Ask HN: What are you reading right now? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What are you reading right now?

#281

Post by _b8r0 » Thu, Nov 04, 2010, 12:00 PM UTC

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. This was after I finished Casino Royale by Ian Fleming and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.

As far as non-fiction goes I'm reading Backgammon by Paul Magriel and Beginning iPhone Development.

Re: Ask HN: What are you reading right now?

#282

Post by eswat » Thu, Nov 04, 2010, 12:08 PM UTC

Shogun by James Clavell

Cadence & Slang by Nick Disabato

Re: Ask HN: What are you reading right now?

#283

Post by RiderOfGiraffes » Thu, Nov 04, 2010, 12:15 PM UTC

rikthevik wrote: post #161

Discworld! I just finished the second one, The Light Fantastic, and loved it. Terry Pratchett is a brilliant and very funny author. I find after long days of technical thinking I really enjoy a lighthearted funny piece of fiction to help me unwind and get to sleep. At this point I don't think I could handle much more math or computer science and stay sane.

I'm a huge Pratchett fan. I especially like the Watch novels, but every one of them has its merits. You might find this useful:

http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discwor...

Re: Ask HN: What are you reading right now?

#284

Post by suffynose » Thu, Nov 04, 2010, 12:33 PM UTC

tdupree wrote: post #80

I thoroughly enjoyed the Foundation Series about a year ago and since then have been reading many of the books found in Asimov's Foundation Universe ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_series#List_of_books... ). Right now I am reading "The Robots of Dawn", the third book in Asimov's Robot Series. I have gone in a kind of a strange order, first reading The Complete Robot, then the Foundation Series, the Empire S…

You should read Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card. Perfect companion piece to Ender's Game (not sure if you know much about it, but it is focused on Bean). I also recently finished the first book in the Foundation Series and need to pick up the second one. Awesome book choices!

Re: Ask HN: What are you reading right now?

#285

Post by robertk » Thu, Nov 04, 2010, 12:42 PM UTC

The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway

Chess Openings for Black, Explained

Re: Ask HN: What are you reading right now?

#286

Post by jonnathanson » Thu, Nov 04, 2010, 1:16 PM UTC

DanHulton wrote: post #275

jonnathanson wrote: post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for that Harry Potter fanfic. I am neither a Harry Potter fan nor a fanfic fan, but the premise piqued my nerdy interests just the same. Perhaps it's coincidental that I'm writing a story (not a fanfic; original IP) that is sort of like Harry Potter but involves an alternate future in which the combination of nanomachines and quantum physics allows people to wield "magic"-like control…

I have actually toyed with this idea quite a few times, most recently after finishing The Alera Codex - a series of fantasy books by Jim Butcher that I highly recommend.

Thanks for the rec. I'm sure there's already a burgeoning microgenre for what I guess I'd call PhysPunk (physics punk). I'm torn between wanting to delve into it and wanting to keep it at arm's length, lest it influence me too much in my own work.

Re: Ask HN: What are you reading right now?

#287

Post by xutopia » Thu, Nov 04, 2010, 1:17 PM UTC

The Power of Less by Leo Babauta

It is essentially a guide on how to reduce complexity in your life so you can have more success with the essential things. I like it so far but I'm only half way through it.

Re: Ask HN: What are you reading right now?

#288

Post by yesbabyyes » Thu, Nov 04, 2010, 1:26 PM UTC

I picked up The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe by Roger Penrose, for the third time. It's really interesting and well written, but I still feel it's a pretty heavy read. I figure that I'll get through it with Sal Khan's help, when I hit math and physics that's above my level.

I hope it will be a good way for me to improve my math, while learning about our history and the universe all at the same time.

Re: Ask HN: What are you reading right now?

#289

Post by landhar » Thu, Nov 04, 2010, 2:20 PM UTC

jasonlotito wrote: post #86

landhar wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am reading the same book myself. I highly recommend this series (The Wheel of Time). IMHO it makes the Lord of The Rings seem like a child's book (and don't get me wrong I love the LotR !).

I'm happy they went with Sanderson, too. His styles fits so well with Jordan's, and his Way of Kings series has started of really well.

Indeed ! I had never heard of him before The Gathering Storm. But his work on the Wheel Of Time series has fulfilled all my expectations (and they were high!). The Way of Kings series is next in my queue.

Re: Ask HN: What are you reading right now?

#290

Post by jasonlotito » Thu, Nov 04, 2010, 2:36 PM UTC

landhar wrote: post #289

jasonlotito wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm happy they went with Sanderson, too. His styles fits so well with Jordan's, and his Way of Kings series has started of really well.

Indeed ! I had never heard of him before The Gathering Storm. But his work on the Wheel Of Time series has fulfilled all my expectations (and they were high!). The Way of Kings series is next in my queue.

You won't be disappointed. The WoKings was a bit odd at the start. He dumps you right into the middle, and I was somewhat confused by everything changing so fast, but you quickly realise this is in a way intentional, and works well in the long run.

Also, if you haven't read the Mistborn trilogy, I highly suggest it. It's a great, unique setting, and I had a great time with it.

Finally, his other books are great as well. Elantris and Warbreaker, each different, and great for single novel stories. I'm a big fan of the long arcs of great epics, but these one-off's were well worth the time invested.

Basically, he's an author that will require me to buy everything he writes for as long as he's writing.