

Ask HN: What books are you reading - yread

What non-programming non-technical books are you folks reading? I'm looking for something interesting to read and I would appreciate your suggestions.<p>To make it fair I'll start: I just finished reading the Omon Ra that pavlov linked to in http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2590980 and Dubliners by James Joyce and I'm currently laughing my way through Mark Twain's Connecticut Yankee in the court of King Arthur. I would very much recommend it - its language is surprisingly modern (people are twittering and lolling and you can hear an occasional jabber) an even the satire is modern (poking fun at the patent office!). Besides the Yankee is an engineer so you can sympathize with him.
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kaeluka
Just now I'm reading something I wanted to read for a long time: Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland. The next will be Through the Looking Glass, same
author. Amongst the last few books I read, I recommend Kurt Vonnegut's
Slaughterhouse Five, Marlen Haushofer - The Wall (although this will be too
kafkaesque for some), Fahrenheit 451. I do love Jules Verne as well.

Atlas Shrugged should be known to anyone around here, I guess.. Relating to
Atlas Shrugged: Nietzsche - Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Both books were very
influential to me when I was younger.

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noelsequeira
Interesting aside: I'm pretty sure your intention was jest, but lolling isn't
as modern a word as the internet generation would have you believe (and has an
entirely different meaning).

From the etymology of loll (<http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=loll>):

 _mid-14c., lollen "to lounge idly, hang loosely," perhaps related to M.Du.
lollen "to doze, mumble," or somehow imitative of rocking or swinging.
Specifically of the tongue from 1610s._

~~~
yread
yes, thank you. I understood more or less what it meant but I have never seen
it before and considered it an interesting contrast

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tokenadult
I just finished reading the entire Harry Potter series of novels for the first
time, as my third son was reading it for the second time. My daughter will
finish the series soon.

I also read selected parts of The Good Book: A Humanist Bible

[http://www.amazon.com/Good-Book-Humanist-
Bible/dp/0802717373...](http://www.amazon.com/Good-Book-Humanist-
Bible/dp/0802717373/)

before I had to return it to the library yesterday. I especially like the
section "Proverbs," which I read in full. I was able to find the section that
quotes Confucius and Mencius extensively just before I returned the book. It's
an interesting concept, but some parts of The Good Book: A Humanist Bible are
extremely dull reading.

I am likely to read Quotology

[http://www.amazon.com/Quotology-Stages-Willis-Goth-
Regier/dp...](http://www.amazon.com/Quotology-Stages-Willis-Goth-
Regier/dp/0803217528/)

next, to learn more about how quotations are traced after being misattributed,
a subject I own another book about.

I agree with the OP that A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is well
worth reading.

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krmmalik
I'm currently reading Meatball Sundae by Seth Godin. It talks about how, just
like the industrial revolution did away with the local blacksmith, the new
marketing revolution is going to do away with the need to interrupt people
through Tv/Radio/Advertising etc.

He also says that as the way to market a business has and is changing, this
also means the way companies organise themselves and run has to fundamentally
change too. Its a very interesting read.

The second book i am reading is called "Too nice for your own good" by Duke
Robinson. It's for people who are either passive/aggressive or not very
assertive. I have yet to make a judgment on this one, but it seems ok so far.

Apologies if you were looking for some interesting reading in terms of
fiction. I havent read fiction in years.

------
arethuza
I've just started listening again to the unabridged Audible version of Neal
Stephenson's _Baroque Cycle_ \- I couldn't get into the book form but the
audio book version is great.

Last few Kindle books I've read were:

 _See No Evil_ by Bob Baer, the experiences of a CIA case officer in the
Middle East (which influenced the movie _Syriana_ ).

 _Liar's Poker_ by Michael Lewis, about the Big Swinging Dicks of Wall Street.

 _Decline and Fall_ by Chris Mullin, the diaries of one of the more decent
members of the former Labour Government here in the UK.

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wushupork
Here are some business books I've read or am reading
<http://www.shelfluv.com/pek.pongpaet/business>

I also read books on design - here's a few I like:
<http://www.shelfluv.com/pek.pongpaet/design>

One of my favorite books of course is Founders at Work. I also find books
about entrepreneurs very inspiring - like anything from Richard Branson. Ted
Turner's book and Howard Schultz are also good.

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webgambit
Audiobook: I just finished Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. I highly recommend
it if you're into fantasy type novels. It has a unique magic system and is
very well written. I've been off and on with War and Peace for a while. Kind
of dry so far.

Kindle: The Law by Frederic Bastiat, extremely good book describing the
fundamental purpose of law and government.

Dead Tree: Essence of Discrete Mathematics by Neville Dean, seems to be pretty
good book, just haven't devoted enough time to reading it.

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scrrr
I've just started reading "Vagabonding" by R. Potts.
<http://www.vagabonding.net/> So far quite nice.

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Toddward
Crazy - I was just about to ask this same question.

My New Years resolution for this year was to read two books a month. I just
finished reading "In the Plex" by Steven Levy and I'm starting Stephen
Hawking's "A Briefer History of Time." It should take me no time to blow
through the latter, so I'm looking for suggestions as for what to read next.

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flomincucci
Just finished reading The Loser by Thomas Bernhard. Cruel, repetitive,
ironic... effing brilliant. It's about three pianists - one of them it's Glenn
Gould, and how meeting him ruined the life of the other two. Currently reading
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby. I can't be objetive about him, I simple love it.
(The movie is great, also)

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eswat
The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson and Linchpin by Seth Godin.

I had started Linchpin first but I’m now focusing on finishing The Primal
Blueprint instead. If you like to question Conventional Wisdom and want to
take a second look at how modern society has wrongly dictated what we eat, how
we work out, etc. then give it a read.

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niktech
The Powerfood Nutrition Plan: The Guy's Guide to Getting Stronger, Leaner,
Smarter, Healthier, Better Looking, Better Sex With Food!

[http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1594862354/ref=redir_mdp_mobil...](http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1594862354/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/179-0036826-0648959?ref_=sr_1_1)

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schrototo
_The Instructions_ by Adam Levin. Best book I've read since _Infinite Jest_
(by David Foster Wallace, of course, also highly recommended). The characters,
the story, the language, my god the language... It's all utterly fantastic.
The last 300 pages had me so thoroughly gripped, I read them in one sitting.

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sjs382
Currently:

FreeDarko Presents: The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History

[http://www.amazon.com/FreeDarko-Presents-Undisputed-
Basketba...](http://www.amazon.com/FreeDarko-Presents-Undisputed-Basketball-
History/dp/1608190838)

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hooande
"The Wizard of Menlo Park: How Thomas Alva Edison Invented the Modern World"
[http://www.amazon.com/Wizard-Menlo-Park-Thomas-
Invented/dp/1...](http://www.amazon.com/Wizard-Menlo-Park-Thomas-
Invented/dp/1400047625). Highly recommend

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wccrawford
I just finished reading the Hunger Games trilogy. In less than a week. It was
really good.

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alonswartz
I keep a list of books I've read and highly recommend here [1]. Almost all of
them include the first chapter free (via kindle for web).

[1] <http://www.alonswartz.org/books/>

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dmc
Currently reading Little Brother by Cory Doctorow - an OK book - and keeping
Starting Strength by my side as a reference.

Starting Strength is a great introduction to weightlifting and getting
stronger, I highly recommend it.

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limmeau
I'm somewhere in _Un Lun Dun_ by China Mieville right now. I cannot recommend
his imaginative writing enough. ( _Un Lun Dun_ is a children's book in the
same way the Potters are children's books).

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imjonathanlee
Currently reading: The girl who kicked the hornet's nest

Top Favorites: Count of Monte Cristo, The three musketeers, Sherlock Homes and
the Hound of Baskersville, Atlas Shrugged, The Client

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smallegan
The Practicing Mind "Bringing Discipline and Focus Into Your Life" by Thomas
Sterner

<http://www.amazon.com/dp/0977657205>

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d2_nyc
The Cosmic Game: Explorations of the Frontiers of Human Consciousness
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0791438767>

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givan
[http://www.amazon.com/Lateral-Thinking-Creativity-
Perennial-...](http://www.amazon.com/Lateral-Thinking-Creativity-Perennial-
Library/dp/0060903252)

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givan
[http://www.amazon.com/Bonos-Thinking-Course-
Revised/dp/08160...](http://www.amazon.com/Bonos-Thinking-Course-
Revised/dp/0816031789/ref=pd_sim_b_5)

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Sodaware
Currently reading _The Power of Full Engagement_ (after hearing about it on
HN). It's not bad, and has already encouraged me to look at my eating &
working habits.

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mdzkhan
Currently reading "The Influencing Machine" by Brooke Gladstone.
<http://amzn.to/kpozga>

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tomfluff
The Religion War - Scott Adams

Really great read though recommend reading God's Debris first for better
understanding of the characters

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lylejohnson
_House of Leaves_ , by Mark Z. Danielewski. Not sure that I can recommend it,
but it's very different from anything else I've read.

