Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?

Posted by yanis_t 4 days ago

Counter16Comment16OpenOriginal

Share any fascinating books you've been reading lately.

Comments

Comment by 0xmattf 4 days ago

I only read non-fiction; mostly philosophy. Here are some books off the top of my head:

* The Inner Citadel/Philosophy as a Way of Life by Pierre Hadot

* Plato's dialogues (someone already mentioned a few of them, but the Republic was missing from their list).

* Epictetus (Discourses and Enchiridion)

* The various essays/letters of Seneca

* Matter and Consciousness by Churchland (older, but fascinating)

* The Mediations of Marcus Aurelius

* (mostly) any Buddhist texts

* What a Plant Knows

* Moonwalking with Einstein

There are tons of fascinating books, way too many to list.

Comment by vunderba 4 days ago

Second the recommendation for "Moonwalking with Einstein." Ed Cooke (the memory coach and world memory champion featured prominently in the book) is also a really nice chap.

If you have any interest in memorization or mnemonics, it's a great read.

Comment by 0xmattf 4 days ago

> If you have any interest in memorization or mnemonics, it's a great read.

Absolutely. Even if you don't have an interest in the subject, it's worth a read. I honestly picked that book up out of random; I had no idea such a world of memory existed. Brilliant book.

Comment by vunderba 4 days ago

Totally agree. If you like this style of memoir + deep subject dive, I also highly recommend anything by A.J. Jacobs - his "Year of Living Biblically", and "The Know-It-All" are great reads in the same vein.

Comment by baranmelik 4 days ago

The Very Short Introduction series is great. ie A Very Short Introduction to Art History, Quantum Theory: A Very Short Introduction etc

Comment by jbrockwork 4 days ago

Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body - Really cool account of human evolutionary history

Stolen Focus (Johann Hari) - About how we've lost (and can regain) the ability to focus due to technological distraction (currently social media, etc. but hasn't always been)

Chip War - History and geopolitical significance of the semiconductor industry

Comment by Blackstrat 3 days ago

Second Chip War. That and Breakneck by Dan Wang do a good job of broadening one’s perspective on the global situation

Comment by gushogg-blake 4 days ago

Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic

Modern environments and lifestyles have changed our jaw development dramatically, contributing to the high prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing (snoring through to obstructive sleep apnea), chronic tension, jaw joint problems, and orthodontic need.

Comment by onetokeoverthe 4 days ago

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Comment by ProtosGalaxias 4 days ago

"The Molecule of More" by Daniel Z. Lieberman and Michael E. Long.

A bit naive but fascinating narrative about how dopamine controls our feelings, addictions, and, basically, happiness.

Comment by HardwareLust 4 days ago

"Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner" by Paul Sammon

A deep history of the making of the movie "Blade Runner". Very enjoyable if you liked the movie.

Comment by DataDaoDe 4 days ago

Plato's works surrounding Socrates' death: Phaedo, Crito, Euthyphro, The Apology.

Its fascinating to discover how many thoughts and ideas they had which are still relevant in our societies today. Also, they are incredibly readable, its like taking part in on a conversation among friends.

Comment by chistev 4 days ago

You tell me -

https://www.rxjourney.net/list-of-books-i-finished-reading-i...

Comment by undopamine 3 days ago

I've started 'The One Thing' by Gary Keller and it's serving as a helpful reminder to keep my focus undiluted.

Comment by constantinum 4 days ago

All Pulitzer price winning non-fiction books — specifically investigative journalism - is always a great read

Comment by 4 days ago

Comment by kello 4 days ago

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard

Comment by cafard 3 days ago

History: about halfway through The New Roman Empire: A History of Byzantium by Anthony Kaldellis. (About halfway through 918 pages, not counting notes etc., so you will see that it holds the interest.)

Philosophy: about halfway through A Reading of Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit by Quentin Lauer.

Memoir: last year read Journeys of the Mind: A Life in History by Peter Brown, The Story of a Life by Konstantin Paustofsky.