
Ask HN: The book you always wanted to read but never had time or motivation for? - gghh
What is the book you always wanted to read but never had time or motivation for?<p>Three answers are allowed, one is to look smart (eg: &quot;The Count of Monte Cristo&quot;), one is for the title you are a little ashamed of (eg: &quot;The Neuromancer&quot;), one is for a tech book (eg: &quot;Lions&#x27; Commentary on Unix&quot;).<p>Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
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callmeed
To look smart (I think): _Gödel, Escher, Bach_ or anything by Ayn Rand

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ameister14
I don't mean to offend you, but for a large segment of the U.S. population
reading Ayn Rand does not make you look smart.

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callmeed
No offense taken ... I have no dog in the fight

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mindcrime
_one is for the title you are a little ashamed of_

FWIW, I'm interpreting this as "ashamed to admit you haven't read this title
yet" as opposed to "ashamed to admit you want to read this title".

To Look Smart: Wolfram's _A New Kind of Science_

Ashamed Of: _Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs_ (SICP)

Tech: Knuth's _The Art of Computer Programming_

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selimthegrim
Don't be so ashamed - it's a good book but even Sussman and Abelson teach
their courses out of other books now.

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clockwork_189
Moonwalking with Einstein([http://www.amazon.ca/Moonwalking-Einstein-Science-
Rememberin...](http://www.amazon.ca/Moonwalking-Einstein-Science-Remembering-
Everything/dp/0143120530)) Thinking, Fast and Slow
([http://www.amazon.ca/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-
Kahneman/dp/0...](http://www.amazon.ca/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-
Kahneman/dp/0385676514/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b))

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andrewcooke
fast and slow is worth it. really. i am a picky reader - often stop reading
books half way through - but i couldn't put that one down. very good book.

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lemma
to look smart _Gravity 's Rainbow_

ashamed of: the _Dark Tower_ series

tech: no interest in reading one from cover to cover, but I'm open to being
convinced otherwise

edit: not sure which way _I_ interpret "ashamed", take it how you will!

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mariuolo
In search of lost time, by Marcel Proust.

I've had it on my shelf for a while.

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gghh
to look smart: _The Count of Monte Cristo_ , A. Dumas

ashamed of: _The Neuromancer_ , W. Gibson

Tech: _Lions ' Commentary on Unix_, J. Lions

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terrykohla
that book by Marx, just to know what all the fuzz is about.

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w_t_payne
Err.... all of them?

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contextual
To look smart: The Tao of Physics

Ashamed of the title: Yoga, Inc

Tech book: CSS and HTML Web Design (because I've been faking it all along)

