What book turned you into a reader?

[Strategist Strategist]

Nice! I love how well it explains the CS fundamentals. It focuses very much into making you actually understand the underlying concepts behind things rather than just teaching you a language. It also uses Scheme, a LISP dialect to explain stuff, which makes life way easier rather than starting with other languages because the syntax is easy af so you don't have to waste time learning language-specific syntax stuff, which could be confusing as a first programming language. The book also guides you through building a lot of stuff, with a simple language like Scheme. Overall I really just love the book's style of explaining things. It's the textbook MIT used for their introductory courses from 1984 to 2007.

Yeah the books I read in school were more interested in teaching syntax rather than the underlying concepts. A bunch of C/Java books that kept to the basics but never taught how to write maintainable code or how to create algorithmic efficiency. That's what I struggled the most with and I didn't feel like any of the teachers were interested in teaching that stuff. I was not the most proactive student, though. Some of it is my own fault for not seeking out other students who knew what they were doing.

 

[Deleted member 322096]

Yeah the books I read in school were more interested in teaching syntax rather than the underlying concepts. A bunch of C/Java books that kept to the basics but never taught how to write maintainable code or how to create algorithmic efficiency. That's what I struggled the most with and I didn't feel like any of the teachers were interested in teaching that stuff.

Yeah, that's my main problem with most college CS courses. They just teach syntax and the generic stuff. Everyone can learn syntax and write some random BS code, it's not really anything special. You don't even need a college degree for that lol. An actual good programmer learns the underlying concepts and how stuff really works, that's what makes you different than the millions and thousands of code monkeys around and that's what colleges and unis should teach. Especially with the rise of AI programming.

I was not the most proactive student, though. Some of it is my own fault for not seeking out other students who knew what they were doing.

Yeah, Computer Science isn't something you can get by just listening to the lectures. I mean, you can, there's nothing stopping you and you're most likely going to graduate and get a job anyway, and that's fine for most people, but if you really want to be good at it then digging deeper and learning stuff on your own is what really makes the difference.

 

[LaserMoose]

Yeah, Computer Science isn't something you can get by just listening to the lectures. I mean, you can, there's nothing stopping you and you're most likely going to graduate and get a job anyway, and that's fine for most people, but if you really want to be good at it then digging deeper and learning stuff on your own is what really makes the difference.

I don't mean to derail the thread, but the curriculums I've been through focus on learning how to learn, if that makes sense. I'm not a CompSci major, but without saying too much, I am in a very closely related STEM field.

The skills necessary to troubleshoot problems is crucial to learn, and I'd found that those skills could only be figured out by solving those problems on my own.

When your back is against the wall, bouncing ideas off of classmates is also incredibly important in learning the material, as a fresh set of eyes can bring up things that you may not have thought about initially.

To answer the thread question, one of my favorite books is Practical Electronics for Inventors. Very informative about a plethora of different components, filters, and circuits.

 

[Deleted member 322096]

I don't mean to derail the thread, but the curriculums I've been through focus on learning how to learn, if that makes sense. I'm not a CompSci major, but without saying too much, I am in a very closely related STEM field.

Yeah, I get it. I think it depends on the college/uni. I'm in a well-regarded uni in my country, but CS isn't really strong here so this probably plays a role.

The skills necessary to troubleshoot problems is crucial to learn, and I'd found that those skills could only be figured out by troubleshooting and solving problems on my own.

This is very true. Troubleshooting is a crucial skill to develop since you're literally going to be solving problems all the time lol. I learned how to troubleshoot stuff by doing stuff on my pc so it's second nature for me by now lol, but I really wonder how people who can't troubleshoot survive the industry

When your back is against the wall, bouncing ideas off of classmates is also incredibly important in learning the material, as a fresh set of eyes can bring up things that you may not have thought about initially.

Yeah. You can be the best programmer ever, but the one thing you can never get by yourself is other people's perspectives. Feedback from other people is always nice.

