YC Combinator recommends: the top 15 books in 2015 worth paying attention to

Original author: The Macro
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New Year's holidays are a great time to spend time reading.



Here is a list of books that were popular with us in Y Combinator in the past 2015. Some of them were published this year, but most were released earlier. We want to express our deep gratitude to Bill Gates, whose legendary reading list inspired us to create our own list of recommended books.


Powerhouse: Inside the Invention of a Battery to Save the World”


“This book will introduce you to cutting-edge research in the field of batteries. The radical improvements that we have observed in this area over the past decade have been the reason for the emergence of new markets: from electric vehicles to the Internet of things. The continuous development of batteries is one of the most important forces in the world of technology. ” - Jared Friedman


Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction”


“Whether you like it or not, predicting the future is partly our job. Philip Tetlock has been doing predictive accuracy analysis for two decades. From his studies, which study what exactly helps people make accurate predictions of the future, practical lessons can be learned that can be useful to us. ” - Jared Friedman

The Way to Character


“I bought this book after reading another work by David Brook called The Moral Bucket List (which could be translated as“ A List of Those Moral Qualities That You Should Have Before You Played in the Box ”- comment by the translator) in The New York Times . In order for life to be filled with meaning, efforts must be made. And I would like to live such a life - to be selfless, honest and modest. I drew attention to the fact that the founders of companies, which are examples for me, have these qualities, and I optimized my search in order to add these features to our community. ” - Kevin Hale

The Lost Art of Finding Our Way


“Thanks to GPS, the part of my brain that is responsible for spatial awareness has completely atrophied. I read this book to develop it again, and it all ended with the fact that I did not get tired of marveling at the amazing ingenuity of mankind. Now I’m much better prepared for the zombie apocalypse. " - Kevin Hale

“Production: The World History of the Fight for Oil, Money and Power” (The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power)


“The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World” (The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World)


“These two books will introduce you to the entire history of the oil industry — from the first minute to today.” - Michael Seibel

"Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future)


“It will inspire you to think about solving global problems to change the world for the better.” - Michael Seibel

"Nonviolent communication: the language of life (third edition): Fateful tools for healthy relationships»
(Nonviolent Communication: A Life of the Language, 3rd Edition: Life-Changing the Tools for the Relationships The Healthy)


"The ability to effectively interact with each other is critical for successful relationships with co-founders, customers, employees and other people." - Paul Buchheit

"Neural Networks and Deep Learning" (Neural Networks and Deep Learning)


“This free e-book that can be read online can be a great starting point for understanding deep learning. Initially, I was recommended by OpenAI Technical Director Greg Brockman. ” - Matt Krisiloff

“Song Production: Inside the Hit Factory”


“The book gives you an insight into the world of the music industry and how hits are created. From it you will learn a lot of interesting things about how the level of professionalism in the world of music has increased over the past 30 years. Smart and enterprising readers will be able to apply these lessons in other industries. ” - Justin Kan

Go On, Jeeves! (Carry On, Jeeves)


“Thank You, Jeeves!” (Thank You, Jeeves)


"The pranks of aristocrats" (The Inimitable Jeeves)


“With these books, you should start exploring the work of Pelam Grenville Woodhouse (PG Wodehouse). Now I rarely read (especially business books!), But I can recommend these works as the best books for rest and relaxation. It seems to me that for "start-ups" it is important to be able to relax and not always think about work. " - Jessica Livingston (Jessica Livingston)


Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar”


“Cheryl Strayed led a column called Dear Sugar, and this collection of her essays became a guide to finding inner strength through kindness. She expertly connects the problems of her readers with the painful events of her own life, and as a result, the book will hook you with the human vulnerability described in it, kindness and frankness. All last fall I was in love with this book. " - Amy Buechler

“The Martian” (The Martian: A Novel)


Seven Eve (Seveneves: A Novel)


“These two books, and in that sequence ... I hope that thanks to science, mankind will be able to find a way out of any situation and popularize the concept of cosmic cannibalism.” - Luke Iseman

“Superman: The Story of Seymour Cray and the Technical Wizards Who Created the Supercomputer”

(The Supermen: The Story of Seymour Cray and the Technical Wizards Behind the Supercomputer)


“The story of Silicon Valley Midwest with the same types and exciting image of Cray. However, there could have been more technical details. ” - Daniel Gackle

"Elements of computing systems: the architecture of a modern computer from its very beginnings"

(The Elements of Computing Systems: Building a Modern Computer from First Principles)


“The book is also known by the much better name Nand to Tetris. If you are a programmer who is not yet familiar with the deep levels of computer hardware and software, but really wants to know more about them, then this book can change your life. Coursera videos are good too. ” - Daniel Gackle

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humanity (Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind)


“This book was one of several that changed my criteria for evaluating humanity. Like the book by Richard Dawkins entitled The Gene of Selfishness, this work made me overestimate the basic characteristics of human society, ethics and history. ” - Jeff Ralston

“Too big to fail: the story of how Wall Street and Washington fought to save the financial system and themselves”


(Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System – and Themselves)


“This is a great book. A stunning illustration of how joint systems work, and how they can fail enormously, even when everyone thinks they are strong. This is very important for risk analysis. ” - Aaron Harris

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