In terms of studying, I'm revisiting Topics In Algebra and starting on SICP.
In terms of leisure, I'm starting on A Mote In God's Eye (Niven/Pournelle).
Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?
61–70 of 88 posts
Re: Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?
#62Just finished reading Hugh Howey's "Dust". The Wool, Shift, and Dust series from Hugh Howey are great dystopic sci-fi. Picked up The Signal and the Noise from Nate Silver as my next book.
Re: Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?
#63"Flash Boys" by Michael Lewis It's about High Frequency Trading (algorithmic trading) and how the market reacted; and what a few individuals did to solve the problem. It's a seriously addicting book.
Flash Boys is a little strange. It's presented as David vs. Goliath, but "the little guy" is J. P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs.
Which is not to say there's nothing that could be done to improve our financial infrastructure, or no problems relating to anything deserving the HFT label - there's plenty of both.
Re: Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?
#64I'm halfway through the last volume of Proust's In Search of Lost Time, and I admit I'm proud of it. I don't know what can be said in a small space about a novel so large and canonical, but I've deeply enjoyed it. An unexpected quirk of the novel is that though I've been heavily absorbed in it the whole way, and found it moving, funny, and in general a complete literary experience, I can't really recommend it to othe…
One summer in high school I decided to read In Search of Lost Time before school started up again. I only made my way through Swann's Way (the first of seven books in the series), but I'm so glad I did. I think it was probably the toughest piece of literature I'd ever read, but one of the most rewarding by far.
I know exactly what you mean. The Combray part was hard to dig into, but full of enough psychological insight to make me want to continue. Then the long, brutal debasement of Swann, such an inspiring character, was intensely painful, sometimes enough to make me squirm in my seat, but with a conclusion so unexpected, peculiar, and profound, I was hooked.
Re: Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?
#65Blindsight, by Peter Watts. One of the better sci-fi novels I've read in awhile. Reminds me a lot of Arthur C. Clark in that it successfully strikes a really hard balance between scientific accuracy/feasibility and imaginative storytelling.
He's a fantastic author. You picked the right time to read that too, a sequel is coming out in August that continues the story. His Rifters series is well worth reading too.
Re: Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?
#66In terms of studying, I am half way in Case Study Research, Contextual design and Constructing Grounded Theory.
In terms of leisure, I just finished enders games, and fault in our stars, and I will begin physics of the impossible and the future of the mind
Re: Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
Translation or in French?
I hoped my French would be up to Proust, but sadly it wasn't, and I didn't want re-learning French to be an impediment to the enjoyment of the story. So I've read the Enright versions.
Ok. I know no French at all (il y a un poisson dans votre bibliotheque) but that novel is something I've been interested in trying. Maybe I'll give that a shot.
Re: Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?
#68The Shape of Space: How to Visualize Surfaces and Three-Dimensional Manifolds by Jeffrey R. Weeks
...this one has been a good read so far, but it is quite mind bending, I only read like a half chapter at a time slowly, and then I have to spend some time contemplating.
Cupid's Poisoned Arrow: From Habit to Harmony in Sexual Relationships by Marnia Robinson
...I just finished this one, and it has quite the interesting premise, and 300+ footnotes and references to scientific research, but I don't quite know if I'll be trying it out. The testimonials don't comport with my experiences, but they are somehow compelling. It is worth a read if you are looking for something different, and it definitely has some challenging thoughts to ponder. The main theory is that there is mammalian programming in your brain that releases oxytocin to make you feel good when you touch someone or engage in other bonding behavior. And there is a contrary effect that after orgasm your dopamine levels drop which causes people to get bored with their current partner and seek novel partners (to spread their gene further). The recommendation is to engage in intercourse, but avoid orgasm. And that it takes 2-3 weeks of avoiding orgasm to reset the neurochemistry in your brain, so that you get the blissful effects of oxytocin, without the dopamine depletion of orgasm.
Re: Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?
#69"Idea Man" by Paul Allen
A historical autobiography of Mr. Allen (cofounder of Microsoft). The first half about Traf-O-Data, Basic and founding Microsoft is especially interesting.
Re: Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?
#70Just finished Tower Lord, it's the sequel to Blood Song, by Anthony Ryan. Blood Song stands pretty strong all on its own, I'm not even sure if he ever planned for this to become a series. But book two (Tower Lord) makes it quite clear that this is now a Game of Thrones esq series.
Just started Old Mans War last night, haven't gotten far enough into it to form an opinion.