New Books

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Red
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New Books

Post by Red »

I know that there was an old topic for book recommendations, but I think it's a lot more appropriate to start a new thread to get more conversations going and what have you.

Anyways, the Holidays are coming up, and I'm planning on investing in a few more books. Got any recommendations? Please don't recommend me fiction, I'm generally not a fan of fantasy, or just fiction in general. Too boring, and I don't really walk away with anything after reading it (that's not to say they can't be well written books, I'm just not a fan of the genre. I like realistic fiction more, but it's still not the most interesting for me). Reccomend any history, science or self-help book.
Here's what I have so far:
'Moral Tribes"
'The Pursuit of WOW!'
'Genius Explained'
'Outliers'
'The 33 Strategies of War'
'The Quest: Energy, Security and the Remaking of the Modern World' (miniboes recommended me this last year, forgot to buy it. sorry 'bout that)

I've also tried to find books on GMOs, but most of the books I googled seem to be very anti-GMO, like 'Altered Genes, Twisted Truth'. I'd like to expand my knowledge as much as I can.

I can also recommend a few books that I've read over the past while.
The book 'Who Moved My Cheese?' (very non-vegan title, but regardless) is a great self help book that teaches people how to cope with change. Now while I didn't get much out of it, since I already figured that stuff out for myself, a few of my friends that read it agreed that it was a very palpable. It's only about 100 or so pages, and there is barely any text on each page, so you can knock it out within 45 minutes.

I also recommend the book 'The Disaster Artist'. While you may be unfamiliar with the source material, it describes the tales of a person who you would never expect to be a millionaire, and was able to make the Cult-Classic, 'The Room'. It shows that throughout life, anything is possible.

I also purchased (I actually got it for free because I had Amazon points) George Carlin's book 'An Orgy of George', which is just all of his 3 books in one. Now while I don't think it's all that funny, it's inspired me to always carry around a notebook and to write down things that come to mind.

And while I'm at it, what is everyone's opinion on Audiobooks? I can understand their use, like if you're very busy and you do a lot of driving and listen to it in the car, or you listen to it while you're at work, I don't understand listening to one while you're playing a video game, or lying in bed. I always find it easier to absorb something if I can read it, rather than have to listen to it, since I have a hard time paying attention to the audio when I'm doing something else. Well that's just me.

Anyways, got any books?
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Re: New Books

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I mostly stick to fiction, but A People's History of the United States is a good read. The Darwin Awards books are good for a laugh if you are a bit depraved, but you won't learn much from them. The Bathroom Reader books are great for a light read and full of interesting facts and stories, but they don't go in-depth about any particular item. They do make a nice starting point for random information you may want to research more, though.
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Re: New Books

Post by miniboes »

'The Quest: Energy, Security and the Remaking of the Modern World' (miniboes recommended me this last year, forgot to buy it. sorry 'bout that)
I don't know why I recommended this book in particular then, but if you're just looking to learn about energy in general I would recommend Richard Muller's "Energy for future presidents" or David MacKay's "Sustainable energy - without the hot air" (available for free online). Vaclav Smil's "Energy: A Beginner's Guide" and Smi's other books on energy have been recommended by Bill Gates and are on my personal reading list, so you may want to check that out as well.
RedAppleGP wrote:And while I'm at it, what is everyone's opinion on Audiobooks? I can understand their use, like if you're very busy and you do a lot of driving and listen to it in the car, or you listen to it while you're at work, I don't understand listening to one while you're playing a video game, or lying in bed. I always find it easier to absorb something if I can read it, rather than have to listen to it, since I have a hard time paying attention to the audio when I'm doing something else. Well that's just me.
Audiobooks are amazing, but not for every purpose. For very information dense books, you lose track quite easily. If it's a book you'll want to reference later, an audiobook is very impractical (an e-book is most practical of all in that respect). Audiobooks work best for books that are not very dense in information and/or are very compelling. The most important thing, perhaps, is how well the book is read. If the narrator is great, most non-textbooks can work as an audiobook. Fiction books and narrative focused non-fiction books (history books, for example) are the best suited. I know you said you don't like fiction, and I thought I didn't either. However, many fiction books (especially sci-fi) can be not only very entertaining but intellectually stimulating as well. Note that many classic philosophical ideas were expressed in fiction books. Consider them thought experiments.

