Little Bookcase

When it comes to reading books, students are often pressured to read. The school system thus fosters, first and foremost, a resistance to reading. People often don’t discover the potential of entertaining, artistic, and scholarly literature until after they finish school. Subsequently, they may even return to the literature from their student days, which they had deliberately avoided for years. Today, the Internet is replacing books! But even so, it’s pointless to write off books prematurely. These days, the main advantage of paper books is simply that, because publishing them is more expensive, the average quality isn’t as low as that of articles on the Internet, where anyone can publish—and, unfortunately, often does so just for the sake of getting published. Regardless of the type of media or the purpose of the publication, it should always offer something to the reader. Even a comic book has educational value if the reader reflects on the work. Books are a mass medium of information designed to move people toward a better future, thereby preventing stagnation or even becoming mere puppets.

Of course, like anything else, a book can also be used as a weapon. That’s why it’s important to carefully choose what will shape the reader’s personality and not waste time reading inferior or even misleading publications.

And since the easiest way to find a high-quality and interesting book is through recommendations, I’ve created a list of a few titles that I have at home or have read myself. Because I am a multipotentialite— I’m involved in many fields and have even more hobbies, I’ve also read books covering a wide variety of topics. These are mainly books on sports, technology, biographies, philosophy, and self-discovery.

My Books

I am also the author of several e-books. You can find my books in electronic form at ebook.josefjebavy.cz.

Biographical Books

Nikola Tesla

Author: Marc J. Seifer

The book tells the story of the inventor Nikola Tesla. It describes his successes and failures from his youth until the end of his career. Detailed article about the book Nikola Tesla

Elon Musk

Author: Ashlee Vance

The book describes the life of Elon Musk, focusing primarily on his entrepreneurial career. The book is written with a sense of detachment and occasionally delves into more technical details. It’s the perfect read for active people with a passion for technology, especially technology designed to help humanity.

Sports literature

Cycling Training Guide

Authors: Jiří Sekera, Ondřej Vojtěchovský

A book by authors Sekera and Vojtěchovský. Vojtěchovský is one of my favorite authors, thanks to his expert and well-written texts. His publications are based on knowledge that stems from a combination of theoretical knowledge, medical practice, and participation in sports.
The book is slim, yet it covers almost everything. The authors’ expertise—and thus the quality of the publication—is demonstrated by their awareness of the need to take into account the individual needs and capabilities of athletes. There are many ways to approach cycling....
The book is primarily intended for recreational cyclists and competitive cyclists. However, it covers the basics of nutrition, strength training, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle in general. As a result, not only athletes but also, for example, programmers, Linux server administrators, or other office professionals whose jobs are sedentary and mentally demanding.
It is an ideal resource for independent cyclists programmers looking to maintain a healthy body.

Body Sculpting for Men and Women

Author: Petr Tlapák

An excellent book that introduces readers to strength training and the overall functioning of the body from the ground up, striving to cover everything.

Cycling Anatomy

Author: Shannon Sovndal

The book *Cycling Anatomy* explores human anatomy as it relates to cycling. It describes muscle function, exercises to strengthen specific muscle groups, and how to prevent muscle imbalances.
The book is quite advanced, and without prior knowledge of the body’s parts and how the body functions—especially while cycling—processing the information may be challenging.

How to Master Mountain Biking

Authors: Florian Haymann, Ulrich Stanciu

The book introduces readers to both basic and more advanced techniques for riding a mountain bike correctly and off-road.

Swimming

Author: Laughlin Terry

When I was a little boy, I was one of those kids who had trouble learning to swim. Later, I taught myself to swim and became one of the best swimmers, even competing in races. However, I never made any further significant progress. But as I trained in cycling, I realized that swim training also follows a logic and must be structured. Moreover, I wanted to learn other swimming strokes and, above all, focus on efficiency. That’s why I bought a book on swimming. The book describes swimming technique and how to train in detail. It’s an essential book for both beginner and experienced swimmers.

Peace Race

A guide to the Race for Peace for the year 1953.

