I got really into Hemingway’s work, reading all the best ones, but my favourite being ‘A moveable feast’ his diary essentially released at the end of his life set when he was mid-twenties in 1920s Paris. Me being the same age, I was inspired enough to go there and retrace some of his steps.
Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?
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Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?
#12My favourite SF book this year was "Translation State" by Ann Leckie. It is set in the Imperial Radch world so having read the Ancillary trilogy is useful but not essential.
I like it because it contains the strangest aliens (the Presger) that I have come across. They are as far from humans in costumes as you could get. What the Presger do (and their proxies in the Human world the Translators) is totally unguessable.
A fabulous hard SF read and a must if you read the Ancillary trilogy.
Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?
#13[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?
#14My favourite by far was Adam Becker's More Everything Forever.
Special mention also goes to Taming Silicon Valley by Gary Marcus.
Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?
#15History of the Franks, by Gregory of Tours
For those interested in the subject (and who can also read French) I also heartily recommend the most recent edition of Augustin Thierry's Récits des temps mérovingiens [1]. Of course that it has most probably long been surpassed when it comes to historic accuracy, after all it was written almost 200 years ago, but it is very interesting nonetheless for being one of the first books that really put the focus on the Merovingians from a historical perspective that was "scientific", for lack of a better word.
[1] https://www.fnac.com/a21142694/Thierry-Augustin-Recits-des-t...
Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?
#16I got deep into the stormlight archive by brandon sanderson. great escapism!
Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?
#17The History of Medieval Europe by Maurice Keen
Reality is Not What it Seems by Carlo Rovelli
The Brain: The Story of You by David Eagleman
I had a crack at reading the first Game of Thrones novel (I think it's just called A Game of Thrones) but my brain seems to be in non-fiction mode at the moment. I think I'm drawn to a kind of sweet spot halfway between "related to my everyday experience" and "removed from my everyday experience" - not sure I could read about programming or business at the moment, though I also haven't tried.
Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?
#18I reread The Secret History by Donna Tartt for the umpteenth time and it is still wonderful.
Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?
#19Not enough. Going to try to rein in some sustained attention in the new year.
- Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
- Playground by Richard Powers
- Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppman
I'm curious how much AI-generated stuff I read this year... likely at least a book's worth, but it would be more like one of those books with 365+ random deep dives into stuff that's not really relevant to my life.
Re: Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?
#20The most interesting books I read this year were:
Acting class - I found this book surprisingly compelling. It made me reflect on my own search for connection and identity, and how easily it is to be misled and manipulated when you've got no one close.
Earthlings - The book's plot gets really horrific (don't let the cover fool you). However, it did make me think about social norms and taboos a little differently.
1984 - It was my first time reading the book, and man, looking around and seeing bits and pieces of the surveillance mentioned in the book in real life is kind of terrifying...
Grapes of Wrath - It's definitely the most heart-wrenching book I've ever read. Watching the Joad family get absolutely devastated by the monster that is unchecked capitalism is so sad :(
Skunk works - Really good book on the development of Lockheed's stealth planes. However, I did wish I got more technical details.
I would love to see some more book recommendations :)