 

[Strategist Strategist]

I don't mean to derail the thread, but the curriculums I've been through focus on learning how to learn, if that makes sense. I'm not a CompSci major, but without saying too much, I am in a very closely related STEM field.

The skills necessary to troubleshoot problems is crucial to learn, and I'd found that those skills could only be figured out by solving those problems on my own.

Yeah, its kind of building an instinct for it from years of experience. Unfortunately, I grew up in a different era where education was less forward thinking and it was more rote and memorization. The projects kind of felt like being thrown into the deep end of the pool with no guidance. I figured out how to learn much later in my life, after I had given up on my computer science education.

I had a bit of a naive view at the time, that I needed to figure out this stuff on my own and if others were able to do so and I couldn't it was a failure on my part. But now I realize that was an absurd mentality to have.

I also needed to do more side projects to target my areas of difficulty because the projects at school were too basic, giving me a false sense of confidence. Until they weren't and I couldn't figure out anything because all I knew how to do was write inefficient messy code.

 

[Deleted member 322096]

Yeah, its kind of building an instinct for it. Unfortunately, I grew up in a different era where education was less forward thinking and it was more rote and memorization. The projects kind of felt like being thrown into the deep end of the pool with no guidance. I figured out how to learn much later in my life, after I had given up on my computer science education.

I'm glad things are changing. I don't know how it was back then, but nowadays there's a lot more focus on learning how stuff work rather than just how to do something, especially if you're getting a CS degree. I assume that if someone wants to do a CS degree it's because they want a deeper understanding of stuff, and generally CS degrees deliver that. You're going to learn a lot of math and other concepts you don't really learn if you just learn how to use a language. If you just want to learn how to do XYZ there are a lot of options way more available and easier than getting a CS degree.

 

[Strategist Strategist]

I'm glad things are changing. I don't know how it was back then, but nowadays there's a lot more focus on learning how stuff work rather than just how to do something, especially if you're getting a CS degree. I assume that if someone wants to do a CS degree it's because they want a deeper understanding of stuff, and generally CS degrees deliver that. You're going to learn a lot of math and other concepts you don't really learn if you just learn how to use a language. If you just want to learn how to do XYZ there are a lot of options way more available and easier than getting a CS degree.

Well, my degree wasn't exactly Computer Science, it was Computer Engineering, but I went for the Software Engineering track. So the coursework was divided between electronics, microprocessors and software engineering tracks. But the actual, get professionally good at building software projects was a handful of courses that came late in the degree and it was disproportionately difficult when compared to the introductory and middle courses. Maybe if I had focused on a CS degree, I wouldn't have felt so spread out but that's what happens when they force you to pick a major at 16 years old. If I had other interests, other than computers, art and video games, I perhaps could've envisioned a different career path for myself but I really didn't have other interests.

 

[Deleted member 322096]

I also needed to do more side projects to learn this stuff because the projects at school were too basic, giving me a false sense of confidence. Until they weren't and I couldn't figure out anything because all I knew how to do was write inefficient spaghetti code.

Side projects are really important. It may look like you need to study less on a CS degree than on other difficult STEM majors, but if you also count side projects and other stuff you should do on your free time then you'll end up spending most of the time studying anyway. That's why it's often assumed to be a passion field: sure, you can do it if you're not passionate about it and just view it as an investment, but you'll end up studying a lot for something you're not super passionate about. And if you're willing to do all of this then just go to med school lol, it gives you a way more stable and a (99% of the time) better paying job.

 

[Strategist Strategist]

Side projects are really important. It may look like you need to study less on a CS degree than on other difficult STEM majors, but if you also count side projects and other stuff you should do on your free time then you'll end up spending most of the time studying anyway. That's why it's often assumed to be a passion field: sure, you can do it if you're not passionate about it and just view it as an investment, but you'll end up studying a lot for something you're not super passionate about. And if you're willing to do all of this then just go to med school lol, it gives you a way more stable and a (99% of the time) better paying job.