Lance Armstrong: The Road to Victory

Authors: Chris Carmichael; Lance Armstrong

Technical Books

The Art of Deception

Authors: Kevin Mitnick, William L. Simon

The book *The Art of Deception* deals with computer security. However, it does not focus on black hat hacking, but rather on social engineering. The book is suitable for anyone who cares about computer security. For computer scientists, it is required reading. A security expert should know the content inside and out.

The PC: A Comprehensive Guide to Hardware

Author: Mark Minasi

This book was published in the late 20th century. One might say that the book is now outdated. But don’t be fooled! The book describes even the most basic principles of how computers and computer components work, which are still valid today. It’s just that nowadays they operate automatically without operator intervention, so we take them for granted. True experts in computer hardware probably won’t find anything new in this book. However, for anyone interested in the lower-level aspects or the problems users used to encounter, I highly recommend this book. Reading this almost historical book will significantly advance your expertise in computer hardware.

Programming Techniques

This book, written on a typewriter during the communist era, is now a historical artifact. In the book, you’ll encounter the languages Fortran and Pascal, which is introduced as a novelty. Although the book is very old, the topics it covers are still taught today in college computer science programs. For example, the book describes sorting algorithms, which are standard material—I even learned them myself while studying at CTU.

The Comprehensive Guide to TCP/IP Protocols and Security

Author: Libor Dostálek et al.

The book provides a detailed description of the TCP/IP protocol and how the Internet works, with a focus on security. It can be considered required reading for network administrators.

UNIX V - System Administrator's Handbook, UNIX V - Programming in the System

Author: Jiří Hnát; Milan Jelen

These are, again, older books. General principles regarding the operation of the UNIX system are still valid, as the system’s ingenious design—where everything is a file—is still used today in state-of-the-art systems, such as GNU/Linux.

Java Textbook

Author: Pavel Herout

My first textbook on programming. I originally came across it while still in high school and only skimmed through it. But when I enrolled at the Czech Technical University in Prague, I dusted off the book. And since I decided, contrary to my original plan, to study computer science and help my fellow human beings, I turned its pages many times and often returned to it later as well.

This book was followed by Java Graphical User Interface and Czech.

Linux - The Complete Administrator's Guide

The book *Linux - The Complete Administrator's Guide*—I didn’t read this book until college. The book is a perfect summary of the basics and provides Linux users with a detailed introduction to the GNU/Linux, including specific features that distinguish it from general Unix. It is also suitable for novice Linux administrators.

Hard Drives from A to Z

Author: Mark Minasi

An older book that describes the internal structure of hard drives in detail.

More Educational and Specialized Books

Mariáš from A to Z

Author: Petr Labohý

Mariáš is one of the most challenging card games; its complexity even surpasses that of poker. It’s the ideal game for programmers and math and physics majors. Mariáš is a traditional Czech card game that was once played primarily in pubs. Unfortunately, the number of players is dwindling, so there’s little chance of learning it anywhere. The book *Mariáš from A to Z* was created so that anyone interested in the game could learn it.

Encyclopedia of Modern Military Aircraft

The book contains a nearly complete list of modern military aircraft and helicopters. For each type, subtypes are listed along with detailed descriptions of their characteristics and a list of specifications. The ideal book for model aircraft builders and anyone who wants to gain an overview of aircraft.

Lyme Disease

Author: Stephen Harrod Buhner

This book aims to explore both well-known and lesser-known aspects of Lyme disease. It also describes various methods for pursuing supportive treatment.

Philosophical and Social Books

Stolen Potential

Author: Claudio Depeyrac

The book explores human potential, the social system, and how the system suppresses human potential and sometimes even destroys human beings. It offers a perspective beyond everyday life and suggestions for solving problems.

The Breviary of Modern Man

Author: Dobromil Ječný

Although the book is old, social customs remain the same. In the book, readers will find plenty of practical advice, especially on how to navigate different social settings.

