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Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?

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Re: Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?

#81

Post by adaml_623 »

jemmyw wrote: post #53

Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts [1] I enjoyed the ideas in these books. The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again [2] by M. John Harrison. Beautiful writing. His descriptions give me vivid dreams if I read before bed. The Thursday Murder Club [3] by Richard Osman. Light reading, amusing, beginning of a series. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echopraxia_(novel) [2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49201192-…

Standard Peter Watt disclaimer: his books contain explicit themes of horror and torture.

Re: Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?

#82

Post by toyg »

sien wrote: post #52

Generations by Gene Twenge sticks in mind. It has loads of interesting stats on how generations have changed. It still amazes me to find out that in the 1950s in the US half of brides were teenagers. The average age of having a child was similarly super low compared to now. My review is at: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61273798-generations

When reasoning about the '50s, I think pop-culture fascination with the era makes them appear closer to modernity than they actually were.

I mean: the '50s were 70 years ago. Imagine living in the '50s and talking about the 1880s: the French Third Republic, the British Empire, no airplanes, no radio or cinema...

Re: Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?

#83

Post by javajosh »

The Road by Cormac McCarthy. He passed away in June 2023 and I read this shortly after for the first time. A powerful work that, despite the world building, focuses on the love between a father and son. It's a shocking novel in many ways, but ultimately I found it profoundly hopeful. Even in the direst of circumstances love gives strength to endure.

Re: Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?

#84

Post by seer »

yla92 wrote: post #22

Finished reading The Three-Body Problem (Book 1) and it's such a fascinating read! https://www.amazon.com/Three-Body-Problem-Remembrance-Earths...

I really enjoyed the whole trilogy, and highly recommend it to my friends. But its more for the different perspective of a chinese writer talking about western events, and the general outlook of how events progress - the downplay of individuality, the scope of things, and some history of the chinese point of view.

However what I didn’t like throughout all 3 books is just how predictable the antagonists are … like the main characters devise a plan, stick to it and things unfold generally how they’ve predicted, with very few (though big) exceptions.

Maybe thats also part of the chinese perspective? I’m used to Branden Sanderson type of narrative where the bad guys are smarter than the good ones, outplay and counter moves, and apply constant pressure, but can be outplayed themselves as well.

Three body problem was more like if the other side has an advantage, there’s nothing you can do, and if they don’t, just follow the plan … But apart from that incredible series.

Re: Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?

#85

Post by glth »

The Good Virus by Tom Ireland (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/15/books/review/the-good-vir...).

This book introduces phages and their pivotal role in advancing human health through phage therapy. In my opinion, it illustrates the inevitability of phage therapy's integration into mainstream medical practices, underscoring its potential to effectively combat antibacterial resistance.

Re: Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?

#86

Post by m463 »

glth wrote: post #85

The Good Virus by Tom Ireland ( https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/15/books/review/the-good-vir... ). This book introduces phages and their pivotal role in advancing human health through phage therapy. In my opinion, it illustrates the inevitability of phage therapy's integration into mainstream medical practices, underscoring its potential to effectively combat antibacterial resistance.

I've been wondering whether phages would ever be a thing for 20 years, since this wired article:

https://www.wired.com/2003/10/phages/

Re: Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?

#87

Post by m463 »

hsdropout wrote: post #10

The Water Knife. ISBN 978-0-385-35287-1 Dystopian-future novel with a backdrop of water scarcity in the western United States. A "water knife" is a name for a security contractor who enforces water rights...

I read this a while back and always think back to it when I read about water troubles, such as this article:

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/arizona-restricts-phoenix-h...

Re: Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?

#88

Post by CrzyLngPwd »

Stop Reading the News. Hook that in with The Subtle Art of Not giving a fuck, and finish with Turning the Mind into an Ally, and I find reflecting on all three has helped me to focus on what's important.

I no longer waste so much time on trivial unimportant nonsense.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stop-Reading-News-information-overl...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Subtle-Art-Not-Giving-Counterintuit...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Turning-Mind-into-Sakyong-Mipham/dp...

Re: Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?

#89

Post by lloydatkinson »

simonbarker87 wrote: post #77

Double Cross is the story of how the British turned, relied on and managed German double agents through World War Two. Not spoiling anything when I say that reading about one person running a fictitious group of spies across the UK from a flat in London, feeding thousands of pages of fake intelligence to the Germans amazes me. The creativity and mental capacity to stay on top of all those lies is astounding. Oh and E…

I think I’ll add that to my list! I am currently reading (well, I ended up trying out Audible so listening now) to The Splendid and the Vile which is another WW2 book that’s quite fascinating.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0008274983/ref=tmm_pap_swat...

Re: Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?

#90

Post by dbcooper »

Why Calories Don't Count: How We Got the Science of Weight Loss Wrong by Giles Yeo

It's a good, and gentle, introduction to the biochemistry and thermodynamics of digestion, and the history of calorie estimates.

https://www.amazon.com/Why-Calories-Dont-Count-Science/dp/16...

Adam Ragusea interviewed him on his YouTube channel.

https://youtu.be/C-H4KwoKaOc

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