Yeah, there's some of that and some of how my major was structured. Since it was Computer Engineering, there were various tracks to try out and I was trying everything to see which niche I could fit. I thought Software was the thing but it never clicked for me for some reason, aside from writing small scripts or tools.

 

[Deleted member 322096]

Well, my degree wasn't exactly Computer Science, it was Computer Engineering, but I went for the Software Engineering track. So the coursework was divided between electronics, microprocessors and software engineering tracks. But the actual, get professionally good at building software projects was a handful of courses that came late in the degree and it was disproportionately difficult when compared to the introductory and middle courses.

Oh. I do Comp. Sci mostly because I'm not really interested in the whole physics stuff. You'll 99% of the times end up doing the same job as CS graduates anyway, except they have more solid foundations because they spent more time studying more relevant stuff. Idk if Computer Engineering is different in the rest of the world, but at least where I live Computer Engineering is basically CS with some random physics exams sprinkled in lol.

Maybe if I had focused on a CS degree, I wouldn't have felt so spread out

Honestly that's a common feeling, believe me, I haven't met a single soul who did a CE degree and didn't regret it lol.

but that's what happens when they force you to pick a major at 16 years old.

And that's why I waited a few years before going to college. I wanted to be actually sure about the choice I was making, and that's just something I could have never done at 18 and I knew it damn well lol.

Post automatically merged: Apr 7, 2025

Yeah, there's some of that and some of how my major was structured. Since it was Computer Engineering, there were various tracks to try out and I was trying everything to see which niche I could fit. I thought Software was the thing but it never clicked for me for some reason, aside from writing small scripts or tools.

Yeah, finding the stuff you like (or at least don't mind doing) is hard. I like making software, I view it as a way to express my though process. Kinda like an art, but a super logical and scientifical one, lol.

 

[Strategist Strategist]

Oh. I do Comp. Sci mostly because I'm not really interested in the whole physics stuff. You'll 99% of the times end up doing the same job as CS graduates anyway, except they have more solid foundations because they spent more time studying more relevant stuff. Idk if Computer Engineering is different in the rest of the world, but at least where I live Computer Engineering is basically CS with some random physics exams sprinkled in lol.

Honestly that's a common feeling, believe me I haven't met a single soul who did a CE degree and didn't regret it lol.

And that's why I waited a few years before going to college. I wanted to be actually sure about the choice I was making, and that's just something I could have never done at 18 and I knew it damn well lol.

Post automatically merged: Apr 7, 2025

Yeah, finding the stuff you like is hard. I like making software, I view it as a way to express my though process. Kinda like an art, but a super logical and scientifical one, lol.

I took a bunch of super hard courses that were essentially irrelevant unless I went into designing chips for intel. like materials science and thermodynamics. lol. I should've dropped the major right there as I was wasting so much time on that and not what I was more interested in. But I didn't know anything about anything, to be perfectly honest and I was in the best school in my country so I just assumed it was all necessary. I had my own immaturity and emotional issues to overcome, so it wasn't all the schools fault, but that's too much trauma dumping for this thread, haha.

 

[rugal]

naomi novik books
temerarie series
so good she really did make the world come to life
and when you read about the historical battles but with dragons it feels like you are there
you can see the dragons and hear the cannons from the battle fields

upprot and spinning silver
they have the same horror and dark wibe as the brother grims books

josepth dealny' book serie
spooks the last apprentice series
spooks a new darkness
spooks starblade chronicles

spooks series it really give you a feel of old england and ireland
the world and monsters comes to life
and i like the fact that the main character do not have magic to hunt monster its only his training and his tools
everything in the spooks series feel so real

 

[Deleted member 322096]

I took a bunch of super hard courses that were essentially irrelevant unless I went into designing chips for intel. like materials science and thermodynamics. lol.

lmao it's structured exactly the same here. Nice to see that Computer Engineering is shit everywhere lol. Some people even congratulated me for not making the mistake of choosing computer engineering lol. Honestly had no idea it was that big of a deal lol

I should've dropped the major right there as I was wasting so much time on that and not what I was more interested in. But I didn't know anything about anything, to be perfectly honest and I was in the best school in my country so I just assumed it was all necessary. I had my own immaturity and emotional issues to overcome, so it wasn't all the schools fault, but that's too much trauma dumping for this thread, haha.

