Plato - The Republic
George Orwell - 1984
Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?
11–20 of 184 posts
Re: Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?
#12There's a list at stackoverflow: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/38210
Re: Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?
#13Anathem by Neil Stephenson (Fiction)
Snowcrash and Cryptonomicon, too. Or pretty much anything Neil Stephenson writes.
Re: Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?
#14It's a bit of a ridiculous question isn't it? Relevant in what way? Even if you narrow it down to business and technology the scope is just far too broad.
Re: Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?
#15I'm a big fan of Sci-Fi because I feel it makes people think about what they want the future to be, as well as avoiding the re-hashing of historical and current events that many fiction books set in the present do. With that in mind a list of great books to read:
The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
Gridlinked - Neal Asher
Neuromancer - William Gibson
The Reality Dysfunction - Peter F. Hamilton
The Dreaming Void - Peter F. Hamilton
Fallen Dragon - Peter F. Hamilton
Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan
Market Forces - Richard Morgan
Blindsight - Peter Watts
The Electric Church - Jeff Somers
Tunnel in the Sky - Robert A. Heinlein
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein
1984 - George OrwellRe: Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?
#16Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book
As for mine,
Science Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):
Charles Stross: Halting State
Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep
Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games
David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy
Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)
John Scalzi: Old Man's War series
Dan Simmons: Hyperion
The Talent Code
Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)
The Science of Fear
The Black Swan
Tokyo Vice
Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)
books by Daniel Pink
Guns, Germs, and Steel
The Prize by Daniel Yergin
Anything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.
EDIT: links to previews (legally) available online
Charles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera...
David Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/
Re: Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?
#17The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
One of the few books that I think really everybody should read.
Re: Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?
#18I'm a huge fan of classic literature. It's a much different perspective of society and isn't necessarily written for ease-of-consumption.
The Count of Monte Cristo Time Machine or Invisible Man Frankenstein
One of my personal favorites which you won't be able to put down: Dracula
Re: Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?
#19The Conquest of Mexico, by Bernal Diaz -- a conquistador who traveled with the Cortes expedition to Mexico City to overthrow King Montezuma. Incredible, true story written by someone who has actually there. An unknown land; the clash of two cultures; the clash of two religions; temples to angry gods; hoardes of gold in hidden rooms; human sacrifices; alliances; mutinies; enslavement; first description of Tenochtitlan, the city on the lake; the destruction of Tenochtitlan; and more.
Re: Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?
#20It's a bit of a ridiculous question isn't it? Relevant in what way? Even if you narrow it down to business and technology the scope is just far too broad.
Not necessarily. I've run out of books to read, so I figured I'd crowdsource for new points to start from, go beyond my current scope.
I figure there are lots of books people can recommend here that are relevant to my interests, so why not ask?