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Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?

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Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?

#441

Post by pmdulaney »

chickensong wrote: post #88
branon wrote: post #83

The Gulag Archipelago is on my shelf, when I rotate back to Russian authors (big fan of Dostoevsky, Nabokov, Bulgakov) I will hopefully get to it. Here's my log for 2025, most recent at the top. Currently I am slogging my way through Heinlein's "The Number of the Beast" which I'm not a fan of. Halfway done with it though! Gabrielle Zevin, "The Hole We're In" (not my usual genre, enjoyed this though) Robert A. Heinlei…

> William Gibson, "In the Beginning… Was the Command Line" (good, but outdated, look up what he's said about it more recently) That's Neal Stephenson, not William Gibson.

I always get those two mixed up too!

Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?

#443

Post by ILoveHorses »

I wanted to challenge myself in 2025 and alternate between fiction and non-fiction, so here are my highlights

- Crime and Punishment - Homo Deus - Catch 22 - Flash Boys - The Art of Strategy - Moby Dick (could only get halfway through though :() - The Great Gatsby - How to be Alone (couldn't get past 2 chapters)

Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?

#444

Post by PTOB »

numbsafari wrote: post #164

This year: - I read the entire “Frog & Toad” collection. Probably about 30 times, some stories more. - “Little Shrew’s Day”… probably 25 times. - Many of the “Construction Site” series books, especially the OG “Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site”. The “Garbage Crew” and “Airport” books featured heavily. - Started to mix in some “Pete the Cat” titles. - “Detective Dog Nell” got a lot of air play. Lots of others,…

My favorite reading of _Frog and Toad Together_ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmHh29UfAco

Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?

#445

Post by benlivengood »

shoobiedoo wrote: post #143
benlivengood wrote: post #132

I finally got around to reading Wheel of Time. It didn't quite take the whole year but a few solid months. If I had tried spreading it out over a longer period I wouldn't have been able to remember the overall plot or characters, I think.

What did you think of it? I got to about the third book and completely lost interest

Don't finish; read a good summary if you cared about any character or plot point sufficiently.

I enjoyed it overall but in large part for the detail/immersion which it sounds like wasn't interesting enough to keep you.

All character growth and relationships were very slow burns, and so if you enjoy watching the same characters just dealing with things as they come up then you'd probably enjoy the other books as much as the first three. Satisfying arc resolution happens almost entirely at the end.

Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?

#446

Post by d4rkp4ttern »

yuchtman wrote: post #384
d4rkp4ttern wrote: post #357

Read: Thomas Mann’s Glass Bead game. Needed some patience to get through. Benjamin Labatut/ When we cease to understand the world. (Fictionalized accounts of some scientists) Bird/Sherwin: American Prometheus Started but abandoned midway: Stanlislaw Lem’s : His Master’s Voice Thomas Mann’s: Magic Mountain. About reading habit: I find it useful to make it a point to read in bed at least 30 mins before sleeping.

Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse I assume? If you want to try more Herman Hesse I preferred Demian & Siddharta far over Glass Bead game (read in German though, can't speak for translations).

Oops yes Hesse, right, I got my German authors crossed :) Sidhartha was beautiful so I wanted to try Glass Bead Game, and I agree, I liked the former much more. I’ll give Demian a try. Thanks for the rec.

Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?

#447

Post by locusofself »

gniv wrote: post #369
locusofself wrote: post #240

My favorite reads of 2025: "Solenoid" - Mircea Carterescu" "The Notebook, The Proof, and The Third Lie" - Agota Kristof "Septology" - Jon Fosse

I searched in page for Cărtărescu and was disappointed to find no mention. And then I scroll and see your comment lol. I read Theodoros this year (in Romanian) and I was really impressed. Best novel I've read in years. I'm currently reading Orbitor III. I bought Solenoid, but don't yet feel ready for it.

Solenoid was definitely my favorite read in ages. I cannot wait to read more of his stuff

Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?

#448

Post by buu709 »

tstrimple wrote: post #309
ilvez wrote: post #277

My 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 ex…

For something like Mother of Learning I'd recommend The Years of Apocalypse. Available on RoyalRoad (where Mother of Learning was also posted before being published). Bit of a slower burn, but builds to similar heights and not finished yet.

Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?

#449

Post by rhubarbtree »

mrexroad wrote: post #338
rhubarbtree wrote: post #321

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This comment slightly terrifies me. My reading has dipped this year, but generally this is a small amount of reading for 12 months. I think the norm on reading quantity has shifted. Is social media to blame? TikTok and meta videos are extremely addictive. I have perhaps the strongest willpower of anyone I know, and the only way I can avoid losing hours to them every day is to delete these apps from all devices, and h…

I consider myself a fairly slow reader (see other comment) and nothing on this list took very long to read, other than LotR and The Count of Monte Cristo. One of my goals for 2025 was to replace parades of endless distractions (social media, hn, Reddit) with books. I found that if I only read even for just 5min during morning coffee, I was far, far more likely to open a book when waiting while my car got smogged, kid…

100%.

One of the best pieces of advice I got was from my English lit teacher: always carry a book with you. You never know when you’ll have down time to read.

Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?

#450

Post by rhubarbtree »

mindwok wrote: post #337
rhubarbtree wrote: post #321

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This comment slightly terrifies me. My reading has dipped this year, but generally this is a small amount of reading for 12 months. I think the norm on reading quantity has shifted. Is social media to blame? TikTok and meta videos are extremely addictive. I have perhaps the strongest willpower of anyone I know, and the only way I can avoid losing hours to them every day is to delete these apps from all devices, and h…

Don’t be terrified, it just sounds like you read a lot. Many of these books are huge, most people definitely wouldn’t finish then all in a year.

I do not read a lot. I know people who do. That’s why I’m terrified.

I’d say 12 books a year is minimal, 52 is excellent. If you’re not in that range, you’re in trouble.

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