HN Explorer

Ask HN: Book recommendations for 2015?

5 points by basicallydan ↗ HN
I've just been going over all the stuff I read in 2014 [1], one of which was a recommendation from HN: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I've found some great recommendations in the past in threads like this, so any idea for the HN demographics? Might be a good place to share what you read in 2014, too!

[1] http://danielhough.co.uk/blog/books-of-2014/

5 comments

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pesfandiar
I enjoyed reading Steven Pinker's Sense of Style. With its analytical approach to writing style, it helped me significantly improve mine. For example, he argues a reader should not be made to use a large stack when parsing your sentences.

Another great book that came out in 2014, and I couldn't recommend enough, is Sam Harris's Waking Up. As a neuroscientist and renowned atheist, he explores the possibility of adopting a certain spiritual attitude (i.e. mindfulness) without believing in a religion or having to have faith.

wrd
I read three books in 2014 that I've been recommending to everyone I know:

1. The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker

A treatise on how humans' awareness of their own mortality is the driving force behind their behavior. Artfully written and incredibly thought-provoking. Completely altered my conception of what it is I "want" out of life and why.

2. Escape from Evil by Ernest Becker

The sequel to The Denial of Death that expands Becker's thoughts on how awareness of mortality influences individual psychology to society in general, ultimately getting at the question of why individuals and societies are violent and oppressive.

3. Moral Mazes by Robert Jackall

A sociological and anthropological account of the worldview and moral systems of middle managers in large American corporations. Moral Mazes paints a clear portrait of how bureaucracy and the hierarchical structure of a corporation create a deeply toxic environment for both employees and consumers.