So why are they amazing? There's many gaps in your day where you could be listening to an audiobook that you can't even think of now. Commuting is one, but think of the time you spend cleaning your room, doing the dishes, excercising, brushing your teeth, packing for school/work, eating alone and so on. Listening to a good book makes those things far more bearable or even a lot of fun.

As for some recommendations:

Suited for audio
  • The Martian (Science fiction, with a lot of very realistic science scenario's and excellent narration. Probably the best gateway drug for both audiobooks and fiction books.)
  • Ender's Game (Science fiction. Just a really damn good book. Well narrated with multiple narrators. Somewhat philosophically interesting scenario. I just finished this and haven't had this much fun with any book for a long time.)
  • Man's Search for Meaning (History & philosophy; story of how the author, a psychiatrist, survived a concentration camp and the existentialist philosophy he developed afterwards. Very daunting and meaningful.
  • The 48 Laws of Power (Title explains it well; very cool machiavellian book that is probably useful in any field. Most of it is examples so very listenable. I recommend just printing a summary from the web with all the 48 laws to reference when you're done).
  • The Selfish Gene (Read by Richard Dawkins himself, this book will make you understand evolution very well. Great insights and well read.
  • Why Nations Fail (Fascinating theory on why some nations prosper and others don't. Many examples make for good listening and a nice set of history lessons)
  • Moonwalking with Einstein (I read it in print, but it's a great book and probably does well on audio. It's about memory techniques. Many good pieces of information and a fun and interesting story)


    Probably better on paper:
  • The Power Of Habit (Everybody should probably read at least something on this subject. It's probably very good on audio but you'll want to reference it so paper is probably better. It's a guide on the importance and methods for changing your habits. It works particularly well as a follow-up on 'Moonwalking with einstein'.
  • Moral tribes
  • Energy for Future Presidents (excellent introduction on energy, brief yet comprehensive. Probably wrong about electric cars, but the chapter is useful nonetheless as it points out some key challenges)
  • Sustainable Energy - without the hot air (another excellent introduction to energy, that interestingly doesn't overlap much with the other. Free online.)
  • Our Final Invention (about the threat of AI, very interesting. Bostrom's "Superintelligence" may be better but I haven't read it due to having read this.)
  • A History Of Western Philosophy (An introduction to western philosophy by a great western philosopher (Bertrand Russel). You may want to skip the parts about the presocratics).
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Re: New Books

Post by JadeSpeedster17 »

Random note I just got 'My Utmost For His Highest' by Oswald Chambers fro my graduation gift.
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Re: New Books

Post by brimstoneSalad »

There are many books on genetic engineering, but they're more instructional/text books for students (and they're ridiculously expensive if you want something remotely up to date).

Something like:
An Introduction to Genetic Engineering 3rd Edition
by Dr Desmond S. T. Nicholl

That should be easy to follow.
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Re: New Books

Post by Red »

PsYcHo wrote:I mostly stick to fiction, but A People's History of the United States is a good read.
Well what's it about? I don't feel like highlighting it, right clicking, and hitting 'Search Google for 'A People's History of the United States'.
PsYcHo wrote:The Darwin Awards books are good for a laugh if you are a bit depraved, but you won't learn much from them.
But it sounds entertaining. I heard of this one guy who cracked his head open when he tried to jump into a pool with no water in it.
PsYcHo wrote:The Bathroom Reader books are great for a light read and full of interesting facts and stories, but they don't go in-depth about any particular item. They do make a nice starting point for random information you may want to research more, though.
Sounds kinda gay, but I'll give it a try.
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Re: New Books

Post by Red »

