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Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?

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Re: Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?

#271

Post by russler23 »

emodendroket wrote: post #220

From a few angles: * I read the Bible out of curiosity and ended up joining a church, so that's pretty consequential. * Moby Dick and Journey to the West were probably the most sheer enjoyment I got out of books * Learning C# 3.0 by Jesse Liberty is extremely dated at this point, and was dated even when I read it, but was the first book that made me "get" many basic OO concepts and taught me a language I've gotten a…

Wow, a lot of these resonate. Epp's Discrete Math was so much fun--definitely my favorite textbook from college. Moby Dick was mindbending, and my favorite novel until reading Homer's Odyssey. The Bible was a great education in ancient cultures. I was just reading an interview of McPherson on NYT's 1619 project, too.

May your journey of faith be fruitful. I enjoyed reading Dostoyevsky and G.K. Chesterton along those lines.

Re: Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?

#272

Post by nobrains »

emodendroket wrote: post #220

From a few angles: * I read the Bible out of curiosity and ended up joining a church, so that's pretty consequential. * Moby Dick and Journey to the West were probably the most sheer enjoyment I got out of books * Learning C# 3.0 by Jesse Liberty is extremely dated at this point, and was dated even when I read it, but was the first book that made me "get" many basic OO concepts and taught me a language I've gotten a…

"I read the Bible out of curiosity and ended up joining a church, so that's pretty consequential."

In that case, to be fair to yourself, did you also read the Quran, for comparison? Other religious texts?

Re: Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?

#274

Post by zwilliamson »

andrewf wrote: post #248
rapper wrote: post #96

I skimmed through the answers and didn't find anything to do with math. To anyone interested in math, what math text/books and papers of the decade seemed the most interesting to you? As far as fiction, this decade I discovered Peter Watts, Ted Chiang and Clive Barker. Now I am obsessed with horror and sci-fi in the style of these authors. If you are into these genres (and possibly authors), who/what blew you away th…

You may like Alastair Reynolds, he does hard scifi infused with elements of horror and space opera. He doesn't tear down his characters' minds to the degree Peter Watts does.

I just finished Revelation Space and really enjoyed it.

Re: Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?

#276

Post by DavidPiper »

ljm wrote: post #144

Before I scan the thread for inspiration, these are mine: 1. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance; I have no words for this except that it was profound and I was ready for it. 2. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team; a classic where history knows better than we do. 3. Special Topics in Calamity Physics; a fictional tale that shows you how damn easy it is to get lost in conspiracy and speculation. 4. House of Leaves;…

+1 for House of Leaves! Didn't expect to see that here. Bizarre and mind-bending. Awesome experimental fiction. Really have to go back and read it again sometime soon.

(And no, there's no eBook - that I know of. You'll err... understand why when you see the physical copy.)

Re: Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?

#277

Post by DavidPiper »

Lots of great recommendations here. I'll add the Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers:

- The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

- A Closed and Common Orbit

- Record of a Spaceborn Few

(Her more recent "To Be Taught, If Fortunate" is unrelated to the series but also a great read.)

EDIT: Formatting.

Re: Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?

#279

Post by jl2718 »

daxfohl wrote: post #245
daxfohl wrote: post #203

Nothing. I've read a bunch of them looking for some kind of enlightenment. I can't say any of them were actually worth the time invested. I expect to be downvoted, but this is truly what I feel. Read a couple of these books just to confirm to yourself they're a waste, and go lead your own life.

Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking. --Albert Einstein

That’s definitely me. Need help with this.

Re: Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?

#280

Post by palerdot »

zaplin wrote: post #256
palerdot wrote: post #227

The Count of Monte Cristo - This is one breathtaking epic. I have been putting off reading this novel for quite some time and occasionally see this name popping up in HN too, but never gave a serious thought for giving it a go. Was I wrong! This is an epic in its true sense, and you will feel a sense of amazement as you progress through the novel. I'm quite a reader, and I have not experienced such amazement when rea…

Which translation (if so) of "The master and Margarita" have you read? It's on my to read list for some time but when it's time to pick it up, i'm always turned off from finding the right one.

DIANA BURGIN AND KATHERINE O’CONNOR's translation
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