Ask HN: Book of the year

6 points·grigy··8 comments

I wonder what is the best book that you read this year. Not necessarily published in 2011. Want to see what is the trend here and what HN community found interesting.

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PeopleSoft PeopleTools Tips & Techniques by Jim Marion

http://www.amazon.com/PeopleSoft-PeopleTools-Techniques-Orac...

If you're interested in books published in 2011 and that are not necessarily picked by HNers:

http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/archive/2011/11/online_b...

This blogger aggregates "Best of 2011"-type book lists from all types of sources you can imagine (well, English-based ones anyway); thought it might be of interest to some of you here.

The Lean Startup.

It is maybe overhyped and the cause of Sect-like movement. But definitely one of the most important books for me this year. Thanks Eric!

I also read The Lean Startup, but didn't like it much. Actually it didn't teach me anything new. Maybe because I read it after reading the "Running Lean" by Ash Maurya and "Start Small, Stay Small" by Rob Walling. They cover the same ideas and are more practical.

The difference is the marketing hype around it. Thanks to The Lean Startup those same principals have been even advocated to VCs who would rather instantly pushed you into scalemode.

Since there's no limit on the publication date, "The Conquest of Gaul" by Caesar was a great read for me to do during my daily commute.

'Ready Player One' by Ernest Cline

Outstanding sci-fi, and his first book. Can't wait for his next work.

The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, by Steven Pinker, was my favorite.

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