It makes sense tbh. You're not supposed to know anything about life at that age, so it's very easy to make mistakes. Especially if you go to top schools as you did, you just think "oh it's a top school, what could go wrong?" without questioning yourself further. A lot of people feel like changing their major but never go through it, and that's really bad imho because even if you actually do end up graduating you'll still be stuck with a degree you don't want. You are losing time by doing this but tbh fuck that lmao, life isn't a race. Everyone figures things out at different speeds and there's nothing wrong in that.

 

[Deleted member 171852]

Edgy angst teenager sadboy starter kit:

 

[MicheIe]

Woe from Wit, Wuthering Heights, Hell Screen.

 

[tigg]

Demon Within, or any of the other Demon related books by Dana Reed

 

[NobodyHere]

Classical vampire lesbian, I couldn’t ask for more - Carmella is really inspiring to me. The books way with words adding to the haunting romance, there’s something about the structure of old literature I find mesmerizing . The ending is rather lame, although I love the closing paragraph.

I found this novel when I was approaching a crossroad in my life, bringing me a lot of comfort and still does.

It was a subject of a painting I did during an art course

 

[Strategist Strategist]

I don't know if people are trolling but those last few books have me worried about the people who post here. Please don't eat me! Just kidding (kind of)

 

[NobodyHere]

I don't know if people are trolling but those last few books have me worried about the people who post here. Please don't eat me! Just kidding (kind of)

If I was, I would have said ‘Teleny, or The Reverse of the Medal’ : I’m fascinated by its existence

Post automatically merged: Apr 8, 2025

I know that feel... I don't read books anymore either, and I used to read a lot. I don't think I have read another book after I finished undergrad. Whatever I read nowadays is either from a textbook, a journal article, or randomly reading arxiv. I kind of miss it, but I don't think I have the patience to read a novel anymore ;_;

Anyway, favorite book is probably
View attachment 26125

I’ve been meaning to read ‘Frankenstein’ for what’s felt like forever ever now; I should probably get on that…

 

[PurpleShoes]

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.

As a kid, I was so disinterested in reading, especially because all the books we read were written in extremely antiquated dialect, only about suffering, or just extremely blunt in their symbolism.
Then, one day we began reading MSK and my mind was blown! The characters were like me and my peers. They had anxieties, personality flaws, and pointed senses of humor! The book took place in my world, it felt so grounded and relatable and empathetic! One of the main characters even carried around a discman!
That experience opened my eyes to books being more than old sad people that you ought to feel really bad for because it's the intellectual thing to do.

 

[NobodyHere]

I have an off and on relationship with reading so I’d say there’s a couple

‘Robert Munch’ and ‘Goosebumps’ were the first (my Dad was very determined to get me into ‘The Hardy Boy’, never worked though). An I was introduced to comics through ‘Tintin’

Then at the start of middle school ‘LumberJanes’ and Shonen jump Magazines got me back into reading, also what really got me into manga and comics

Didn’t read for awhile (probably because of depression - I was going through a real rough spot at the time), until I discovered ‘Johnny got his Gun’

 

[Deleted member 257420]

Diary of a Farting Creeper, the succulent stench enraptured me and showed me the beauty of literacy.

 

[Deadpuppet]

here's my favorite my books

 

[meimei]

shortest book i have ever read. but took me weeks to finish maybe because i caught a glimpse of my soul between the paragraphs time to time, it was heavy

 

[Strategist Strategist]

shortest book i have ever read. but took me weeks to finish maybe because i caught a glimpse of my soul between the paragraphs time to time, it was heavy

Well, no idea what the book is about, but I hope you are doing ok. I've read many depressing books in my time but its not good to be in that headspace a lot, trust me. Maybe I'm reading too much into these book choices, lol.