miniboes wrote:I don't know why I recommended this book in particular then, but if you're just looking to learn about energy in general I would recommend Richard Muller's "Energy for future presidents" or David MacKay's "Sustainable energy - without the hot air" (available for free online). Vaclav Smil's "Energy: A Beginner's Guide" and Smi's other books on energy have been recommended by Bill Gates and are on my personal reading list, so you may want to check that out as well.
Noted.
miniboes wrote: Audiobooks are amazing, but not for every purpose. For very information dense books, you lose track quite easily. If it's a book you'll want to reference later, an audiobook is very impractical (an e-book is most practical of all in that respect). Audiobooks work best for books that are not very dense in information and/or are very compelling. The most important thing, perhaps, is how well the book is read. If the narrator is great, most non-textbooks can work as an audiobook. Fiction books and narrative focused non-fiction books (history books, for example) are the best suited. I know you said you don't like fiction, and I thought I didn't either. However, many fiction books (especially sci-fi) can be not only very entertaining but intellectually stimulating as well. Note that many classic philosophical ideas were expressed in fiction books. Consider them thought experiments.
So that doesn't sound like something I'd be interested in.
miniboes wrote:So why are they amazing? There's many gaps in your day where you could be listening to an audiobook that you can't even think of now. Commuting is one, but think of the time you spend cleaning your room, doing the dishes, excercising, brushing your teeth, packing for school/work, eating alone and so on. Listening to a good book makes those things far more bearable or even a lot of fun.
But weirdly enough I kinda enjoy doing shit around the house. I cannot stand having a messy room, and I prefer everything to be neat and orderly. This may sound like a weird question, but will it work when I'm masturbating? Or playing a game?
miniboes wrote: Suited for audio
  • The Martian (Science fiction, with a lot of very realistic science scenario's and excellent narration. Probably the best gateway drug for both audiobooks and fiction books.)
  • Ender's Game (Science fiction. Just a really damn good book. Well narrated with multiple narrators. Somewhat philosophically interesting scenario. I just finished this and haven't had this much fun with any book for a long time.)
Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I was never really a fan of science fiction. Sure, some movies are a bit interesting, but for the most part it can get kinda tedious for me. That's why I never got into Star Wars or anything like that.
miniboes wrote:[*] Man's Search for Meaning (History & philosophy; story of how the author, a psychiatrist, survived a concentration camp and the existentialist philosophy he developed afterwards. Very daunting and meaningful.
[*] The 48 Laws of Power (Title explains it well; very cool machiavellian book that is probably useful in any field. Most of it is examples so very listenable. I recommend just printing a summary from the web with all the 48 laws to reference when you're done).
[*] The Selfish Gene (Read by Richard Dawkins himself, this book will make you understand evolution very well. Great insights and well read.
[*] Why Nations Fail (Fascinating theory on why some nations prosper and others don't. Many examples make for good listening and a nice set of history lessons)
[*] Moonwalking with Einstein (I read it in print, but it's a great book and probably does well on audio. It's about memory techniques. Many good pieces of information and a fun and interesting story)
Those sound good, I'll pick one or two of those up.

miniboes wrote:[*] The Power Of Habit (Everybody should probably read at least something on this subject. It's probably very good on audio but you'll want to reference it so paper is probably better. It's a guide on the importance and methods for changing your habits. It works particularly well as a follow-up on 'Moonwalking with einstein'.
[*] Moral tribes
[*] Energy for Future Presidents (excellent introduction on energy, brief yet comprehensive. Probably wrong about electric cars, but the chapter is useful nonetheless as it points out some key challenges)
[*] Sustainable Energy - without the hot air (another excellent introduction to energy, that interestingly doesn't overlap much with the other. Free online.)
[*] Our Final Invention (about the threat of AI, very interesting. Bostrom's "Superintelligence" may be better but I haven't read it due to having read this.)
[*] A History Of Western Philosophy (An introduction to western philosophy by a great western philosopher (Bertrand Russel). You may want to skip the parts about the presocratics). [/list]
Oh and by the way, by the way, someone gave me the book "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". Is it any good?
Learning never exhausts the mind.
-Leonardo da Vinci
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Re: New Books

Post by Red »

JadeSpeedster17 wrote:Random note I just got 'My Utmost For His Highest' by Oswald Chambers fro my graduation gift.
was it any good
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Re: New Books

Post by Red »

brimstoneSalad wrote:There are many books on genetic engineering, but they're more instructional/text books for students (and they're ridiculously expensive if you want something remotely up to date).

Something like:
An Introduction to Genetic Engineering 3rd Edition
by Dr Desmond S. T. Nicholl

That should be easy to follow.
Holy shit, 70 bucks? Sounds a little bit too much. Sounds a little too expensive for just paper, carbon, and ink. Why is the hardcover cheaper than paperback?
Learning never exhausts the mind.
-Leonardo da Vinci
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Re: New Books

Post by PsYcHo »

RedAppleGP wrote:
Oh and by the way, by the way, someone gave me the book "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". Is it any good?
Not if you want to learn anything. I read all of the series and loved it, but it is loosely sci-fi ish, but without any facts or seriousness. In short, it is an entire series based upon an acid trip the author had, and the main premise is the universe shitting on the main character Arthur Dent.

42 :lol:
Alcohol may have been a factor.

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