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Rakhim Davletkaliyev

Programmer and educator. Keeps a public bookshelf with a short comment on every book.

111 things

The Particle at the End of the UniverseBook Sean Carroll

loved

Captivating story of the discovery of Higg’s boson. I’m still devouring all the content produced by Sean Carroll. His talent of explaining modern physics in a humane way is shown in this book as well as his other books, podcasts, youtube videos and lectures.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized WorldBook David Epstein

loved

A compelling overview of research concerned with performance of generalists — those people who, despite the common wisdowm, are not trying to become niche specialists. This book is so damn interesting! The author relentlessly describes history, modern research, observations and statistics, while maintaining an aproachable and geniounely curiosity-endusing style.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of SpacetimeBook Sean Carroll

loved

Sean Carrol, a physicist, wonderful speaker and author, talks about the Many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, describes its difficult history and implications. As with his other books (and a fantastic podcast), it’s deeply philosophical, engaging and extremely weird, just like our universe. I highly recommend his books and talks to anyone, even if you’re not interested in quantum phy…

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

The AntidoteBook Oliver Burkeman

loved

I really enjoyed the book, but have to admit, it’s mostly preaching to the choir. Regardless, it’s a very well written and easy to read book which manages to incorporate stories and anecdotes into serious discussions in a non-obnoxious way.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

The End of EternityBook Isaac Asimov

loved

Re-reading this for the Nth time. One of my all time science fiction favorites. It’s pretty simple, compared to some mind-bending scifi of modern time, but hell, the story, the flow, the scale, it’s just great. I’m actually not a fan of Asimov, couldn’t ever finish any of the Foundation books. So, if you had tried Asimov and it didn’t stick, try "The End of Eternity".

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

21 Lessons for the 21st CenturyBook Yuval Noah Harari

loved

A very well written bird’s eye view of the humanity landscape. Empathetic and neutral at the same time. I want to Yuval’s other books now.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Astrophysics for People in a HurryBook Neil deGrasse Tyson

loved

Neil is great, as always. Entertaining and inspiring overview of astrophysics. His audiobook version is fantastic, too.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and LifeBook Anne Lamott

loved

Wonderful, delightful, warm and intimate read. Even though I’m not a fan of the writing style often used in this book, I can honestly appreciate its simplicity, clarity and robustness. It’s a no-nonsense, straight writing guide with a person’s face.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing NonfictionBook William Zinsser

loved

If I could incorporate 10% of the ideas and recommendations from this book, I’d be 400% happier about my writing. Read this book if you write anything, even if it’s limited to twitter. If you blog, then there’s no excuse not to pick this up and always have it on your desk.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

How to Design Programs: An Introduction to Programming and ComputingBook Matthias Felleisen, Robert Bruce Findler, Matthew Flatt

loved

Solid, comprehensive introduction to programming. I’m not sure I’d recommend this book freely, since I’d need to know a little bit about the person first. This is not for everybody, just like SICP (even more so). I think HTDP’s primary use case is being a textbook with a good, passionate teacher. If only CS departments could replace useless "software engineering" and "Java OOP" courses with a m…

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Diamond Dogs, Turquoise DaysBook Alastair Reynolds

loved

Two wonderful novellas, filled with the spirit of adventurous and mysterious science fiction. Turquoise Days is my favorite.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Clojure for the Brave and TrueBook Daniel Higginbotham

loved

One of the best programming books I’ve read, and the best one about Clojure. The only issue I have with books like that is the nature of examples and exercises: they never have anything to do with the reality. This feels natural to a playful and fun book, but still, I would’ve loved something more realistic and maybe practical than hobbit vampires battle systems. Oh, and it has a good chapter o…

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

The Wandering EarthBook Liu Cixin

loved

Short sci-fi stories that bring me back into the magic state of limitless exploration and childhood wonder.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

The Rise of EndymionBook Dan Simmons

loved

Oh. My. God. This is the fourth book in the Hyperion Cantos series and it’s as deep, as engaging, as colorful and as majestic as the first three. As of 2018, this series is my favorite fiction book.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

EndymionBook Dan Simmons

loved

It’s one of those books that I actually hope won’t be made into a movie any time soon, since it’s so good and the universe is so humongous, I can’t imagine a non-disappointing movie adaptation. (another one of those is the Chronicles of Amber series by Roger Zelazny). Endymion is 3rd in the Hyperion Cantos, and because the story is so much further in time from the original 2 parts of Hyperion,…

