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Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?

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41–50 of 111 posts

Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?

#41
post #26

Neuromancer. Such a beautiful execution of a great story set in a captivating world, packing a pageful of storyline, images and innuendos into every line of text. It feels like Gibson was on a strict word diet, but the result is a one of a kind masterpiece of story telling.

There's a recording[0] of Gibson reading Neuromancer that I really enjoyed. His reading is very stylistic and might be off-putting for some people, but I think it captures the spirit of the story better than a dry narration.

[0] http://www.bearcave.com/bookrev/neuromancer/neuromancer_audi...

Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?

#43
For sheer engineering fun, R.V. Jones' "How I Won the War" (No, not really; it is called "Most Secret War") is hard to beat; it is the memoirs of Britain's chief scientist during WWII; hundreds of pages of one-upping their Axis counterparts - the birth of electronic warfare. Excellent read.

Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?

#45
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I liked Name of the Wind because it's a perfect counterpoint to Lord of The Rings, in a way. LOTR reads like a classical history book, sometimes literally. Everything is true, everything is tied together. The narrator disappears for omniscience. Name of the Wind is an obvious post-modern slant with an unreliable narrator. The story Kvothe himself tells obviously makes him seem like a superhero and Rothfuss manages to…

I would like to hear what your favorite book is.

I've always had a soft spot for Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. Here's what I wrote about it:

Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy.

Worth reading for the landscape descriptions alone, McCarthy transforms the American west into a hellscape of inhuman violence, savagery, and evil; and yet, it's a beautiful descent into madness.

His character of the Judge is as captivating as he is horrifying. Some choice quotes from him:

> "Whatever in creation exists without my knowledge exists without my consent."

> "War is the ultimate game because war is at last a forcing of the unity of existence. War is god."

> "Moral law is an invention of mankind for the disenfranchisement of the powerful in favor of the weak. Historical law subverts it at every turn. A moral view can never be proven right or wrong by any ultimate test. A man falling dead in a duel is not thought thereby to be proven in error as to his views. His very involvement in such a trial gives evidence of a new and broader view."

> "The freedom of birds is an insult to me. I'd have them all in zoos."

> "All progressions from a higher to a lower order are marked by ruins and mystery and a residue of nameless rage."

Just be prepared for McCarthy's writing style if you decide to read him. He uses long sentences for effect; the long sentences where words seem to tumble over one another in an endless rush evokes movement and the distant horizon of the open desert as well as traditional oral ways of storytelling. His diction is also...archaic.

Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?

#46
Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. The first time it was slow read, but I went back the book several times later in life and it has much to tell.

The Glass Beads Game by Herman Hess.

Several books by Steinbeck - Travels with Charley, Log from the Sea of Cortez.

The Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo. A recent penguin translation is superb. Among the saddest and most memorable love stories.

Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?

#47
post #13
post #2

The Art of electronics. Learned more from that than I did doing an EE degree at university. It gets used to this day even though I bought this copy in 1995. I have the latest edition arriving today.

Amen. AoE, a desk drawer packed with assorted components and a couple of veroboards basically got me through university. Heck, I even got called to an EE professor's office after a circuit design exam - was told a couple of my answers clearly showed I had spent more time studying AoE than the curriculum. "So - we're going to have to give you a mediocre grade, but no worries, you'll do brilliantly in industry; I'd be…

Haha similar. I had my own lab of skip dived kit in halls. I got told my lab assignment looked like something out of AoE. Couldn’t complain because it worked and had a cheaper BOM than they expected.

Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?

#48
I really enjoy Jorge Luis Borges (hard to pick a favorite, just dive into the short stories and find out for yourself). Imagine an M.C. Escher drawing in story form.

I also have a strong pull towards adventure so books like Wind, Sand and Stars by Exupery or Starlight and Storm by Rebuffat are constant companions.

Growing up I loved books by Emilio Salgari, for a man who traveled so little outside of Italy he had an uncanny ability to imagine worlds and adventures beyond his doorstep. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilio_Salgari

I second Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!

Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?

#49
Let me recommend an author instead: Jacqueline Carey.

She writes in a beautiful language, writes gripping stories, sometimes includes erotic scenes which don't appear cheap, and the characters are well thought out. There's often some politics going on in the foreground or background, sometimes quite intricate.

Checkout the Kushiel series for classical fantasy, or "Santa Olivia" for young adult urban fantasy.

Other fantasy authors I'e read recently and enjoyed: Patrick Rothfuss, Peter v. Brett, Brandon Sanderson, Brent Weeks.

Re: Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?

#50
SURELY YOU'RE JOKING MR. FEYNMAN BY RICHARD FEYNMAN

-I loved this book for its humor, everyday practicality, how relatable it felt even without having a background in physics or knowledge about the pranks and experiments he conducted. As well as the book being well-written in the sense that it reads as if you're sitting on the couch with him as he's telling you stories about his life, all with a child-like sense of wonder and enthusiasm about the world.

THE $12 MILLION STUFFED SHARK BY DON THOMPSON

-I'm interested in the high-finance and fine-art worlds and this book discussed how they both go together - money and art - in an informative, quick-paced way.

THE BUY SIDE BY TURNEY DUFF

-For its humor, honesty, and how well written it was in terms of it being a page turner while also providing you with an insightful account about the high-finance industry.

MOLLY'S GAME BY MOLLY BLOOM

-It was an entertaining, quick-paced read about the private, high-stakes poker industry with an assortment of participants.

MONEYBALL, LIAR'S POKER & THE BIG SHORT BY MICHAEL LEWIS

-I thought they were all entertaining reads, while also being insightful about their respective subjects.

STEVE JOBS BY WALTER ISAACSON

-It was an illuminating read to me.

- - -

Separately, these books are on my list to read if anyone has opinions about them:

-Ghost in the Wires by Kevin Mitnick

-Principles by Ray Dalio

-A Man For All Markets by Edward Thorp

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