~~~
squidsoup
Make take on it was that it was a very evocative and unsettling story, marred
by too much 'post-modern' noodling.

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picardo
On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins.

<http://www.onintelligence.org/>

~~~
Tekhne
I absolutely 2nd this suggestion! It was really fascinating. There were some
dry parts, but mostly I couldn't stop reading (actually, I did the audiobook).

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latch
Just started Light by M. John Harrison

The Takeshi Kovacs novels, by Richard Morgan, are next on my list.

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jbogan
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.

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krat0sprakhar
Dot.Con by John Cassidy - How America Lost its Mind and Money In the Internet
Era. Highly recommend.

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haffi112
I'm currently reading Gödel, Escher, Bach an eternal golden braid. I
definitely recommend it.

------
starter
The Bible: Ecclesiastes - For Humans

Starting From Scratch by Wes Moss - For Entrepreneurs

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cb372
I recently read "Reading the OED" by Ammon Shea. Recommended for word nerds.

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dablya
Yet another example of a thread where seeing votes would be useful...

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ritonlajoie
I just bought the latest Fred Vargas, I highly recommend this author.

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sokolski
Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad

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geekzgalore
1984

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fbnt
Nothing To Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea

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szcukg
Game of Thrones....One helluva of a book

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dogriffiths
For The Love of Physics - Walter Lewin.

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kirpekar
Cutting for Stone -- Abraham Verghese

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1reza
The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky

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gennaria
The Passage by Justin Cronin

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Illgetthere
Game of Thrones

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OoTheNigerian
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies _by Jared M. Diamond_
(courtesy of a HN recommendation on this kind of thread)

In The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives _by Steven Levy_
(courtesy PG's tweet and retweets of that tweet).

I am now loving my kindle because I can switch between books easily without
the accompanying load

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ujjvala
Atlas Shrugged.

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zackattack
The Biology of Transcendence

not sure if that counts as technical or not ;)