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Creativity, IncBook Ed Catmull

loved

I didn’t expect it to be this interesting and insightful. Great book. Recommended to anyone in the creative and managerial industry.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal ExperienceBook Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

loved

It’s one of those things that make perfect sense once you think about it. Great book, very important premise and a short and concise explanation. Can’t recommend enough.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and WorstBook Robert M. Sapolsky

loved

What a great book! A lot of interesting research and anecdotal data. Changes your perception of human behavior quite a bit. There’s also an audio version narrated by the author. And a series of free Stanford lectures available on Youtube.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

The Elements of StyleBook William Strunk Jr., E.B. White

loved

I wish everybody read this book. The surprising thing is that many aspects and recommendations apply to virtually any language, not specifically English.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Mindfulness in Plain EnglishBook Henepola Gunaratana

loved

One of the best books on mindfulness. No frills, no BS, straight to the point. I guess, if you could pick one book in the topic, I’d go for this one.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

CodeBook Charles Petzold

loved

Woah, what a ride! An excellent explanation of how computers work, starting from scratch. Really, from scratch.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

HyperionBook Dan Simmons

loved

One of the best and definitely the scariest space opera. The universe Dan Simmons had created is enchanting.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Ready Player OneBook Ernest Cline

loved

Loved it! Geeky, nostalgic, lots of action and lots of cool ideas. The pace is great, and it’s hard to pull off in a book this large.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

House of SunsBook Alastair Reynolds

loved

One of the best sci-fi and deep space opera books for me. If you love space and scientifically ~accurate fiction — do explore Alastair Reynolds’ worlds.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

The MartianBook Andy Weir

loved

When an engineer or a scientist decides to write science fiction, it’s usually either very bad or very good. This one is very good.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

The Lean StartupBook Eric Ries

loved

Of course, you can’t not read The Lean Startup if you… actually, in any case! Do read it!

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

The Design of Everyday ThingsBook Donald A. Norman

loved

Must read not only for designers, but for software developers too, even if you develop backend exclusively. I wish everybody read it really.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

A Brief History of TimeBook Stephen Hawking

loved

Talking about quantum physics and singularity is hard. This book makes it seem easy. Loved it.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Introduction to AlgorithmsBook Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, Clifford Stein

loved

Spent endless hours digging through The Book. It’s very well written and organized and was a tremendous help in my CS studies.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

DuneBook Frank Herbert

loved

No way around it — Dune is probably the best science fiction I’ve ever read.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Lord of LightBook Roger Zelazny

loved

Back in high school this book had changed the way I perceive reality and science fiction.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

The Selfish GeneBook Richard Dawkins

loved

Having an interest in genetics and molecular biology, I was completely enchanted by the narrative.

Marked “Great book!” on his public bookshelf.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

The Courage to Be DislikedBook Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga

read

I love books that explore and explain the works of philosophers in fresh, aproachable ways. Especially those works that are meant to liberate oneself. Don’t let the self-help-y title of the book distract you: it’s a very good read.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Ball LightningBook Liu Cixin

read

I was so excited to start another Liu Cixin’s book after finishing The Three Body Problem. It starts very slowly, and I almost gave up. Then it speeds up and, omg, quantum mechanics, new ideas, so, so promising and fascinating… and then boom, it completely disintegrated in my eyes. It takes the most woo-woo pseudo-quantum-mechanics approach possible and talks about conscious observers affe…

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Atomic HabitsBook James Clear

read

I don’t know… Neither this nor another popular book about habits (How Habits Work by Charles Duhigg) were particularly interesting to me. There’s just isn’t that much mechanics involved in habit formation, and, if I may, it’s pretty obvious when you try to be mindful. The key insight for me is that mindfulness and self-reflection are the root tools that help in many fields, while books abo…

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of LessBook Greg McKeown

read

Make no mistake — as any self-help book, this too could be shortened to a medium-sized blog post. Somewhat ironic. Yet, it’s a pleasant read, filled with interesting stories and references. In an ongoing battle with the complexities of systems, life and work, I found this book deeply calming.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Digital MinimalismBook Cal Newport

read

Regardless of your level of "readiness" — whether you already think about your digital life a lot or not — this book could be a tremendous motivator and the beginning of a long journey. Cal talks about social media and electronic devices in the same fashion we tend to talk about food or alcohol or vice in general. It’s a very good book and I wish more people read it.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Will Save the Galaxy for FoodBook Yahtzee Croshaw

read

Funny and quirky, feels like a nice TV show, and I mean this in the best possible sense. Yahtzee’s narration in the audiobook version is excellent, and I recommend the audiobook over the traditional book. And if you find his voice familiar, then yeah, it’s the same Yahtzee that does Zero Punctuation game reviews.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Stillness Is the KeyBook Ryan Holiday

read

Very concise, very well written, beautiful book. But I’d say its goal is to inspire or maybe motivate, but not to teach. Also (and I realize I’m in the minority here), sport and athletes references are extremely non-relatable.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

