Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?

news.ycombinator.com

181–190 of 224 posts

Re: Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?

#181
post #97
post #14

Small Gods. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34484.Small_Gods It's the 13th book of Terry Pratchett's superb Discworld series, but it's the perfect entry point for anyone who hasn't read any of them because it doesn't require any exterior context, and it's pure Pratchett in his prime. I honestly can't recommend it, and the rest of the series, highly enough. If you haven't experienced Pratchett's work then I implore…

Say I read this entry in the series. If I end up liking it, would you recommend that I then go back and start from the beginning?

Ah, well, this is a bit of a contentious question in the Discworld community, with no clear correct answer.

Discworld has a number of major story arcs which are generally able to be read separately although they often overlap, and so some people prefer to follow one of the many Reading Guides out there to determine which books to read and when.

But a lot of us disagree and say that you should go to the very first book, The Colour of Magic, start there, and read the whole series in order, because it lets you experience Pratchett as he evolves from a pretty good writer into one of the best fantasy authors of all time. Plus you get to experience the Discworld itself evolving, as the Disc is broadly an allegory of Earth in the 1700s / 1800s with many of the same technological progressions.

It's important to note, though, that the first few books in the series can be tough to get through if you don't already have an appreciation for what's coming, and some readers are put off by them, but please, please don't give up, you have no idea what you're missing right now.

God, I envy you so much. If I had three wishes, I would genuinely spend the third one on forgetting the Discworld series just so I could once again experience the joy of reading it for the first time.

Re: Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?

#182
post #79

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seveneves One of the few books, that when I'm finished, I just want to turn it over a start again. Covers a wide range of important and relevant topics in technology, biology/genetics, ethics. My only problem is it is too short! Could easily have been a triology like the Baroque Cycle (another favorite) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Baroque_Cycle

The last part of seveneves is horrible. I refused to finish it.

Re: Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?

#183
post #140

Three Men in a Boat, by Jerome K. Jerome I consider this timeless humour, because it gets me to laugh out loud in public. People get startled by this. Also, I read episodes from the book to my 7 year old, who loves it. Occasionally, I need to explain a very dry joke, but some I leave for him to discover later.

“I can't sit still and see another man slaving and working. I want to get up and superintend, and walk round with my hands in my pockets, and tell him what to do. It is my energetic nature. I can't help it.” This kind of humor on a book from 1889 is just unbelievable, I have to read this. Thank you for the recommendation.

Re: Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?

#184
post #63

* The Doors of Perception, by Aldous Huxley. [0] So famous it became a bit of a cliche. I read it years ago and it didn't make any sense to me. But now that I've been studying Buddhism and practicing meditation for a while I picked it up again and I found it nothing short of brilliant, packed with interesting insights on philosophy, the arts, theology, the history of mysticism and the quest for the meaning of life. I…

The Unbearable Lightness..... is my favorite and the only fiction I have read. Never knew a fiction could be so full of emotions.

Re: Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?

#185

How to get Rich - Felix Dennis https://www.amazon.com/How-Get-Rich-Greatest-Entrepreneurs/d...

He kind of trashes Steve Jobs in the book basically predicting Steve's hubris will lead to the downfall of Apple. Quote:

But with Steve Jobs, Apple will always attempt to mould the universe to fit Steve's vision of Apple, and will pay the price again and again and again

Feels like he wrote this just before the IPhone. Another excerpt:

Without Jobs, Apple could never have risen from obscurity to become a world-class brand. But with Steve Jobs, Apple will always attempt to mould the universe to fit Steve's vision of Apple, and will pay the price again and again and again. 'Lesser' companies and men will filch their ideas, connect,connect, connect, and beat Apple at its own game. Steve Jobs is not a monster. He is an all-American maverick and a world-class marketing genius. But until a man or woman as powerful as he is arrives at Apple (over his dead body), who is determined to break the cycle he has indulged in for so many years, Apple will remain merely an icon of awe. It will not become a company of the size that truly could (and should) 'bury' monsters like IBM.

Not quite Nostradamus there but give him credit for trying.

Re: Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?

#186
post #125

Pattern Recognition by William Gibson. Really, anything by Gibson is worth reading multiple times, simply for the great writing style. Pattern Recognition also does something special: have you really ever /thought/ about brands and advertising? Lots of commentary on culture, memetic fashion, and what it means. Recursion by Tony Ballantyne is a book that I didn't actually like all that much, but reread anyways. It cov…

I loved Pattern Recognition. As someone who also has an aversion to logos and branding, I immediately connected with Case.

Re: Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?

#187
post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Looks pretty interesting. Thanks for the recommendation.

If you like dogs, you should read "The Art of Driving in the Rain" it's a surprisingly good novel.

Oh jeez, that looks good. Added to my wishlist. I really wish I either had more time to read or could read faster.

Re: Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?

#188
post #181
post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Say I read this entry in the series. If I end up liking it, would you recommend that I then go back and start from the beginning?

Ah, well, this is a bit of a contentious question in the Discworld community, with no clear correct answer. Discworld has a number of major story arcs which are generally able to be read separately although they often overlap, and so some people prefer to follow one of the many Reading Guides out there to determine which books to read and when. But a lot of us disagree and say that you should go to the very first boo…

We have a winner, folks! I'll order the first book this week and take it from there. I've read quite a bit of sci-fi and I can appreciate good world building, so I won't be giving up that easily. Thanks for the advice.

Re: Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?

#189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From what I can see, Vedic Soma makes someone immortal and invulnerable. Huxley's soma is some kind of narcotic haalucinogen. This is a list of quotes from the book that include the word "soma" in them, and it should give you an idea of the drug's effects and the characters' attitudes toward it: https://www.huxley.net/soma/somaquote.html

>From what I can see, Vedic Soma makes someone immortal and invulnerable. Rig veda describes Soma is a hallucinogenic used for intoxication. 1. Intoxication, though not addiction, is a central theme of the Veda, since the sacrificial offering of the hallucinogenic juice of the soma plant was an element of several important Vedic rituals. The poets who “saw” the poems were inspired both by their meditations and by dri…

That's interesting. Thank you for the clarification.

Re: Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?

#190

1984, followed directly by Brave New World. Our world resembles a lot from each of these books. Much like in 1984, we have devices and companies constantly monitoring us (iOS, Android, Facebook, etc.), we have “news programs” and websites seemingly modeled after the “two minutes hate”, and we clearly have some Ministry of Truth-like misinformation getting spread around while accurate information gets lost or ignored.…

The Ministry of Truth could have hired a charismatic black guy to make everyone ignore the state of the world until 1992.
Post reply on HN