My favorite fiction book I read this year is Berlin, a graphic novel by Jason Lutes.
Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?
301–310 of 459 posts
Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?
#302Things I really liked: - The Murderbot Diaries (all of them) - Neuromancer, Mona Lisa Overdrive, Count Zero (Sprawl Trilogy) – perfection - Discworld series (almost all of them) - Bobiverse serise (all of them) - Old Man's War series - Every Man for Himself and God Against All: A Memoir – Werner Herzog's autobiography - The Songlines - Bruce Chatwin - Kissinger: A Biography (approval of Kissinger not required) - vari…
I'll throw out a recommendation for Neal Stephenson, if you're not already familiar. I like all of his stuff, personally, but the books "Zodiac"[0], "Interface"[1], and "The Cobweb"[2] (the latter two co-authored with his uncle) I think would be a slam-dunk for you, based on your list. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac_(novel) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interface_(novel) [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wik…
I've got REAMDE and maybe Cryptonomicon? finished though quite a few years ago. I've had a couple of false starts with Anathem though I think I've been told it just gets started slowly.
I liked but didn't love the Stephenson I've read. Unlike William Gibson novels I've read, Stephenson is a solid 7 or 8 out of ten for me (maybe I should have added another category in my list). Your suggestions will probably make it on to my list.
Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?
#303Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'll throw out a recommendation for Neal Stephenson, if you're not already familiar. I like all of his stuff, personally, but the books "Zodiac"[0], "Interface"[1], and "The Cobweb"[2] (the latter two co-authored with his uncle) I think would be a slam-dunk for you, based on your list. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac_(novel) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interface_(novel) [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wik…
I've got REAMDE and maybe Cryptonomicon? finished though quite a few years ago. I've had a couple of false starts with Anathem though I think I've been told it just gets started slowly. I liked but didn't love the Stephenson I've read. Unlike William Gibson novels I've read, Stephenson is a solid 7 or 8 out of ten for me (maybe I should have added another category in my list). Your suggestions will probably make it o…
I suspect "Interface" will be up your alley. It isn't anywhere near as literary as Gibson. It has become wildly more plausible as it has aged.
Anathem is definitely a slow start. If anything once it gets going it moves too fast. I'd argue it doesn't spent enough time exploring the world the reader suddenly finds themselves in.
If you haven't, check out Bruce Sterling. His "Heavy Weather"[0] might well be up your alley, too.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_Weather_(Sterling_novel)
Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?
#304The Silo series by Hugh Howey -- some excellent sci-fi to go along with the show The Red Rising series by Pierce Brown -- lots of sci-fi fun, extremely epic The Dark Tower series by Stephen King -- King's "Lord of the Rings" opus, great writing, ending maybe a little unsatisfying but not abnormal Artemis - Andy Weir's first book -- Fun read about a heist on the moon. Anticipating Project Hail Mary movie early next ye…
Wasn’t ‘The Martian’ Andy’s first book?
Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?
#305- Permutation City — Greg Egan
- She Said — Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey
- Conclave — Robert Harris
- First You Write a Sentence — Joe Moran
- Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine — Gail Honeyman
- The Master and Margarita — Mikhail Bulgakov
More books here -> https://pastebin.com/XVeacpHM
Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?
#3061. Encyclopedia Autonomica 2. Atmosphæra Incognita - Neal Stephenson 3. Idoru (10x time) - William Gibson.
10th? That is quite the recommendation. Do you think because it is that good, or the mix of quality with your tastes (to a larger degree than normal).
I really like the story and in these times of genAI a story about a virtual idol makes it worthwhile reading it again. Also compared to Gibson's other works I find it a much easier read.
Also, I sometimes like to compare it to Coupland's Microserf's but Microserf's is notably dated by now.
Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?
#307My best reads this year:
Non-fiction:
- The Power Broker by Robert Caro
Fantasy:
- The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
Sci-fi:
- Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio
- A Canticle For Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr
- Ra by qntm
- Jean le Flambeur series by Hannu Rajaniemi
- Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (didn’t like the subsequent books of the series so much)
Other novels:
- Woodcutters by Thomas Bernhard
Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?
#308. Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. Urban fantasy with a great audiobook narrator (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith). Harry Potter meets Sherlock Holmes. Loved the computer history and London Library parts in False Value.
. Chrestomanci series by Diana Wynne Jones. Found the first book in a local phonebox library. Especially liked the probability computer in Conrad’s Fate.
. Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer. Recommended by a barber after I mentioned the cartoon "Scavengers Reign". Annihilation is well worth reading.
. The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro. Novel about memory, forgetting.
. Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman. Short novel imagining Einstein's dreams whilst he worked on his relativity theory.
Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?
#309My top book this year was Joe Abercrombie "The Devils". Also highlights were: - Brandon Sanderson "Wind and Truth" & "Yumi and the Nightmare Painter" - Indrek Hargla most of "Apothecary Melchior" series (didn't read all yet :) - Jim Butcher "Brief Cases" - James Islington "The Strength of the Few" Rest of the stuff: - I. Hargla "Süvahavva" series - John Gwynne "Ruin" & "Wrath" - nobody103 "Mother of Learning" I, II,…
You've got some great ones on here. I'm curious how you found some of them to be.
Jim Butcher "Brief Cases": I'm a huge fan of the Dresden series. I find it to be very enlightening as we watch an author grow with his primary character. The early books were particularly weak, but they grow and get better and better. However, I'm unfairly biased against short stories, so I avoid all the X.5 releases. Are these worth exploring as I'm waiting for the followup to Battleground?
Mother of Learning: I generally don't like litrpg or progression fantasy, but I'm a sucker for time loops. I enjoyed this series and craved more like it. Anything else you'd recommend in this genre?
I read the Fitz books... fuck... decades ago at this point. Is it worth revisiting in audiobook? I've been burned so many times by nostalgia that I'm reluctant to revisit old favorites.
Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?
#310I'm not influential enough but I'll share the recommendations I think will help people like me: struggling parents.
This year I've reread The Discontented Little Baby Book. If you're getting/have a newborn, this is the book I'd read. It's humane. No sleep training, no nonsense about babies. We went full ‘possum’ with our baby and I like how happy he became.
I've also read Ten Things I Wish You Knew About Your Child's Mental Health. To me this could be an instant classic. No fluff, lots of advice for parents. Prima.
There's plenty of literature on parenting, but so much of it is poorly written or poorly researched. Be careful out there. (And don't read PLS, yikes.)
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I finally discovered Andy Weir, the Thursday Next series, and The 13.5 Lives of Captain Bluebear. I'm amazed it took me so long to get there. All excellent.
For some reason I decided to read all 7 Harry Potters in French. If you're learning French, it's a great idea, the French gets progressively harder so you can keep up!
Bryson's At Home: A Short History of Private Life has been my companion for some weeks, but it's quite long.
I'm happy with all my reading this year, some 32 books, many in a foreign language. Given I've no time to read during the day, and can only get some pages in after the kid's in bed, it's not too shabby.
Oh, and we've read Stompysaurus, like, 90 times? Grawwwwr!
Happy reading!