No More Mr. Nice GuyBook Robert A. Glover

read

Very self-help-y, with all those obnoxious "exercises" and "mantras", but was very relevant to me. I’m an experienced nice guy and people pleaser, and as I’m trying to change certain aspects of my behavior, I’ve found this book helpful.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Bullshit Jobs: A TheoryBook David Graeber

read

You know what this is about. No surprises here. The book itself is fun and quirky.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

The Bullet Journal MethodBook Ryder Carroll

read

The Bullet Journal method had helped me make sense of a very complicated period of my life, but I haven’t used it in years since. This book re-ignited my interest and provided with some inspiration. It’s a self-help book, alright, but not too typical. Ryder seems to be a genuinely good person.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Programming the UniverseBook Seth Lloyd

read

It’s a very interesting book, and you should try it. But… I can’t recommend it to someone who doesn’t know a little bit about quantum mechanics or computing or programming already. It covers a lot of topics and never goes into real explanation. And those time that it does, the metaphors and analogies are the same that other authors and even journalists use. In an attempt to make an approac…

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

World War ZBook Max Brooks

read

So cool! The book has nothing to do with the movie though, thank god. It’s such a great format, delivered masterfully. The audio book features the author himself, interviewing the zombie war survivors! If you like this one, check out the last chapters of "Lock In" by John Scalzi. It’s a similar pseudo-documentary about another kinds of apocalypse.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

The War of ArtBook Steven Pressfield

read

An interesting idea with good potential — resistance as a somewhat material force that manifests itself as procrastination and other phenomena — leading to nowhere. This book was so promising in the beginning, and utterly underwhelming throughout.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

ArmadaBook Ernest Cline

read

I’ve enjoyed it, in the same way I’ve enjoyed silly teen movies. I really wanted to love this, several years after reading "Ready Player One", but alas, Armada was too shallow, too predictable and too… basic? It felt so much like a recipe: a nerd outcast protagonist, a father figure, nerd and non-mainstream culture, everyone is always in on the jokes, mix-tapes and old movies… There i…

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

The Nordic Theory of EverythingBook Anu Partanen

read

Didn’t finish this book, but only because I’m very much not the target audience. It’s one of those "Hey, Americans, check out this not American thing, can you believe that, crazy, right?" reads.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Clojure ProgrammingBook Chas Emerick

read

Expansive Clojure primer and a deep dive. I have skipped a few chapters due to cheer overload of information. Will have to come back to this book later in 2019, I think.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Pushing IceBook Alastair Reynolds

read

Re-reading this after two years. Maybe a bit too long, but a fantastic book nevertheless. Scope, story, ideas and overall atmosphere are just great. Characters and the third quarter of the story aren’t too engaging to be honest.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20Book Tina Seelig

read

It’s a nicely written book with nicely formulated ideas, but I expected a deeper exploration. I think I’d have more to say to 20-years-old-me after decades of experience.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

The Three-Body ProblemBook Liu Cixin

read

After first 20 minutes I was convinced this isn’t for me, but I decided to go a bit further and, oh man, I’m glad I did. This kind of science fiction is exactly what I was looking for and was missing for many years. It brings me back to my first encounters with engaging literature in childhood. The story takes you away not just into foreign lands, but into foreign ways of being, thinking and co…

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Computing with Quantum Cats: From Colossus to QubitsBook John Gribbin

read

Such a good and engaging writing, but so underwhelming. I expected to read about how quantum computers work, since it’s a very complex and hard-to-explain concept. But this book doesn’t really go anywhere near real explanations. It’s mostly biographies of people and historic facts surrounding the evolution of computing. You will not learn anything about quantum computation from it.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Anything You WantBook Derek Sivers

read

A good book for someone who isn’t interested in the obnoxious startup craze, but rather wants to build something they care about. Short, interesting, extremely non-boring.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

The City & the CityBook China Miéville

read

What a delightful, unique experience that was! Fresh and original, "fantasy science fiction". Not a big fan of detective stories and noir, but this is something else.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Writing for Computer ScienceBook Justin Zobel

read

Even though it is aimed at scientists writing papers, this book is very useful to anybody writing about computer programming and mathematics. Highly recommended if you write any sort of technical non-fiction, really. Especially documentation or tutorials.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Harry Potter and the Methods of RationalityBook Eliezer Yudkowsky

read

I liked the first 10% of the book because it was full of promise, and the last 5% because it was finally ending. Cool idea, meandering execution, utterly non-rewarding. I’ve seen some reviewers complaining about "too much scientific stuff", but there wasn’t enough! Every time it came to some clever muggle science and magic crossover, I was excited like a little kid, but every time it was abrupt…

