter of discussion which never comes.
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In any case, it's a non-fiction book. It doesn't have a "story". It's a created from a bunch of interviews with actual flesh-and-blood human beings
I think I might try it, then. I was afraid it's as bad as the movie (I've only seen trailer, mind you): a history of bad bankers trying to screw good hard-working people.
Btw, when it comes to good movies about the 2008 crash there's always Margin Call. It's really good.
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I think I might try it, then. I was afraid it's as bad as the movie (I've only seen trailer, mind you): a history of bad bankers trying to screw good hard-working people.
... you've only seen the trailer? So you really have no idea what the movie's about, or how bad it is.
BTW the book has absolutely nothing to do with "a history of bad bankers trying to screw good hard-working people". It's merely about the small number of investors who successfully predicted the real estate bubble, gambled on it by shorting the related stocks, and cleaned-up when it came.
Btw, when it comes to good movies about the 2008 crash there's always Margin Call. It's really good.
Why are you talking about movies. Stop it.
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... you've only seen the trailer? So you really have no idea what the movie's about, or how bad it is.
Yup, the amount of pointing fingers and claims that bankers are trying to fuck American people discouraged me. I don't know why.
It's merely about the small number of investors who successfully predicted the real estate bubble,
Yeah, they're the protagonists in the movie, it seems.
Why are you talking about movies. Stop it.
Hmmm… ok.
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I've never seen a Kindle (or other e-book) version available, so I guess the publishers came to they same conclusion: it can't be done.
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Well interesting I guess? But I'm not going to lug a caveman book around.
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Godel escher Bach
There was a write-up in New Scientist for a similar book:
"Mathematics and Art: A cultural history".
Write up:
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Can anyone recommend a good book on Theodore Roosevelt ?
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There is a Roosevelt version of the bible?
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If you want more really cool but hard to truly understand non-fiction, I'm a big fan of The Emperor's New Mind by Roger Penrose: