Hi everyone! I’m looking forward to reading a lot more in 2017– do any of you have any recommendations? I prefer non-fiction, but fiction is fine as long as it’s not fantasy, crime, or horror! I’m also interested in math/computer science/economics, so any books in that realm is a bonus!
Thanks in advance 
I’m always partial to Vonnegut. Very good fiction that can feel very real and dives right into philosophy and other complex subjects. Slaughterhouse Five, Sirens of Titan and Breakfast of Champions would be my recommendation for places to start. Similar to Brave New World, 1984, etc, if you enjoyed those.
I liked:
Freakonomics by Stephen J. Dubner and Steven Levitt (two economists looking at things from their perspective)
The Brain: the story of you by David Eagleman (neuroscience)
A Case Against Perfection by Michael J. Sandel (bioethics)
Future Crimes by Marc Goodman (cyber crimes, security)
A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown ( autiobiography - she grew up in the foster care system, was involved in gangs and drugs and now is a lawyer)
Animal Farm by George Orwell (political message disguised as fiction)
If you have any recommendations for me, let me know!
@PengsPhils: I’ve heard of Vonnegut a lot-- I guess I’ll have to read it to see if he lives up to the hype. I loved Brave New World, I’ll make sure to pick any of those books up next time I see a bookstore!
@greenteen17: Freakonomics is one of those books I’ve wanted to read for forever, but never found in a bookstore near me. Future Crimes sounds really, really cool too! Unfortunately I haven’t read too many books in 2016, but Ioved Love & Math (Edward Frenkel), if that counts for anything.
I rarely buy books - I found freakonomics in the library. I’m surprised it’s not in bookstores.
I hear you, I haven’t been reading much lately either - but now I’m done college apps hopefully, I’ll have more time
I’ll look into that book. Thanks for the suggestion!
Ooh, college season – good luck with that! Same here, school has been killing me last semester and I haven’t got enough time to search my library, let alone read a book for pleasure. Hopefully next semester will be less rough! You’re welcome @greenteen17
Thank you! Now comes the waiting period…8-l
Good luck next semester
For CS interest, look up ‘Where Wizards Stay Up Late,’ by Katie Hafner. It covers the founding of the internet & reads like a thriller.
If you haven’t already, read Richard Feynman’s brief (& hella amusing) autobiography “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman.” If you like that, follow up with “the Medusa and the Snail” or any collection by Lewis Thomas and/or Carl Sagan’s “the Demon Haunted World.”
Businessswise, “Freakonomics” is an interesting read, even if the authors fall into some of the same logical traps they’re supposedly exposing. See also “Bait and Switch,” by Barbara Ehrenreich, for a take in economics relevant to today’s college-bound youth.
Not in the realm of the sciences but Nabokov is a fabulous author and some of his books are relatively short. I would also recommend some of the essays of E.B. White.
@ProfessorD What do you mean about Freakonomics? I read it quickly and skipped around so I’m curious about your impressions of it.
@greenteen17 The authors of Freakonomics are frequently as guilty of post hoc, overgeneralization and oversimplification errors as those they (somewhat condescendingly) deride. The bagel sales example, and their coverage of altruistic behavior come to mind as egregious cases
If you’re interested in math and CS, you should read Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter. Total mind-blower and a favorite of serious math/CS/AI/linguistics nerds since it came out. You can feel your brain swelling and pressing against the inside of your skull as you read it. Amazing–and fun, if you can believe it!
I’ve heard amazing reviews of Godel, Escher, Bach from people I trust - it’s on my list and would recommend it even without reading. While it may be math/CS, it’s also a lot of philosophy I have been told as well.
Yes, definitely, @PengsPhils . And comedy.
Here’s my capsule summary:
A book about artificial intelligence and the nature of cognition via Goedel’s incompleteness theorem, Bach’s fugues, and Escher’s self-reference, partly told in the form of dialogues between characters from Alice in Wonderland.
(Sorry, I’m inconsistent in my anglicization of Gödel)
@marvin100 Thanks for the recommendation! (Haha, I see what you did there. I like your references!)
The Happy Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt is a good book
Flatland by Abbott: Victorian life in two dimensions.
Walden Two by Skinner: Influential, progressive utopian lit.
The Spirit of St. Louis by Lindbergh: Deserved the Pulitzer it received.