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Mastering EmacsBook Mickey Petersen

read

A very good book about Emacs. Lots of details, but not too much, so that you don’t feel overwhelmed. It teaches you how to learn and explore yourself, which is often overlooked by authors.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

FinishBook Jon Acuff

read

It’s a self-help book, alright. It’s very nicely written and I enjoyed it. But, as always, it can be summed up in a short blog post. But hey, it was entertaining!

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

The DipBook Seth Godin

read

Short, concise, quite important to me. I have troubles deciding when to quit, and I think I made multiple mistakes of not recognizing the context in which making a decision (any decision!) was paramount.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

12 Rules for LifeBook Jordan Peterson

read

One of the most important books for me as far as non-fiction goes. Philosophy, religion and psychology under the mask of a self-help book.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social ChangeBook Victor Papanek

read

I got somewhat sad after reading this book. It’s wonderful, but the contrast between the ideas and values expressed in it and the reality of our disposable, badly designed world are striking. ‘Sustainable’ became a gimmick, a filler word for presentations just like ‘organic’ or ’natural’. Why would anything be not sustainable? Why would anyone design something non sensible? Why can…

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

The Pursuit of PerfectBook Tal Ben-Shahar

read

Many people call themselves perfectionists, but, to be honest, most of them aren’t in most cases. But every once in a while there is a time, a certain set of circumstances where you can’t do anything but strive for the impossible. This is a great little book about perfectionism. And yes, I will end this sentence with a comma,

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

So Good They Can't Ignore YouBook Cal Newport

read

A nicely written case against the ‘follow your passion’ advice with a well-defined career-building strategy. As many non-fiction sel-help books, could be at least 10 times shorter, but hey, it’s pretty good.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Sophie's WorldBook Jostein Gaarder

read

A beautiful and gentle overview of philosophy. Nice read.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Algorithms to Live ByBook Brian Christian, Tom Griffiths

read

One of the few books that successfully brings CS into everyday life. We need more books like this. An audiobook is also available, but this one is better on paper.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

You Are Not So SmartBook David McRaney

read

More like a series of blog posts than a cohesive narration, but still a fantastic book about most common cognitive gotchas.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Accidental GodsBook Andrew Busey

read

Pretty cool idea, a somewhat rushed execution.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

A Game of ThronesBook George R.R. Martin

read

First fantasy since LOTR that pulled me in mercilessly.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Mindfulness for BeginnersBook Jon Kabat-Zinn

read

This book is hugely popular for the reasons I can’t really understand. It’s… okay, I guess. But I don’t really think it is "for beginners".

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

The Power of NowBook Eckhart Tolle

read

You have to ignore (or interpret) some parts, but in general there is no doubt Eckhart Tolle is an enlightened being.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

10% HappierBook Dan Harris

read

Nice and entertaining introduction to the ideas of mindfulness and meditation.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Lock InBook John Scalzi

read

Somewhat simple, but still great. I guess we’ll see a mediocre Hollywood adaptation (or a TV show perhaps) soon.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Born to RunBook Christopher McDougall

read

Fascinating stories and science behind epic runners. If you’re getting into running or just interested — check this out.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

The God DelusionBook Richard Dawkins

read

Militant atheism is entertaining, but generally counter productive.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Modern Operating SystemsBook Andrew S. Tanenbaum

read

I really enjoyed reading this textbook even after finishing the corresponding course.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Just for Fun: The Story of an Accidental RevolutionaryBook Linus Torvalds, David Diamond

read

Nicely written and an entertaining story of Linus Torvalds and the creation of Linux kernel. I read it in high school and it definitely strengthened my interest in computer programming.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

The SilmarillionBook J.R.R. Tolkien

read

Middle-Earth’s bible, myths and legends. Loved at the time.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

The HobbitBook J.R.R. Tolkien

read

Having read this after LOTR, it was fun but underwhelming. Starting from scratch, it’s definitely better to start with The Hobbit.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

The Lord of the RingsBook J.R.R. Tolkien

read

What can I say? Seems like I spent most of my free time in this universe back in high school…

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

Harry Potter seriesBook J. K. Rowling

read

Ah, high school memories! Seems like this series was an important part of my childhood.

On his public bookshelf, with his comment.

2026-08-16·rakhim.org ↗

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