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

Author: Robin S. Sharma

Leaders Eat Last

Author: Simon Sinek

The book deals with human cooperation. It describes mistakes in collaboration and corporate leadership that are typical of exploitative economies of any kind. Although the book focuses on how companies operate, the information can be applied to any social group and to interactions between different groups. The author encourages and describes how society should function so that everything runs well and smoothly.

The book strongly reinforced my belief that, although the current system appears to be of great benefit to people, this is only an illusion and represents a flawed approach. The fundamental problems are:

• the benefit is purely material
• the benefit will not be long-term
• risks are shifted onto the vulnerable
• this is an unsustainable approach

God Always Walks the Earth Incognito

Author: Laurent Gounelle

Through the story of one person, this book explores ways to take control of your life and find happiness, both personally and professionally.

Wasted Days

Author: Tomáš Kosačík

One

Author: Zuzana Filipová Kosačík

The author of the book *One* is a woman who describes interpersonal relationships in today’s young, modern, and fast-paced society. She attempts to explain the causes based on generational differences and offer advice on how to deal with these varying situations.

Business Books

Freelancing

Author: Robert Vlach

The book *Freelancing* was published in 2017 and contains a wealth of information that remains highly relevant today. It describes ways to run a business as an independent specialist, drawing on the experiences of many different people. For me personally, it was an opportunity to clarify and reinforce the experiences I’ve gained—including those based on my own mistakes—and it helped me develop a vision for how to move forward.

To Sell Is Human

Author: Daniel H. Pink

This book convinced me that an introvert and an expert are only truly valuable if they can sell themselves. Yes, sometimes sales are made without a professional foundation and with the sole aim of making money. But when sales are done well and with a sincere effort to help the other party, it benefits everyone. The book explains how sales used to be conducted and how the sales landscape has changed and continues to change. It also describes how to conduct high-quality, considerate sales. The book contains particularly essential information necessary for successful operation in societies that suffer from a post-communist upbringing.

Show What You Do

The book describes the benefits of telling and showing people what you do.

Antifragility

Author: Nassim Nicholas Taleb

The book *Antifragility* helped me understand why today’s society has such problems with managing and regulating anything, a situation further perpetuated by a rigid society. But for a person of action or an entrepreneur, this is actually an opportunity. The book describes dynamic systems and focuses on what is marginal—and thus often goes undescribed. The book allowed me to fill in the missing pieces of the mosaic, which are usually described only from a limited human perspective.

Nature

Aquarium

Author: Dick Mills

A basic guide for aquarists.

Your Aquarium

Author: Dick Mills

A comprehensive guide for freshwater aquarists. It also briefly covers marine aquariums. It describes in detail how to get started with aquarium keeping. How to set up an aquarium and how to grow plants and keep fish. It also includes a list of many commonly kept aquarium fish.

Marine Aquariums

Author: Hynek Dařbuján

This book focuses exclusively on marine aquariums. Marine aquariums are so much more demanding than freshwater ones that even the basic information contained in this book can be of significant help in maintaining freshwater aquariums.

Fiction

Humorous Short Stories

Author: Jaroslav Hašek

Two Years Together

Author: Alex Hrouzková Doležalová, Jiři X. Doležal

A humorously written book about a real-life relationship between a man and a woman. Situations are always presented from both perspectives.

The Orange Rose

Author: Richard Vondruška

The book is a collection of poems by a young Czech poet.

Entertaining and Educational

A book that is both entertaining and educational is the best kind of reading...

For the Record - Unfortunate Incidents from the Startup Bubble

A Write-Off A Write-Off is a book that describes how a journalist found a new job at a startup and how things work there in an incredibly strange way.

Bad Blood

The book *Bad Blood* describes a startup in the healthcare sector. And how the company and its owner, who wants success at any cost, end up resorting to dangerous and fraudulent practices in the name of helping people and doing business. The book is very readable and entertaining, and some parts are so comical they’re almost unbelievable—much like in the book or movie *The Black Barons*.

Various Library Features

Here’s my video tutorial: How to Make an Eco-Friendly Book Cover: