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Knowledge is power; this blog is dedicated to those who love to read and expand their intellectual prowess. Below, I make some comments about books which I have read and found very profound. Feel free to make similar suggestions to me (or anyone, really) regarding books you have read. My main genres of interest are mathematics (probability and paradoxes, graph theory, algorithms, cryptography) as you will probably be able to deduce based on my selection.
The Drunkard's Walk
This book really does a great job of emphasizing the role which randomness plays in our life. It was sort of like an e^ipi - 1 = 0 moment. I was really impressed by the breadth of topics discussed in this book. Also, it dives into a few common (and not-so-common) counter-intuitive paradigms like the monty hall problem which is a great read for anyone who takes interest in them. Click here for an official review.
How to Solve it: A New Aspect of Mathematical Method
![[image loading]](http://press.princeton.edu/images/k669.gif)
A quite well-known book (that is, probably the most well-known enumerating this list). For anyone struggling which teaching or learning concepts, it really does a great job of defining the steps required to make strong deductions. A great read for any aspiring mathematician, or anyone related to any logic-related field. In fact, its useful for everyone, just read it. For in-depth reviews, just google the book.
How Would you Move Mount Fuji?
![[image loading]](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QheiliaW820/TalL7zwqzcI/AAAAAAAAAto/SVHDfX7OpV0/s1600/0316778494.01._SX355_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg)
I'd recommend anyone who intends on interviewing for a job to read this book. It basically goes through the history of logic puzzles in interviews and attempts to provide some sort of basis for which to tackle problems, although not nearly as thorough as the former book I mentioned. Apparently a lot of companies (especially in software engineering) ask logic puzzles but I have never been. Nonetheless, It's a solid read, and probably anyone will benefit it as it tunes your mind to think outside of the box. I especially like the section on reasoning from disjunction (implications which we aren't told but which can be derived precisely because of a lack of information given).
The Educated Imagination
![[image loading]](http://fryeblog.blog.lib.mcmaster.ca/files/2010/01/EducatedImagination.jpg)
Its not really a book, its the transcribed version of Northrop Frye's various (spoken) lectures on literature. It doesn't follow the convention of the former books I listed in the sense that it is heavily logic based, but it provides a good insight on language, literature, and rhetoric in general. His writing (speaking) style is also reason enough to read a few of the lectures printed. I think the more artistic mind will appreciate this one.
 
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Interesting list...
Can I ask why the bible isn't there?
+ Show Spoiler + Just kidding guys
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On June 09 2011 13:37 Probulous wrote:Interesting list... Can I ask why the bible isn't there? + Show Spoiler + Just kidding guys
Speaking of that, I did read one interesting book...
+ Show Spoiler +Im spoilering this because simply reading it doesn't reflect any of my opinions and therefore any criticisms based on this is irrelevant to this discussion Please dont attack me.
Interesting, of course, because of the views and arguments presented.
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I liked:
Everything and More: A Compact History of Infinity
![[image loading]](http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1277693186l/7974183.jpg)
Guns, Germs, and Steel + anything by Jared Diamond
![[image loading]](http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1158959888l/1842.jpg)
An Incomplete Education: 3,684 Things You Should Have Learned but Probably Didn't
![[image loading]](http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171908643l/126041.jpg)
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
![[image loading]](http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167571834l/25019.jpg)
A Short History of Nearly Everything
![[image loading]](http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255682270l/21.jpg)
Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind
![[image loading]](http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168280454l/31555.jpg)
To list of few i have read.
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On June 09 2011 13:46 Oracle wrote:Speaking of that, I did read one interesting book... + Show Spoiler +Im spoilering this because simply reading it doesn't reflect any of my opinions and therefore any criticisms based on this is irrelevant to this discussion Please dont attack me. Interesting, of course, because of the views and arguments presented.
He he it was meant as a joke.
No need to spoiler it.
As for intersting books to read, I would highly recommend The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. An oldy but a fundamental pillar for modern evolutionary theory.
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![[image loading]](http://garronselliken.com/files/2009/01/outliers.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y242/sweech27/the-tipping-point-740155.jpg?t=1264016188)
Stuff by Gladwell. He mainly focuses on reasoning and the reasoning behind why things happen the way they happen. A notable exception is Blink, which I've heard is subpar compared to his other work.
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i have a hard time reading books that are not novel/academic...
i find them less useful and sleepy....
anything good that i can start off with?
and how you find time reading all of these? =_=
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Just thought of one more, currently reading it.
The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51p8659CgML._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg)
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Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/PyDN4.jpg)
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Misbehavior of Markets: A Fractal View of Financial Turbulence by Benoit Mandelbrot
![[image loading]](http://i43.tower.com/images/mm100357034/misbehavior-markets-fractal-view-financial-turbulence-benoit-mandelbrot-paperback-cover-art.jpg)
Nature's Numbers by Ian Stewart
![[image loading]](http://i43.tower.com/images/mm100357252/natures-numbers-unreal-reality-mathematics-ian-stewart-paperback-cover-art.jpg)
Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser
![[image loading]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OAh4Xl94vrU/SU-1hQx8LHI/AAAAAAAAIHM/g37ENJs885k/s400/marie+antoinette+the+journey.bmp)
A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy
![[image loading]](http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/cms/dn13709/dn13709-1_250.jpg)
Edit: Awesome. Definitely going to look for How to Solve It. I'd also love to read the foreword by John Conway.
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On June 09 2011 14:20 NB wrote:
i have a hard time reading books that are not novel/academic...
i find them less useful and sleepy....
anything good that i can start off with?
and how you find time reading all of these? =_=
I'd say these books are academic
Time comes by because I don't waste my time on SC2 
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EPT![[image loading]](http://www.its.caltech.edu/~len/images/drunkard.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://eehard.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/0446579807.jpg?w=494&h=750)
